If you’re looking for an incredible Chiapas road trip itinerary then you need look no further. The 15-day trip I took with my family recently will fulfill your every Chiapas Mexico need and desire.

In this article, you’ll also find all the best things to do Chiapas, Mexico.

This 15-day itinerary offers the Mexico visitor an entirely different Mexico experience. It isn’t Cancun or Mexico City. There’s no wine-tasting or tequila-tasting but it does offer an incredible opportunity to get to see rural Mexico. If you’re looking for a vacation in Mexico that’s not beach-related then I couldn’t recommend a Chiapas vacation more highly.

 

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What Does This Chiapas Itinerary Include?

💦 Waterfalls

🛶 Sailing on canyons and lakes

🌃 City adventures

🍫 Chocolate making

🌲 Forests

🏰 Ruins

🛂 Secret border crossings

⭐️ Wherever you’re going in Mexico with kids, our packing list for Mexico with kids will come in handy.

15-Day Chiapas Itinerary Details

Day 1 – 3: Chiapa de Corzo and the Sumidero Canyon

📌 Chiapa de Corzo is where the Sumidero Canyon (Canñon de Sumidero) boat trips begin. You can take a tour from San Cristobal (this is what most people do) but locals who know, just turn up in Chiapa de Corzo and do it themselves.

📌 Chiapa de Corzo is a beautiful little town with very few foreign visitors. It is one of the four pueblos magicos in Chiapas.

📌 There is more to do in Chiapa de Corzo than just visiting the canyon.

📌 This is a canyon. It is hot. Be prepared.

Cañon de Sumidero / Sumidero Canyon

If you’re considering a trip to Chiapas, the likelihood is that you already know about the Sumidero Canyon. The canyon, part of the Grijalva River where the walls reach up to a staggering 1000 metres at their highest point, is one of the most famous tourist sites in Chiapas.  Apparently, 80% of visitors here are Mexican despite the fact that this is the second most visited site in the whole state after Palenque.

How to Arrange Your Own Canyon de Sumidero Trip

💦 The canyon is explored on a boat with around 20 other people. The trip takes between two to three hours, going from  Chiapa de Corzo to the dam and back.

💦 If you’re staying in Chiapa de Corzo or just sorting out your own tour, head down to the river and you’ll soon see the small docks. Here there are two or three cooperatives offering exactly the same tour. It makes no difference which you choose as far as I could tell. It costs $250 pesos per person for the tour (children under 90cm pay less). 

💦 Buy your tickets (under the arches) and then wait around on the steps until you hear a boat tour being called. Prior to visiting I read that it can be hard to get on a boat if you’re not part of an official tour but that certainly wasn’t our experience. We showed up, bought tickets, waited ten minutes and got on a boat. We deliberately got there shortly after the ticket office opened (around 8.30 am) and were on the first boat of the morning. 

💦 If you don’t have the time or energy to sort it out for yourself, check tour options here. There are plenty of fabulous tours to choose from.

Cañon de Sumidero Viewpoints (Miradors)

📌 An official bus tour from San Cristobal will take you to a few land viewpoints. Without a tour or a car of your own, these would be very hard to visit.

📌 All except one of the ‘official’ viewpoints are in the national park (in the far north of nearby Tuxtla Gutiérrez). The main two are La Ceiba and El Tepehuaje. 

📌 Mirador Manos Que Imploran: this viewpoint is near the dam and the town of Osumacinta. There’s a small restaurant that has delicious and well-priced food, served by the very friendly owner. There is a pool with incredible views and a viewpoint that could steal your heart. I stood for a very long time listening to the silence, watching eagles swoop and dive over the wide expanse of the river I could see.

Archaeological Sites Near Chiapa de Corzo

Zona Arqueológica de Chiapa de Corzo – sadly, closed when we visited despite the website saying it was open. From what we could see it looked like a fun place to run and explore. If you’re in Chiapa de Corzo this would be an easy way to spend an hour or two. 

Other Activities Around Chiapa de Corzo

Cascada El Chorreadero – around 10km from Chiapa de Corzo is this small waterfall park where you can while away a few hours paddling, jumping and even climbing up inside a cave where the waterfall begins (that was really fun). If you have kids then they’ll have an absolute blast here. 

Chiapa de Corzo Plaza – as in almost every Mexican city or town, the main plaza is an absolute delight. Chiapa de Corzo’s plaza has a particularly beautiful fountain on it to which we went to enjoy dusk every evening. Hearing the birds come in to roost for the night, watching them swarm together in the balmy sky while children play, young couples stroll hand in hand, older people come out to meet their friends and street vendors set up is my favourite memory of this small town. The plaza is flanked on two sides by artisan shops. I’m not a great shopper so I didn’t buy anything but I enjoyed exploring there. There are also artisan market stalls on the road down to the river and beside the old convent. 

