San Cristóbal de las Casas is the nerve center of tourism in Chiapas. From this beautiful colonial town they offer an interesting range of tours. What are the best excursions from San Cristobal de las Casas?
Many travelers take it as a base San Cristóbal de las Casas to spend a few days of your trip, some end up staying for a long time, and that is that this town and its surroundings have a lot of magic.
What to do from San Cristóbal de las Casas?
San Cristóbal de las Casas It has a very interesting range of nearby destinations where you can go day trips, that allow you to be back in the afternoon or at night in your hotel. There are many agencies in San Cristóbal that offer you very similar tours.
Tourism agencies in San Cristóbal de las Casas:
This area of Chiapas is very visited and the tourism industry has developed affordable tours available to travelers.
Type of transport: most tours depart in 14 passenger vans, comfortable and clean. Variety varies according to the agency, of course.
Agencies in San Cristóbal: you will not have any problem finding Travel agencies that they offer you the day trips from Sancris. Many of the agencies are on pedestrian streets (the walkers) of the center of San Cristóbal, many concentrated in the tourist walker Real de Guadalupe. The hotels sell you excursions. The agencies have similar prices and services.
Prices of the excursions from San Cristóbal de las Casas:
I link you the most popular excursions and the prices so that you can build your plan before arriving in San Cristóbal. This gives you the option to plan your trip better. We will also leave you the link of the Civitatis agency with which we are affiliated and sells tours through the internet. If you want to book with them you can do it with the direct link from the blog, it is safe and simple. The good thing you can Cancel free until 24 hours before, and they pick you up at your hotel in San Cristóbal and they'll leave you at the same time.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: this is how this excursion is traditionally known. They take you to see two of the most charismatic villages around Sancris: San Juan Chamula y Zinacantán. Both Tzotzil and Tzettzales, Mayan ethnic groups. Chamula famous for its temple of San Juan Bautista and its rituals, and Zinacantán for its fabrics.
Civitatis offers you This excursion to Chamula and Zinacantán.
This Horseback excursion to Chamula and Zinacantán it's something different you can do on your trip
- Price and schedules: exit to 9.30 am and return to 14: 30 to Sancris. 300 pesos.
- Personal opinion: You can go perfectly on your own to these towns, the good thing about the excursions is that you go with a guide and you can take photos in events that they do for the tourist, especially in Zinacantán, in the house of the weavers where they take you to buy.
SUMDERO CANYON: one of the most popular places near San Cristóbal, where you will take your boat tour through the canyon. You also have time to know Chiapa de Corzo, Magic Town of Mexico.
Civitatis offers this tour by the cannon of the Sumidero by boat for two hours and the visit to Chiapa de Corzo
- Price and schedules: exit to the 9 am and return to the 15 to Sancris. 400 pesos.
- Personal opinion: the boat trip that is made by the Sumidero Canyon, even going through spectacular landscapes, I do not like it because of the amount of people there. One of those trips where everyone goes and the river is dirty many times. But nobody wants to lose it.
LAGOS MONTEBELLO and CASCADAS CHIFLÓN: Montebello and Chiflón they are two beautiful natural places, if the waters are turquoise they are still more spectacular. A different area to know near Sancris.
- Price and schedules: exit to the 8 am and return to the 20 to Sancris. 400 pesos.
- Personal opinion: For me this area is ideal to do it for free, and stay somewhere in Montebello lagoons to be able to travel the area at your own pace.
PALENQUE, CASCADAS AGUA AZUL, MISOL-HÁ: If you have not stopped in Palenque before, you can go on a tour from Sancris. On the way you stop in two of the most popular natural spots in Chiapas: Blue water y Misol-Ha.
The Civitatis proposal is to see Agua Azul, Misol-Há and Palenque and return to SanCris
- Price and schedules: exit to the 5 am and return to the 21 to Sancris. 500 pesos. If you want to stay in Palenque, you can, you do not have to go back to San Cristóbal.
- Personal opinion: It is easier to go on a tour of this road than to do it for free visiting these places. It is a trip tired by distance, but very complete. For me Palenque deserves much more than the hour and a half that you are on the tour, but you have to stick to the schedules.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONES YAXCHILÁN AND BONAMPAK: the logical thing is to do this tour from Palenque, by proximity, but if you are going to be only in the area of San Cristóbal, you have the opportunity to see these two must-see Mayan beauties.
From Palenque offer this tour of two days in the area very interesting
- Price and schedules: exit to the 6 am and return to the 20 to Sancris. 900 pesos.
