My dream trip come true... Chiapas

One of the trips I had been wanting to take for a very long time happened last year during spring break. As some of you know, I do taxes for a living (obviously during tax season) so I don't get a spring break like most of you due to it still being part of tax season. So one of my best friends invited me on a trip during spring break and when she told me it was Chiapas I got so bummed because I automatically assumed I would not be able to go. Once I mentioned it to my mom that I was invited (but not thinking I would be able to go) she right away said "Haven't you been wanting to go? I think you should go". I was sooo shocked and excited!!

Why Chiapas? Because I had seen so many beautiful pictures of this beautiful state and because there is so many different sceneries to see! If you love mother nature and it's beauty, then this is a trip you need to book! We went for one week straight so I will put all the activities by the days we traveled!

Cañon del Sumidero:

There is a viewpoint at the top of this canyon where you could see where the river flows. There are also boats that you could get on and sail around the canyon. There are even people on other boats who sell snacks and micheladas (yummy!).

San Juan Chamula:

This is a village near San Cristobal de las Casas is very autonomous. There are no outside police or military allowed since they have their own. This is a very strict village. They have a church that is not an ordinary catholic church. Their church has no priest nor any holy mass conducted. The only Catholic ceremonies they conduct are baptisms once a year. Instead of masses, they perform healing rituals with eggs, chickens, Coca-Cola, candles, etc. We weren't allowed to take any pictures inside the church only outside of it which is also the only area we were allowed to take pictures.

San Juan Chamula Church

San Lorenzo Zinacantan:

This is another small village near San Cristobal. Our tour guide took us to a home where indigenous women make goods. It was an interesting part of the tour, because we were able to see how they live, learn about their culture, and even taste a little bit of their food.

Homemade corn tortillas, beans, and cheese!

San Cristóbal de las Casas:

This small town is so cute! There are many tourists who visit it. There isn't much to "do" but the main activity is to walk around. There are a few churches/temples, markets, cute hotels, nightlife, and the cacao museum!

Cross in front of the main temple in San Cristobal.

Cascada el Chiflon:

Another name for this waterfall is "bride's veil waterfall" due to the waterfall looking like a bride's veil. The hike was pretty intense, however the view was so worth it! Some of us ziplined back down which was actually my first time ziplining.

Lagos de Montebello:

This national park is very near the Guatemalan and Mexican border. So near that I even had Guatemalan signal on my phone! The most interesting part is that it has 59 lakes! There are wooden handmade boats you could get on to get to the other side of the lake.

This is the view from the top of the mountain.

This is once we walked down and took a boat to one of the lakes.

Ocosingo:

This city with Mayan ruins. Bonampak is an archeological site that we were able to explore. It's smaller than other archeological sites but it reminds me of the one in Mitla, Oaxaca (size-wise).

Agua Azul:

This was the place that made me want to visit Chiapas in the first place. I had seen pictures online and immediately fell in love. Chiapas is full of waterfalls and this is by far my favorite one. The water was so bright and I honestly couldn't believe I was actually there. The name itself is "Blue Water". We almost didn't make it to this waterfall but I was so glad we did! They have sections where you could get in the water! It even seems like a waterpark.

Roberto Barrios Waterfalls:

This was another area full of waterfalls. We had a whole day to spend in the waterfalls and swim. This site is less tourist-y than other waterfalls so it was nice to have the place (almost) to ourselves. Plus, it has many waterfalls and "pool" areas that you can pick which one has less people!

Palenque:

This is was a Mayan city-state. I had never been to such a big archeological site before! I definitely broke a sweat walking around this whole site. We were there for HOURS but it was so worth it! There is so much history in this place which makes it a good idea to get a tour guide.

Tips:

-Get a tour guide who has a car/van that is able to take you everywhere. This state is so big, there is so much to do and see, and the places aren't all near each other so it's a good idea to have a tour guide/chofer.

-Stay for at least one week to be able to do all the activities

I tried to make it as short and sweet as possible! If you guys have any questions feel free to ask! I hope you guys are able or want to travel to this amazing state in Mexico :)