The River – there are a number of restaurants with tables overlooking the river. We didn’t eat in any of them as we felt they were overpriced and we’d read that the food wasn’t great but I have no idea if this is true since we didn’t try it. The ambiance, I’m sure would be lovely. We did enjoy strolling along the river and sitting on the steps watching the boats and the sky. 

Where to Eat and Stay in Chiapa de Corzo

I wouldn’t say there are many options for either in this small town. We ate in a couple of places but neither made any impression on me except that the staff were extremely welcoming and chatty. We chose to stay in an Airbnb on the main square. I  wouldn’t recommend it. I’d consider one of the few hotels in Chiapa de Corzo or nearby if I went again.

Day 4 – 11: San Cristobal de las Casas

(under one hour from Chiapa de Corzo)

📌 This does look like a long time to spend anywhere on a road trip but San Cris (as it’s known to locals) is a perfect spot to base yourself while taking excursions and day trips. San Cristobal is one of the most picturesque cities in Mexico. It’s a pueblo magico (check out the pueblos magicos on the Yucatán Peninsula) with charming cobblestone streets, incredible views and incredible architecture. And don’t even get me started on the quality of the coffee here!

📌 The markets of San Cris are rivaled by no other in Mexico. THIS is where you need to be to pick up your souvenirs, gifts and home decor. There is nowhere like it for price or quality. Also, the vendors are, without fail, friendly and engaging.

📌 The food in San Cristobal is magnificent. If you are looking for great Mexican food you’ll find it but you’ll also find incredible international options, street food and modern Mexican fusion. Do not miss out on this culinary hotspot.

📌 If you don’t have a rental car, San Cristobal is the place to pick up a tour or three.

📌 San Cris is, surprisingly, not the capital of Chiapas. Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the capital of Chiapas and this is also where the airport is located (hence my road trip starting in Chiapa de Corzo not San Cris).

📌 The local, Tzotzil name for San Cristobal de las Casas is Jovel. You’ll probably see it used on signs.

📌 The city of San Cristobal is in a valley surrounded by hills (reminiscent of Oaxaca). It is a colonial city but much the indigenous culture is a huge part of the charm and draw for tourists. 

Insider Knowledge: I’ve been to Chiapas five or six times and to San Cristobal de las Casas three times. Of these visits twice were in December and once in March. December can be extremely cold, especially if you don’t have a hotel or house with good heating. We were colder inside than outside on one trip. Be sure to check temperatures before you visit.

Activities In and Around San Cristobal de las Casas

El Arcotete Parque Ecoturístico – this is a fabulous space for running, exploring, playing, and breathing deep while enjoying the Chiapan countryside. We kept on returning because we had so much fun here. It costs around $10 pesos per person to enter and is possible to take public transport.

There are bathrooms, small shops for snacks and souvenirs. You can zipline, explore caves, take a tiny boat on the river or just wander around. 

➡️ Read all about visiting San Cristobal de las Casas with kids

Orquídeas Moxviquil – I would say that visiting this botanical garden was a highlight of living in Mexico not just of our trip to Chiapas. I couldn’t begin to rate this day more highly.

There are two options here: a self-walk around the gardens and/or a guided tour in the forest. We chose both. The orchid gardens are spectacular, but the guided tour in the forest really grabbed me. Our guide was an absolute delight, keeping us all informed and safe as we climbed through the forest-covered hills. We learned about orchids, epifetas  (epiphytes in English) and bromelias  (bromeliads in English) – the different types of plants that live in symbiotic relationships with trees. The tour requires a lot of walking and at the peak includes a small guided meditation.

San Miguel de Allende also has a fabulous botanical garden that can’t be missed. 

Huitepec Ecological Reserve (Reserva Huitepec)  – while in Moxvquil, our guide recommended a second walk, along the road to Chamula (please, if you’re going to do this walk, be sure to find the right spot. Again, Google Maps took us to entirely the wrong place to begin with – look for the entrance along the road to Chamula). We paid a minimal fee to enter and then walked up and up (following a well-signposted route) through the forest. Oh, this was a wonderful walk! We climbed trees, spotted mushrooms and marvelled at the views. There are, of course, incredible hikes all around Mexico, including around San Cristobal de las Casas.

