The Sumidero Canyon is Chiapas’ numer one Ecotourism destination. Here’s all you need to know to plan your visit to the Sumidero Canyon.
In the state of Chiapas, you can find one of Mexico’s most beautiful natural wonders: The Sumidero Canyon (Cañon del Sumidero).
And whether you choose to explore it by boat or by car, Mother Nature will make sure you that you have an unforgettable time in Chiapas.
Read all you need to know about this destination as well as the best tips to plan your visit to the Sumidero Canyon here my wonder friends!
How to Get to the Sumidero Canyon from San Cristobal de las Casas
The Sumidero Canyon is conveniently located between Tuxtla Gutierrez (Chiapas’ capital) and San Cristobal de las Casas (Chiapas’ number 1 tourist destination).
Tuxtla Gutierrez is a quite boring city in terms of sight seeing so my best recommendation for you is to use San Cristobal de las Casas (check out my best things to do and see in San Cristobal de las Casas) as a base to explore Chiapas’s best attractions.
The best way to see the Sumidero Canyon it is by both boat and car in order to have a complete experience of it. You can either do everything on your own by renting a car (and then hiring a boat tour at the dock) or by hiring a tour departing from either Tuxtla Gutierrez or San Cristobal de las Casas.
Last year, my friend I were kindly invited by Eco Experiencias to visit the Sumidero Canyon with them. A full day tour will cost you around 50 USD including the boat tour, the lookouts and the magical town of Chiapas del Corzo.
A Boat Journey of Wonders to the Sumidero Canyon
To embark on a bot journey to the Sumidero Canyon, you need to go to Chiapas del Corzo, a magical town found 50KM west of San Cristobal de las Casas (and 11 KM away from Tuxtla Gutierrez).
Here you shall find many embarcaderos (embarkments) from where you can start your boat journey. The price is 230 MXN (12 USD give or take), this price covers both the boat journey and the CONAP conservation fee (keep the bracelet!!!).
The boat journey to the Sumidero Canyon will take you about 2 to 3 hours in which you can see the impressive height of the rock formations as well as some wildlife such as crocodiles (don’t try to pet or feed them!!!) and even a spider monkey that, for some reason, was brought here from a nearby zoo (no, I’m not kidding, spider monkeys aren’t even native to this area of Mexico!!!).
Sadly, you will also find tons of pollution and plastic bottles which are the results of all the garbage that is carried here by nearby towns and cities. More motivation to try to live a plastic-free life uh?
PS. Be sure to choose a seat at the front of the boat (because yes, EVERYONE in the boat will try to stand up to take the perfect shot shown above) and enjoy my wonder friends!
The Miradores (Lookouts) of the Sumidero Canyon
After the amazing boat journey to see the Sumidero Canyon from the bottom, it is now time to drive through the many miradores (lookouts) of the Sumidero Canyon to see it from the top my wonder friends.
The road to the miradores of the Sumidero Canyon (20 KM drive from Chiapas del Corzo) is a fairly new road built specifically for ecotourism purposes so there’s a conservation fee of 34 MXN (close to 2 USD).
However, you already paid for this conservation fee during the boat journey so just show your bracelet at the toll booth and enjoy.
Alongside the road there are many stops for the panoramic viewpoints of which the following 5 are the most emblematic ones: La Ceiba, La Coyota, El Roblar, El Tepehuaje and the Atalaya (Watchtower). In this last one you will find a souvenir shop and free toilets so yeah…please don’t do your needs on the road.
Droning in the Sumidero Canyon is perfectly allowed, however please bear in mind that because of the height, winds can be extremely strong (my tripod almost flew away with my camera on it!!!) so unless you’re willing to take the high risk, I would actually not suggest you to fly in here.
Where to stay in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas
As I mentioned before, San Cristobal de las Casas is the best base of operations for Ecotourism in Chiapas since unlike, Tuxtla Gutierrez, it is actually quite a pretty town itself with plenty of things to do and see.
During my most recent stay in San Cristobal de las Casas I was kindly hosted at the Casa Lum Boutique Hotel, an Eco Luxury property that will enchant of all of your senses with its beautiful decoration, its lush garden and of course, the view you can get of the city from the rooftop terrace. Read a full review of Casa Lum here.
You can make a booking for this and more properties via our Booking.com Affiliate Link of Wonders! Same price for you and a small pocket money commission for this website of yours. Sweet deal, uh?
I hope you have enjoyed this article about the best things to do and see in the Sumidero Canyon, Chiapas. Don’t forget to subscribe in order to get more awesome updates and tips straight to your e-mail!
Have you ever been to the Sumidero Canyon? Would you like to? What were some of your favorite things to do and see in the Sumidero Canyon? Share your thoughts and let me know what you think!
Until next time, my friends!
