Road Trip to Chiapas

Friends,
What advice and recommendations do you have regarding road travel to and within Chiapas from Zijua?
Would welcome recommendations as to routes, safety, travel times, places to visit, places to stay, eat and
visit both enroute and within Chiapas. We will be staying in San Cristobal for a week late June or early July.

Thank you.

Oooh, oooh, oooh. I want to go too. Let us know how your road trip goes. Here's an idea for some reading on the way. 'The Moon Straight Overhead": By Quentin R. Kirk [Paperback], avail at Amazon. He is an expat living in San Cristobal and a cousin of mine that I have yet to meet in person. A charming book of the simple pleasures of life and love in Chiapas.

When we drove it with our RV a few years ago, we went from here down 200 towards Acapulco, take the bypass and head towards Mexico City. Turn off long before getting there to Puebla, then down to Villahermosa, then Palenque. From there you just keep going to San Cristobal. The other most often used route by RVers (so you know the roads are good) is straight down 200 from here, past Huatulco, etc....it's a pretty direct route. The 1st route I mentioned is mostly cuotas (toll roads) which are a much easier drive with at least a passing lane plus shoulders if not completely divided, and the 2nd route is pretty much 1 lane in each direction. Either way, you are probably looking at 2-4 days drive, leaning towards the 4 days...depending on what you stop to see along the way. This might be too much driving for your stay.

Musts to see, at least for us, were the 2 famous waterfalls, which are spectacular- Agua Azul and Misol Ha, the ruins at Palenque, and the ruins (name escapes me at the moment)- you can only get there by the little boats that run up & down the Usumacinta river which separates Mexico & Guatamala. They are the most amazing ruins that we have seen anywhere, and not at all commercialized yet since traffic is limited.

Chiapis is beautiful. Enjoy!!

--
Linda from Canada
check out my books at www.livingthedreaminmexico.com AND please have a look at www.cookingwithclaudiainzihuatanejo.blogspot.com as well as www.albertoinzihuatanejo.blogspot.com

My wife and I visited San Cristobal about 25 years ago. It's a totally unique place, not just in terms of Mexico, but a priceless cultural treasure to the world.

You must visit Casa Na Bolom and sit as we did at their table and share the remarkable story of the 2 European archeologists and ethnologists who made documented and preserved what they could of the ebbing lowland jungle culture of Chiapas' Lacandon aboriginals.

The highland villages around San Cristobal are also fascinating with their artwork and religious mix of Catholicism and Mayan spiritualistic animism.

The place was also an important focal point of the Zapatista rebellion that we heard so much about a number of years ago, and of course the ever charismatic Subcomandante Marcos.

I love Puerto Escondído and Puerto Angél. The bricked over malecón is worth an evening as are some of the spaghetterias.

Tehuantepec and Salina Cruz can be hot hot hot hot. I remember one February day encountering 40C. Afternoon tehuantepcker winds (southbound going left to right) can be insane at times, well over 160kph gusts in the afternoon certain times of the year, this is a good place to do early in the daylight.

After you turn off Mex 200 onto Mex 190 at Tepanatepec you'll start climbing into the mountains. The positively stunning sights you will stumble across, beautiful green valleys studded by sagging adobe houses capped with the most beautiful terracotta tiles I have ever seen.

Beware of topes. Their numbers plus their frequency are a bit disheartening.

Tuxtla Gutierrez has a fabulous zoo, not to be missed. The town is a bit boring but does have a Sam's Club ;->

Climbing out of T/G the highway ascends seeming endlessly. Look for vertical milpas, cornfields with indigenous farmers hanging by rope chopping elotes and their family gathering everything up on the roadside.

Mind boggling city San Cristobal de Las Casas. Too much, way too much to do in three months in and around, never mind a week. I wonder if MERCEDES is still leading tours? Look for a yellow and green striped parasol at the north end of la plaza principal. A tzeltal/english speaking guide ultra highly recommended when visiting San Juan Chamula. The village of Zinacantan, the church ceremonies, PAY ATTENTION TO NO CAMERAS ALLOWED signs. The indigenous mean it. No fotos on church property anywhere.

Simojovel city, frontier amber mining city, Mind blowing.

Sorry, too much, my system is going into overload here trying to escribir en breve.

No other place in México have I felt like I was in the middle of a National Geographic adventure.

Enjoy and do not let the rockets and cuetes bother you. Every day there is something being celebrated.

I agree with all of the above but i would love to add the canyon del Sumidero close to Tuxtla Guiterrez .We did both the river boat tour as well as a bus tour inside the National Park.Fabulous panaroma!!!

Much agreement zihuarana! The cañon is breathtaking!

Great information. Many thanks. Looks like we should allow a little more time to enjoy this.

Nice to know that the boat excursions of the canyon are still on. We took that too some 25 years ago, as well as the zoo. Our accomodation in TG didn't work out so well. It was in a high rise hotel that had a major disco on the top floor, which blared intense music well into the night and the entire building reverberated with it. We were several floors down and I don't think any but industrial grade ear protection would have helped our sleep...