San Juan Chamula

📌 This small town is thirty minutes from San Cristobal and is an absolute must to visit. I’ve been twice. It’s an indigenous village that people visit specifically for the church. 

📌 Chamula is an autonomous town into which the national police and military are not permitted to enter.

📌 The church, well, wow. Just wow. As I said, it’s well known on the tourist route but in reality, there is nothing touristy about it at all. Non-pueblo residents pay to enter the church and are not permitted to take photos (seriously, don’t or they’ll remove your camera/phone from you). 

📌 There are no pews in the church. Instead, the floor is covered in pine needles and everyone in there is just doing their own thing.

📌 Check out options for tours to Chamula

The first time I went was Christmas Eve when there were thousands of candles all over the floor and processions of people and bands moved around. The smell of copal merged with the smoke of the thousands of candles to create a sensation I’ve only experienced once before in my life, in the Jhokang in Tibet. We stood in the plaza in front of the church and watched bands,  dancers, children playing, and young men letting off fireworks. We then spent a short while in the outdoor market before returning to San Cristobal.

Zincanatán

If you’re heading out to Chamula, Zincanatán is also nearby. This is a second indigenous village where the main draw is the weaving and handicrafts. I stopped off here for a walk around and lunch and wound up coming home with bags full of awesome souvenirs (including the pencil case sitting next to me as I write this).

Learn to Make Chocolate at Jangala , San Cristobal

🍫 We spent a few hours learning about the chocolate-making process and the innovations these guys, who say they are trying to preserve the soul of Mexico in a chocolate bar, have made. We learned about local Mexican chocolate growers, tasted their beans saw how it is milled and even got to make our own chocolate bars. 

Shopping and strolling around San Cristobal

Of course, one of the charms of San Cristobal is just strolling around town, enjoying the cobblestone pedestrianised streets and great views, milling around on the plazas, and climbing the steep steps to the churches that just appear all over the place. 

Don’t Miss

📌 Take a walking tour of San Cristobal to really get to see the city

📌 Mercado de Dulces y Artesanías Ámbar

📌 The artisan market outside Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzman (this church’s facade is incredible, it’s so intricate and ornate. Do not miss it.

📌 Churches: On the zocalo you’ll find the Cathedral but don’t miss Iglesia de San Cristobalito or the Templo de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe – the two churches at either end of the city. Both are perched atop hills and require climbing up steps to reach the top. Highly recommended for the views. Behind San Cristobalito you’ll find a good spot for a little walk in the woods.

📌 Museums: My favorite is the Textiles del Mundo Maya (which comes as a package with Museo de los Altos de Chiapas). Museo del Ambar and Na Bloom are also worth a quick visit.

📌 Chiapas is a coffee-producing region so be sure to take time to explore this delicious drink while in San Cristobal. My personal favourite (after much research) is Carajillo Expendio on Real de Guadalupe.

Where To Eat In San Cristobal

🍽 Lunch/Supper: Cocoliche, Taniperla, Sarajevo, Te Quiero Verde (vegetarian), Xut

🍳 Breakfast: Frontera, Oh La La Pasteleria, Kukulpaan, La Casa de las Lolas

Exploring Chiapas: Where To Stay in San Cristobal

The best advice I can give you is to ensure that you stay somewhere with a fire or heating if you go in winter. We did not. We were miserable. We slept in hats, sweaters and socks. We were cold. Choose your hotel well. 

Exploring Chiapas: San Cristobal Day Trip Possibilities

There are many organised tours from San Cristobal. Choose from

🚌 Palenque, Agua Azul and Misol-Ha

🚌 Sumidero Canyon and lookout points

🚌 El Chiflon and the Lagos de Montebello.

Day 12 – 16: Parque Nacional de Lagos de Montebello

(3 hours from San Cristobal)

📌 The lake region on the border with Guatemala is just stunningly beautiful.

📌 There are five visitable lakes: Tziscao, Montebello, Cinco Lagos, Pojoj and Internacional plus dozens of others that are not really accessible.

📌 National Park Fees: As you drive into the region you’ll stop at a hut where you need to pay a small entry fee into the national park. As you enter the actual lake area you’ll also be required to pay $25 pesos per person. Only pay once and then just show the little ticket book every time you pass a kiosk.

Lago Tziscao

💦 This is a large lake with plenty of options to walk and explore.

💦 It’s also very close to the Guatemalan border and it’s perfectly possible to walk over without a passport. Just follow the path and take money to do some souvenir shopping or have a beer. Technically the border is on Lago Internacional, by the way, but since it’s a small lake it isn’t something to visit for its lakey-ness. You’ll probably wander into Guatemala when you’re exploring Tziscao.

