I was lucky enough to be volunteering in San Cristobal for 7 weeks so had ample opportunity to check out the best places for sunrises.
Because San Cristobal is nestled in the mountains, it can make for some absolutely stunning sunrise adventures, especially watching the morning fog slowly clear.
Here are the top three sunrise hiking options for your time in San Cristobal de las Casas.
Montekik
Montekik lies just outside of the city and was my favourite place to watch the sunrise. The first part of the walk is along a road, and then turns into the forest on the right and weaves amongst the trees. It was beautiful to walk back through there on the way back.
🚶 Getting there: The easiest way to get there is to organise a taxi the night before. You can then catch a colectivo back to San Cristobal from the highway or organise for the taxi driver to return and pick you up after.
🕰️ Timing: Leave around 1.5 hours before sunrise. It takes the taxi about 20-25 minutes to drive you to the access spot, and about an hour to walk up to the mirador. If you are getting the taxi to pick you up, I recommend leaving at least 2.5-3 hours so you’re not in a rush to get back down.
💰 Costs: You can pay the entrance fee to Montekik of $50 MXN at the entrance when you are leaving. Taxis cost approx $400 each way.
Don Lauro
The Mirador at Don Lauro is just as stunning, however this viewpoint gives you the view over San Cristobal. This is a favourite of most of the locals.
There are signs most of the way up with motivational phrases and red arrows, making it clear which way to go. When there were two options, we chose to take a left to Ruta del Aguila (Eagle Rock). This was the most recommended viewpoint.
🚶 Getting there: Again, the easiest way to get there is to organise a taxi the night before. You can then catch a colectivo back to San Cristobal or organise for the taxi driver to return and pick you up after.
🕰️ Timing: Leave around 1 hour before sunrise. It takes the taxi about 15-20 minutes to drive you to the access spot, and about 45 mins to walk up to the mirador. If you are getting the taxi to pick you up, I recommend leaving at least 2 hours so you’re not in a rush to get back down.
💰 Costs: Taxis cost approx $175 each way.
San Cristobalito
San Cristobalito is the name of the little hill that rises in the middle of San Cristobal, making it the perfect place for sunrise. It has many many steps to scale to get to the top, but you will often find locals doing their morning exercise there.
🕰️ Timing: Check the route from your accommodation for the most accurate timing you’ll need.
Once the sun has risen, I highly recommend exploring the paths around the hill too.
You can also head down the hill towards the Boulevard de las Americas, cross the road, and walk down the Camino a la Iglesia beside the river to reach a pretty park. There are so many birds to find in this area: I’ll be writing a blog post about what birds you can find here soon.