Chiapas is Mexico's southernmost state, a highland-and-jungle frontier on the Guatemalan border where colonial San Cristóbal de las Casas sits at 2,200 metres above sea level, the Maya city of Palenque rises out of rainforest, and the Grijalva River cuts the thousand-metre walls of the Sumidero Canyon. It is the most indigenous state in the country: Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Ch'ol, Tojolabal and Zoque communities keep their languages, markets and ceremonies as living practice rather than performance. Waterfalls at Agua Azul, Misol-Ha and El Chiflón, the turquoise lakes of Montebello, the coffee fincas of the Soconusco and the empty Pacific beaches at Puerto Arista round out a state that rewards slow, careful travel.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán Loop
The classic Tzotzil highland loop pairs two municipalities 10-15 minutes apart by road. Chamula's Templo de San Juan Bautista has no pews, a pine-needle floor and rows of burning candles before saints dressed in mirrors and ribbons; entry is by ticket from the municipal office beside the churchyard and photography inside is strictly forbidden. Zinacantán, a short hop away, is a flower-growing village dressed in unmistakable purple, pink and turquoise floral embroidery, where weaving households demonstrate the backstrap loom and serve handmade tortillas with beans and pox. Sunday mornings bring the busiest Chamula market.
Highlights: Templo de San Juan Bautista's candlelit interior and Tzotzil ritual practice · Sunday morning market in Chamula · Backstrap loom weaving demonstrations in Zinacantán · Distinctive purple and pink floral embroidery of Zinacantán · Short hop between two culturally distinct highland villages
Sumidero Canyon Boat Trip
A two-hour launch on the Grijalva River runs beneath canyon walls rising more than a kilometre, passing the Árbol de Navidad mineral cascade, cave shrines, crocodiles and spider monkeys. Boats leave from the Chiapa de Corzo embarcadero when full rather than on a fixed timetable, so mornings offer the most reliable departures. The trip pairs naturally with an hour or two in Chiapa de Corzo itself, whose colonial plaza and Mudéjar-brick La Pila fountain sit a short walk from the dock.
Highlights: Two-hour launch beneath canyon walls over a kilometre high · Árbol de Navidad mineral cascade seen from the water · Crocodiles and spider monkeys along the Grijalva River banks · Chiapa de Corzo's colonial plaza and La Pila fountain after the ride
El Chiflón and Lagos de Montebello Combo
This full-day route out of the San Cristóbal or Comitán area combines two of southern Chiapas's most photogenic landscapes. Cascadas El Chiflón climbs a paved riverside path past five waterfalls to the 120-metre Velo de Novia, with a zip line strung across the gorge for those who want an aerial view. Lagos de Montebello National Park adds a scatter of more than fifty karst lakes in cobalt, emerald and jade along the Guatemalan border, reached by a road loop with short forest trails and rowing boats on Lago Tziscao and Lago Pojoj.
Highlights: 120-metre Velo de Novia waterfall at Cascadas El Chiflón · Zip line crossing the El Chiflón gorge · More than fifty karst lakes in the Lagos de Montebello national park · Rowing boats on Lago Tziscao and Lago Pojoj · Short forest trails linking the named Montebello lakes
Agua Azul and Misol-Ha
The most popular day trip from Palenque pairs two very different waterfalls. Cascadas de Agua Azul is a long staircase of calcium-carbonate terraces where the Río Xanil runs a vivid turquoise between pools, best on a dry-season day when the water carries no sediment. Misol-Ha, closer to town, is a single 35-metre curtain fall with a walkway that leads behind the water into a shallow cave. Both are charged community entry fees collected in cash at the gate.
Highlights: Turquoise calcium-carbonate terraces along Agua Azul's Río Xanil · Walkway behind the 35-metre curtain fall at Misol-Ha · Shallow cave reached from behind the Misol-Ha waterfall · Designated swimming pools near the Agua Azul entrance
Yaxchilán and Bonampak Full Day
The most demanding and most rewarding day trip from Palenque combines a river-bound Maya city with the best-preserved Maya murals in existence. Yaxchilán sits on a bend of the Usumacinta River and is reached only by launch from Frontera Corozal, its labyrinth palace and carved lintels surrounded by howler monkeys. Bonampak, roughly an hour away by road through Lacandon community land, holds three chambers of polychrome murals from around 790 CE depicting a royal court, a battle and a bloodletting ceremony. The full circuit is a long day on unpaved and winding roads.
Highlights: Riverside Maya palace and carved lintels at Yaxchilán, reached only by boat · Howler monkeys in the rainforest surrounding the Yaxchilán ruins · Near-complete 790 CE polychrome murals inside the Bonampak temple · Roughly 40-minute launch along the Usumacinta River
Amatenango del Valle Pottery Village
This small Tzeltal village on the road to Comitán is known across Mexico for hand-built, pit-fired pottery, most famously large dove-shaped vessels and jars finished without a potter's wheel. Family workshops along the main street welcome visitors to watch the coiling and burnishing process and sell directly from the yard where pieces are fired in open pits. The trip is short enough to combine with a stop in Comitán or with the El Chiflón and Montebello route further down the same highway.
Highlights: Hand-coiled, pit-fired pottery made without a potter's wheel · Distinctive large dove-shaped ceramic vessels · Family workshops selling directly from the yard · Open-pit firing visible from the main street
Comitán de Domínguez Day Trip
Comitán's hilly colonial centre, one of the liveliest plazas in the state, makes an easy day out from San Cristóbal or a natural overnight stop en route to El Chiflón and the Montebello lakes. The Parque Central, the Casa Museo Dr. Belisario Domínguez and a scatter of good regional restaurants fill a comfortable half day, and the town's compact size means everything of interest sits within walking distance of the plaza.