💦 There are kayaks for rent from the beach area in front of the bridge to Guatemala and there is a small floating pier that’s good for jumping off or sitting on with a glass of wine (yes, I did both in the interests of research).

Cinco Lagos

💦 This lake is the most striking and it does look like five lakes that have joined themselves together but our guide told us it’s just one. It is surrounded by cliffs and is only accessed by going down a flight of steps by the viewpoint. 

💦 Here you’ll find small cork rafts and plenty of people offering to row you around the very deep lake. Absolutely hire someone for this experience. The rafts are great fun and the scenery is just magnificent. There are two options for rafting, we chose the longer tour, which allowed us time to climb to another viewpoint and we could have swum had the water not been so cold when we visited in December.

Our guide was full of interesting information about the lake, he was patient with the kids asking a million questions and when a hat went flying, he rescued it for us.

Lago Pojoj 

💦 This lake also offers cork-raft fun and has an island in the middle that you can explore. We just stopped and admired the view here since we visited after rafting at Cinco Lagos. 

Lago Montebello

💦 This is a very large lake (pretty expanded by flooding when we visited) that is popular with Mexicans coming for a weekend visit. There are small restaurant options (honestly, I had the best fries I’ve ever had in Mexico here) and palapas if you want to take your own picnic. 

Lago Internacional

💦 This is just a small body of water exactly on the border. The border is far more fun than the lake. Over the border is a small and bustling tourist market. It’s a great deal of fun to explore.

💦 Be sure to take millions of photos of yourself half in Mexico and half in Guatemala.

💦 You can trek along the border between Mexico and Guatemala.

Where To Stay and Where To Eat Around Lagos de Montebello

The accommodation options I saw were primarily around Lago Tziiscao. There are a number of cabin locations there. Each cabin group has a restaurant and some have cooking facilities. We ate in our cabin restaurant every night and had snacks for lunch every day. In Tziscao village there are plenty of small restaurant options, too.

Other Activities Around Lagos de Montebello

Archaeological Sites

📌 Yaxchilan – (5hr 30, 300km)

📌 Chinkultic (30 mins, 20km)

📌 Tenam Puente (1 hr 30, 70km)

📌 El Lagartero (2hr drive, 100km)

📌 At 6hr30 away, Palenque is really too far to visit for a day

These sites are often easier visited as part of an overland tour. 

🚂 The Maya Train should be operational in early 2024, which offers yet more exciting experiences in this region. Palenque is one of the main stops along the route.

Waterfalls

Las Nubes (1hr30 70km)

💦 The road was very windy and not always fun. There are cabins here should you wish to stay and explore more. The restaurant on site was so slow we gave up and left. Take swimming stuff as there are a few points where you can bathe. We did. It was cooooold. But wow, what an adventure this was. We walked through the rainforest for a couple of hours, marvelling at the trees and the view (look at that view!). It really did look like this.

El Chiflon (1hr 50 90km)

💦 The journey here is easier than to Las Nubes. The roads are less winding.

💦 El Chiflon is more touristy than Las Nubes.

💦 There are two entrances to Chiflon. Both cost the same but they’re run by different villages and allow you slightly different views of the river and the falls. We entered from the first one as you approach from the lakes. I’d read reviews and figured it had access to slightly higher viewpoints.

💦 El Chiflon is longer and higher than Las Nubes and much of the walking is UP. We went as far and as high as we could (of course we did) and one of my kids was really not amused by this at all. Most people stop at Cascada Velo de Novia. We went two higher to Cascada Quinceañera.

💦 It’s possible to zipline back down to the starting point (my daughter and husband did) and it’s to swim here. Other blogs and vlogs I’ve seen say this is lovely but the areas we found were restricted, not particularly beautiful and also the water was busy with little black bugs.

Note: All around the Lagos de Montebello are Zapatista villages. Not once did we encounter any issues or anything but the normal Mexican friendliness but we were fascinated to read signs declaring villages’ intent to rid themselves of the shackles of government or to announce the intention to keep big businesses out.

🚗 From Lagos de Montebello back to the airport at Tuxtla is a four-hour drive. We took a detour to visit El Chiflon waterfalls on our way back.

🚗 If you wanted to increase your road trip time you could add this awesome Chiapas and Tabasco road trip itinerary. It includes three pueblos magicos, Palenque, and even dolphins.

🚗 If you want to go even longer, from Tabasco you could head into Yucatán and continue road tripping for another ten days until you reach Mérida.

Chiapas Road Trip Frequently Asked Questions