Why visit Sumidero Canyon?
Cañon del Sumidero is the second most popular tourism site in Chiapas after Palenque, and rightly so, due to its natural beauty and proximity to San Cristobal de las Casas. The canyon spans a 13km stretch of the Río Grijalva, with its highest walls reaching 1000m above the river.
The National Park the canyon is situated in is made up of tropical rainforest, so it’s the perfect way to prepare for your time in the jungle if you are heading to Palenque, or as a nice reminder of where you’ve been if you are heading west towards Oaxaca next.
The best way to experience Sumidero Canyon
I was travelling with my friend Ella at the time, and after lots of research on the costs to do it ourselves, we realised it would be practically the same price to do a tour with way less of the mental stress.
Tours aren’t always the best or most cost effective way to see well travelled tourist places, however in the case of Cañoñ del Sumidero it is highly recommended.
💰 My biggest recommendation is to book at one of the many travel agencies that line Andador de Guadalupe. The tours cost about $500-600 per person, which is significantly less than if you book through Viator or Get Your Guide. I was there in the high season (Nov-Dec) and had no trouble booking the tour for the following day.
What to expect from a tour
🕰️ Pick up and drop off: 8:45am to 6pm at your accommodation.
💰 Costs (approximate):
Tour: $500-600 MXN
$40 AUD/CAD$25 EUR/USD£20 GBP
Includes
- Transportation to and from Sumidero Canyon
- Visit to two lookouts of the Canyon
- Two hour boat ride through the canyon
- Late lunch and time to explore Chiapa del Corzo
Tips
- Book the tour when you get to San Cristobal and in person! You’ll save almost half the price compared to if you book online.
- While there’s options to buy snacks and alcohol at the lookouts and the beginning of the boat trip, these are expensive.
- Lunch is late so I recommend packing something to snack on throughout the day.
- The Sumidero Canyon is typically warmer than San Cristobal because it is in a tropical rainforest, however pack a jacket.
- Take sunscreen and a hat that won’t fly off easily.
Our trip
The day started early, but thankfully we were comfortable enough to fall asleep during the bus ride. After driving to Tuxtla and then up the hills into the Sumidero Canyon National Park. Our first stop was to visit two lookouts: El Tepehuaje and the main lookout. There was a bit of fog when we first arrived, but it began to clear and we were visited by many large butterflies.
At El Tepehuaje you can get professional photos taken, and at the main lookout there are bathrooms, artisanal products, and a small gallery of the work of a local photographer. This gallery is a great place to see what kind of birds and wildlife you might expect during your day.
We then had another car ride to where we would be boarding the boats. The road to get there weaves through the tropical rainforest. Another pit stop for a toilet break and then you jump on the boat and head off.
Highlights of the boat ride
🐊 The wildlife: Immediately you start seeing birds, vultures which all land on an island in the centre of the river, and other birds like pelicans and herons. Keep a keen eye out for the Ringed Kingfisher as you might be lucky and see one! There are also stops to see families of spider monkeys (definitely the creature I’d be if I wasn’t human) and then a many American crocodiles lining the river banks.
🪨 Caves and formations: Most famous of these formations is El Árbol de Navidad (the Christmas tree) which is made up of a group of formations on the side of the canyon walls that are shaped like a pine tree. The waterfall that runs off it can look like tinsel, adding to its magic. Get your camera out for this spot, but be careful because your guide might decide to give the group a light shower.
📷 Spots for a photoshoot: Of course you have to get the famous boat photo with the enormous walls of the canyon towering behind you.
🗑️ Challenges with waste: Definitely not a highlight but something we found very interesting. As we drove on we started noticing how much plastic filled the river. The guide explained that during the rainy season the water from the towns washes all the rubbish in and it’s part of their jobs as employees of the National Park to clean it up. See my article on this here. While there is rubbish (the first croc I saw in the river was of the footwear kind), it does not detract from the overall experience of this place.
Chiapa de Corzo
The final stop on the tour was to Chiapa de Corzo, a small town at the end of the canyon. At the pier there are a number of restaurants in which the tour group will eat to have lunch. If this food is not for you, or you’ve been snacking all day and are not hungry, ask your guide where you can meet the group and at what time.
This was us, so we walked up around the corner, found some fresh mango slices to snack on and walked to the main square. The main highlight of the square is the La Pila Fountain, a Moorish style structure that was built in 1562.
When we visited they were packing down from Día de los Muertos so the square was rather quiet, considering Chiapa de Corzo is known for being a town of larger than life celebrations. Most notably is the Fiesta Grande de Enero (the Great January Festival). My plan is to attend next year so keep your eye out for my post.
Bonus Local Recommendation: Aguachiles and day drinking
Whether you make a separate day trip here with a group of friends, or you stop in after your tour and stay the night in Chiapa de Corzo, this island to drink micheladas and eat aguachiles comes highly recommended by some locals in San Cristobal.
Isla Manaos sits in the middle of Río Grijalva and hosts two restaurants serving aguachiles (a traditional dish like ceviche but with prawns) and micheladas.
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