Highlights: Arcaded Parque Central, one of the liveliest plazas in Chiapas · Casa Museo Dr. Belisario Domínguez · Local comiteco liqueur and regional dishes near the plaza · Compact, walkable colonial centre
Toniná Archaeological Zone
Toniná's stepped acropolis climbs seven terraces up a hillside near Ocosingo, taller than any pyramid at Palenque, and holds one of the largest sculpted stucco friezes surviving from the Classic Maya world. The site recorded the latest known Long Count date on any Classic Maya monument, in 909 CE, making it one of the very last cities to hold to the old calendar tradition as the wider Maya political system collapsed. The small site museum displays captive-lord sculptures documenting Toniná's long rivalry with Palenque.
Highlights: Seven-terrace acropolis, taller than any pyramid at Palenque · Large sculpted stucco frieze from the Classic Maya period · Latest known Maya Long Count date, carved in 909 CE · Site museum's captive-lord sculptures depicting the Toniná-Palenque rivalry
Sima de las Cotorras
A 160-metre-wide, 140-metre-deep vertical sinkhole where thousands of green parakeets spiral out of the depths at dawn and back in at dusk between March and October. A rope-assisted descent, arranged with a community guide, reaches prehistoric red rock paintings on the interior wall, and the ejido that manages the site also runs a small restaurant and cabañas for those who want to catch both the dawn and dusk flights.
Highlights: Dawn flight of thousands of green parakeets from the sinkhole · 160-metre-wide, 140-metre-deep vertical sinkhole · Rope-assisted descent to prehistoric red rock paintings · Dusk return flight for those staying the full day
Chiapa de Corzo Town and La Pila
Beyond the canyon boat trip, Chiapa de Corzo's own colonial centre is worth a slower visit: the Mudéjar-brick La Pila fountain built in 1562 anchors the main plaza, the Museo Regional de la Laca displays the pre-Hispanic lacquer technique still used on Parachico ceremonial masks, and the riverside malecón makes an easy walk before or after the boat leaves. The town hosts the Fiesta Grande de Chiapa de Corzo each January, when Parachico dancers process nightly to flute and drum.
Highlights: 1562 Mudéjar-brick La Pila fountain in an eight-pointed star shape · Museo Regional de la Laca's pre-Hispanic lacquer technique · Riverside malecón walk along the Grijalva River · Fiesta Grande Parachico processions each January
Grutas de Rancho Nuevo and El Arcotete
Two easy nature stops close to San Cristóbal suit travellers with only half a day free. Grutas de Rancho Nuevo is a lit limestone cave system with a short walkway past stalactites and stalagmites, set in a pine forest with horse-riding stands at the entrance. El Arcotete, closer still, is a natural limestone arch over the Amarillo River with picnic areas, ziplines and a short forest trail, popular with local families on weekends.
Highlights: Lit stalactite and stalagmite walkway at Grutas de Rancho Nuevo · Natural limestone arch over the Amarillo River at El Arcotete · Horse-riding stands through the pine forest at Rancho Nuevo · Riverside picnic areas and short zipline course at El Arcotete
Tenam Puente and Chinkultic Ruins
A quieter Maya-ruins day out of Comitán or San Cristóbal, reaching two lesser-visited Classic and Postclassic sites. Tenam Puente is a hilltop ceremonial centre with several ball courts and long views over the Comitán valley, rarely holding more than a handful of other visitors. Chinkultic, further on near the Montebello lakes, sits on a bluff above a cenote-like lake, with a ball court and a partially restored pyramid, and pairs naturally with a stop at the lakes on the same day.
Highlights: Hilltop ball courts and valley views at Tenam Puente · Turquoise cenote-like lake beneath the Chinkultic bluff · Partially restored pyramid at Chinkultic with a lake overlook · Quiet, rarely crowded Maya ruins compared to Palenque or Toniná
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Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Carry cash in small peso notes for every day trip: village entry fees at Chamula and Zinacantán, waterfall and lake community fees, and boat tickets at the Sumidero and Frontera Corozal are collected in cash only
Check the state of Highway 199 between Ocosingo and Palenque before setting out for Agua Azul, Toniná or the waterfalls, since community or political roadblocks appear there without warning
Never photograph inside the church at San Juan Chamula or during any ritual in the highland villages; the ban is strictly enforced with fines and equipment confiscation
Start early: shared colectivos and tour vans run most frequently in the morning, and destinations such as Sumidero Canyon and Sima de las Cotorras are calmer and cooler before midday
Avoid driving highland or jungle roads after dark; fog on the Tuxtla-San Cristóbal climb and unlit topes on Highway 199 are genuine hazards
Bring a warm layer even for a day trip that starts in San Cristóbal, since the highlands stay cool while lowland destinations such as Agua Azul and Yaxchilán run hot and humid
Bundle the Sumidero Canyon boat trip with a stop in Chiapa de Corzo town, since both share the same embarcadero area and transport route
Confirm return departure times for shared colectivos and vans before setting off into a village, since services thin out sharply after about 5-6PM
For the longer trips to Yaxchilán, Bonampak or Toniná, book a private or agency tour rather than assembling public transport independently, since the time saved often outweighs the extra cost
Bring repellent with DEET or picaridin for any lowland or jungle day trip, particularly Agua Azul, Misol-Ha, Yaxchilán and Bonampak