- Personal opinion: Yaxchilan y Bonampak They are two spectacular Mayan zones. You have the option to take the 2 days tour and one night in the Lacandon jungle. I know this area for having gone several times on my own, something I recommend doing, more than the tour.
TONINÁ ARCHAEOLOGICAL AREA: for me, Tonina is one of the must-sees, an impressive archaeological zone. Less known and popular this tour, but if you like history, do not even think about it. The views of the Ocosingo valley from Tonina are a chulada.
CROSS BORDER TO GUATEMALA: One of the most frequent demands of travelers from Sancris, is to cross to Guatemala. There is a tourist group that leaves daily to Guatemala, takes you to Panajachel, Lake Atitlán, Antigua or other stops along the way as Huehuetenango.
- Price and schedules: 600 pesos, they will pick you up at your hotel over the 6 in the morning. Look over the requirements to cross the border between Mexico and Guatemala.
- Personal opinion: eIt's an easy and convenient way to cross the border with other travelers.
There are other offers of tours such as cycling through San Juan Chamula, seeing the grottos of Rancho Viejo, others taking you to the lagoons of Colón, some to Comitán and Las Nubes. Sure you find the one that suits you, the reality is that there is a good offer with very interesting destinations and good prices. What more could you want?
Our blog helps you travel by free. If you want our help in a personalized way, we offer one-hour advice to 30 euros / 650 pesos. Contact me at the email sandra@elcaminomascorto.es. I would love to help you on your journey through these lands with what you need to build your route.
Good way,
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Hello Sandra! How is Chiapas to travel alone? I do not know if I can recruit my partner to go with me, for reasons of vacation at work. But I can not wait to go to Chiapas, the only thing that worries me is the security issue as a woman traveling alone. What do you think?
Hello Tania, do not even think about it, you will love it, there is a great advantage in Chiapas for us. As you saw, there are excursions at good prices for the traveler in Chiapas, so it's easy for you to move around in Chiapas, which undoubtedly protects. As a personal experience I have traveled several times alone and on public transport without having to mention anything in particular. Destiny is very backpacking, that helps in this case.
I hope you cheer up Tania, you'll tell me. If you need something tell me
A hug 🙂
Good afternoon, we are planning to make a trip to Chiapas, we need to know how we moved from San Cristobal to Palenque visiting the waterfalls and to sleep in Palenque, we are two families and the problem would be the luggage, thanks for your help.
Hello Francisco, I am writing to your personal email and I am sending you the contact of a carrier with whom you can make this journey without any problem for your luggage. When you write to him, tell him the number of people you are.
Best regards and have a good trip.
Hello, excellent day. My question is: is there any public transport that leaves San Cris to reach the tourist places? And another, when you get to the places they leave you at the foot of the entrance or you have to walk a lot. Thank you
Hello Laura, in my case I have gone to all places by public transport because I like it, I had the time and it is part of my job to know. Many do not reach you in one day and return if you go by public transport, that is the detail, so you say that they do not leave you on foot of the place: the combi of Palenque, Agua Azul and Misol-ha or Chiflón with Montebello, Even the Sump is more practical on excursion. The easiest to go on your own are Chamula and Zinacantian, but you must go and return to San Cristóbal by the combi. If you look at the writing, in personal opinion, I usually give a reference about going on your own or on tour. If you want to assess a particular destination I tell you my opinion in case it can help you.
Best regards,
Hi Sandra, how safe is renting a car and making them tours on your own? The roads are safe, that of getting up early and adapting to the schedules of the excursions as they are not ours, my husband and I prefer to rent a car, but I do not know how safe the roads are.
Hello Ana, it is a great option to rent a car, but the destination does have its characteristics: the roads are really winding and become longer than usual, because you get tired driving and the distances become long. Keep this in mind to plan the itinerary. Now Chiapas is calm, follow the usual recommendations as a precaution, such as not driving at nightfall. I pass an article that extends the information about driving in Chiapas: https://www.elcaminomascorto.es/consejos-conducir-chiapas/
If you have any questions, you can find us, in case you are interested, one-hour advice that helps in the planning of the trip: https://www.elcaminomascorto.es/rutas-mayas-agencia/
Best regards,
Hello! We have a scheduled trip to Chiapas. (2 people)
We carry a vehicle but we want to leave it in San Cristobal. and take a transport that will take us and return us to San Cristobal in 2 or 3 days. and we do the tours to not accommodate agency schedules.
Hello Rosa, tomorrow I am writing to your email and I give you a reliable contact from an agency so you can plan with them and accommodate your schedules.
Regards,