Naturally, Chiapas — Howdy, Sarah West

One of the greatest benefits of long-term travel is that it has enabled us to visit some incredible under-the-radar places that we probably never would’ve seen if we’d just been vacationing normally. Paros, for example: It’s much cheaper than hotspots like Santorini and Mykonos, but it was our favorite stop in Greece. Romania also comes to mind: It’s not a big tourist magnet, but we had some of the most delicious food, stayed in an amazing freakin’ wine cave, and explored one of Europe’s best castles while we were there.

Now we can add another destination to that list: San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico.

Y’all. I can’t even begin to tell you how much we adored this place. The city is ringed by lush mountains, and the state of Chiapas is one of the most biodiverse in Mexico. It’s home to the only rainforest in the northern hemisphere, plus plenty of waterfalls, canyons, and jungle-bound Maya ruins.

It’s also pretty difficult to get to: Your options from the U.S. are to fly into the tiny airport in the Chiapan capital of Tuxtla Gutiérrez (making at least one connection en route) then take a 1.5-hour shuttle to San Cristóbal. Or do what we did: Spend a few days in Oaxaca, then head to San Cristóbal via overnight bus.

(“You did WHAT!?” I hear you, I hear you. But bus travel is very common in Mexico, and I’d certainly rather use a reputable bus service than try to drive myself. Plus, if you choose the right carrier, you’ll ride in style. Our ADO GL bus had massive, plush seats with retractable leg rests. It was way nicer than any sleeper train or bus we took in Europe, and more comfortable than flying, too.)

The journey is challenging, but the rewards are substantial. We thought four days would be enough, but we honestly could’ve stayed a lifetime. Behold, the highlights:

Our home base: San Cristóbal de las Casas

San Cristóbal is—to put it bluntly—a hippie town. I’ve never seen so many vegan restaurants and undercuts in one place in my life. Amber stores abound for shoppers seeking its healing powers. It’s crunchy woo woo to the max, and I absolutely loved it.

The best part was the city’s commitment to promoting local art, especially of the indigenous variety. (There are 12 federally-recognized indigenous ethnicities in Chiapas, and most of those groups still speak their native languages and maintain their unique customs.) San Cristóbal is packed with colectivos—communal spaces where artists and indigenous craftspeople can work and sell their wares. I spent hours perusing these shops, wishing I had three or four extra suitcases and a way to get them all home.

The man on the right is a member of a local indigenous community. He made that huipil (even though it’s traditionally a woman’s job), got famous on YouTube, and now he’s been invited to New York City next month for Fashion Week!

We had no idea San Cristóbal would be so spectacular. Most travel bloggers frame it merely as a jumping-off point for exploring Chiapas, but we were so fond of it that we wound up canceling a planned day trip in favor of just being in San Cristóbal.

(Oh and P.S.: Oaxaca may be Mexico’s famous foodie city, but San Cristóbal was where we had our favorite meals.)

Guac, cocktails, and sunset over the mountains; we had the terrace to ourselves and paid just $15! (La Maldita Restaurante)

Traditional Mexican hot chocolate made from water and chocolate produced in Chiapas (Kakaw Museum)

Natural neighbor: El Arcotete Parque Ecoturístico

If you venture just a few miles east of San Cristóbal, you’ll find yourself smack in the middle of a wooded nature preserve called Arcotete.

Ziplining is the big-ticket adventure activity in Arcotete. For the unconscionably low price of $5/person, you can soar over a sea of evergreens not once but twice.

But the highlight for me were the caves. They were full of cool rock formations and passageways that were barely human sized.

It costs a whopping $.75/person to see them (on top of the steep $.50/person park entry fee) but they’re worth the investment.

A wild day out: Sumidero Canyon

Located 50 miles from San Cristóbal, Sumidero Canyon was the most far-flung of all the day trips I looked into. It was also the one I most wanted to do. Obviously. Just look at it.

The boarding process was pretty harried—a couple hundred tourists milling around the dock, workers tossing life jackets into the crowd like confetti, guides shouting orders to their charges in rapid-fire Spanish. Sean and I basically hopped into a boat and hoped for the best. (But for $15/person, who’s complaining? Not me.)

And ho boy! The best is what we got! The captain of our boat pointed out hawks hunting for fish, cruised within a couple feet of lounging American crocodiles, and coaxed monkeys into a clearing with just a few whistles so we could get good shots.

We zipped past 33,000-foot high canyon walls and saw the soaring rock formations that are featured on the Chiapan flag. And when we reached the dam at the end of the tour, our captain lashed us on to a concessions boat so the hungry and thirsty among us could refuel with Tajin-topped-jicama and micheladas (basically beer Bloody Marys—or, according to our floating bartender, “the traditional, local juice”).

While we were driving back to San Cristóbal from the canyon, I spotted a bumper sticker that said “No hablemos mal de Chiapas.” Let’s not speak badly about Chiapas. And truly, how could you ever?

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