Tuxtla Gutierrez

Everyone told us to skip Tuxtla Gutierrez — get in, get to the Sumidero Canyon, get out toward San Cristobal as fast as possible — and I understand why. It’s not a colonial jewel like its highland neighbor; it’s a real, working capital city with traffic, modern buildings, and none of the cobblestone charm that Chiapas is known for elsewhere. But we spent one night there before our canyon trip and I came away thinking the dismissal is a little unfair.

We stayed near Parque de la Marimba, and I hadn’t expected to walk into an actual event — locals gather most evenings for live marimba music and dancing, older couples moving with a kind of unhurried elegance that made me feel, honestly, like an intruder in the best way. We got micheladas from a cart and just watched for an hour. It’s the kind of unglamorous, non-touristy scene that ends up being one of my favorite memories of a trip precisely because nobody built it for us.

The real reason to come, though, is the Sumidero Canyon, and the boat launch is right at the edge of the city. We booked a lancha at Cahuare early the next morning and spent about two hours motoring beneath sheer canyon walls that rise, in places, over 3,000 feet straight up from the river — a scale that photos genuinely don’t prepare you for. Crocodiles sunned themselves on the banks, spider monkeys moved through the trees near the top, and our guide pointed out a rock formation locals call “el arbol de navidad” where mineral deposits form a shape like a dripping Christmas tree.

Back in the city, the Miguel Alvarez del Toro zoo is worth the detour if you have kids or just like seeing regional wildlife — jaguars, tapirs, quetzals — kept in surprisingly naturalistic, walk-through enclosures.

When to go: Visit in the dry season (November to April) for calmer, clearer canyon water and the best wildlife sightings from the boat.