Tour Details

Discover Chiapas, Mexico’s most indigenous and southern state! Enjoy marimba music, local cuisine, boating, and indigenous markets with a small group of similarly curious travelers and expert guides. Travel in comfort with excellent drivers and sleep in comfort at outstanding hotels.

The capital of Chiapas State, Tuxtla Gutierrez, with its half a million inhabitants offers us surprises!  Visit the 25 mile-long Sumidero River Canyon with cliffs over 3000 feet in height and abundant wildlife. Our private boat lands in the Pueblo Magico of Chiapa de Corzo, where our warm and knowledgeable guide will take us to a gourmet regional cuisine restaurant for lunch, then introduce us to one of Mexico’s Master Marimba makers as well as a visit to the fabulous Parachicos!

Next, we’ll travel up to San Cristobal de las Casas, situated at 7200 feet, in a high fertile valley surrounded by mountains. Chiapas is home to many indigenous groups descended from the Maya, two of the largest being the Tzotzils and Tzeltals, who inhabit villages surrounding San Cristobal. The indigenous people of Chiapas speak their own languages (often in addition to Spanish), practice their own unique customs, and can be identified by their traditional dress that varies by group/village. The markets are a buzz of symphonic sounds!

Founded in 1528, San Cristobal was designated a “Pueblo Magico” (Magic Town), and is one of Mexico’s best-preserved Spanish colonial towns. With its narrow streets, colorful one-storey houses, and tiled roofs that enclose lovely courtyards, it offers the visitor not only a journey back in time, but also a contemporary bohemian ambience of art galleries and sophisticated restaurants catering to an international crowd of travelers and residents. You’ll have the opportunity to visit its plethora of artisans’ markets, shops and museums, including the unsurpassed Centro de Textiles del Mundo Maya with our expert local guide.

Several interesting day trips we’ll take from San Cristobal include visits to the outlying highland villages of San Juan Chamula, San Lorenzo Zinacantan, and Amatenango del Valle.  These towns offer a unique inside view into the traditions and customs of the region’s indigenous communities. We’ll be invited to visit homes and workshops of their master artisans. One of the largest autonomous indigenous communities in the world, San Juan Chamula (pop. 60,000), is just a few miles from San Cristobal, but in many ways a world apart. The church there has no pews, no altar, and the priest was expelled decades ago for meddling with local customs. Statues of the saints remain, but the nave is used for elaborate ceremonies involving candles, eggs, live chickens and — oddly — soft drinks. Our visit to Chamula on Sunday (Market Day), offers a unique window into Chiapas's rich Mayan heritage. 

Join Travelian’s knowledgeable guides for this journey to an extraordinary region of Mexico filled with adventure, master artisans, regional cuisine and natural wonders!

Itinerary - 9 Days

DAY 1 - TRAVEL DAY TO CHIAPAS
Travel day.
You'll be met at the airport of Tuxtla Gutierrez or at the restaurant of our hotel that evening for briefing and Welcome Dinner.

DAY 2 - SUMIDERO CANYON NATIONAL PARK AND CHIAPA DE CORZO
Drive to Chiapa de Corzo. Take a private boat tour of Sumidero Canyon. Have lunch* in town. Return to hotel, meet and leave for dinner*.

DAY 3 - SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS WALKING TOUR
8:00 A.M. Breakfast at our hotel. Check out - Drive to San Cristobal and check into hotel. Meet our guide for orientation and maps. Walk with guide and visit Santo Domingo, Regional Museum, and the Textile Museum. Have lunch* and time to go to the market, and explore town on your own. Meet for dinner.

DAY 4 - AMATENANGO DEL VALLE
8:00 A.M. Breakfast at our hotel. Leave for the village of Amatenango del Valle. Visit two workshops of Artisan Maestros. Return for lunch* in San Cristobal. Have time to visit markets, shops, museums or other pints of interest recommended by our guide. Meet for dinner* at our hotel.

DAY 5 - ORCHID MUSEUM - TRAJES REGIONALES MUSEUM
8:00 A. M. Breakfast at our hotel. Leave for Moxviquil Orchid Museum (Early birding available at the site) for a private tour. Leave for lunch*. Visit Museo de Trajes Regionales for a private tour. Return to hotel. Meet for dinner.

DAY 6 - SAN JUAN CHAMULA AND ZINACANTAN
8:00 A. M. Breakfast at our hotel. Leave for Chamula Sunday Market and tour of town and church with our guide. Leave for the village of Zinacantan and visit master weaver at her home/workshop. Return to San Cristobal for lunch and have free time. Meet that evening for dinner.

DAY 7 - FREE DAY
8:00 A.M. Free day to wander, explore, shop, or relax on your own.

DAY 8 - TRAVEL DAY TO TUXTLA GUTIERREZ
Fly 8:00 A.M. Breakfast at our hotel. Free morning for last minute exploring or shopping. Check out of hotel. Have lunch* in town. Drive to Tuxtla Gutierrez and stay at hotel near airport. Enjoy dinner at our hotel.

Travelers joining the Chiapas Lowlands tour will have an opportunity to go birdwatching that morning at the Huitepec reserve with our birdguide, and join the other travelers that afternoon at our hotel.

DAY 9 - TRAVEL DAY
Travel Day. After brekfast at our hotel, travelers will be taken to Tuxtla Gutierrez International Airport.

* Meals marked with an asterisk are not included in the tour's fee.
This itinerary is subject to changes without prior notification.

WHAT TO TAKE           Official ID your current Passport, Mexican residency ID (copies are fine)   Original INAPAM ID (if you have one)   Credit Cards, Debit Card, Cash in Pesos (No cash machines are available)   Water Bottle   Binoculars   Camera   Flashlight    Hat   Sunblock   Sunglasses   Umbrella and rain gear    Hiking sticks   Insect repellent   Day Pack   Light-weight walking/hiking shoes   A fleece garment can be useful in case of chilly mornings    Pack your binoculars, toiletries and travel documents in your day pack, a supply of resealable plastic storage bags can be handy for storing food items from the breakfast, to be used as mid-morning snacks    Be sure to bring your own Kleenex and small change for bathroom fees   Money belt   Personal prescription drugs   First-aid kit (should contain lip salve, Aspirin, Band Aids, anti-histamine, Imodium or similar tablets for mild cases of diarrhea, re-hydration powder)