Bisbee Gal Posted April 13, 2011 Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 Just a brief post to recommend a visit to this part of Chiapas. In addition to the beautiful city of San Cristobal itself, the surrounding area is fascinating, especially the Mayan villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan. There are other day sidetrips to Sumidero Canyon (and boat ride), the Lakes area (a bit farther, but doable in one day), other native villages, and also to Pelanque (though this involves an overnight stay). The weather this past week was wonderful....it's at 7,000 feet so cooler than here; highs were low 70s and lows were in the lower 50s. Their rainy season begins in mid to late May. For those of us looking for a bit of break from the heat before our rains start, this is an easy, fun and educational trip, given the inexpensive non-stop flights from GDL to Tuxtla Gutierrez on Vivaaerobus (we paid 1900 pesos per person, RT, all taxes, fees and extras; we booked about a month in advance). Cabs to and from the airport to San Cristobal are 600 pesos and 450 pesos (price difference reflects UP-hill v. DOWN-hill (Tuxtla is in a low valley). There are plenty of good restaurants (many Italian), hotels and B&Bs in San Cristobal, which boasts two long pedestrian-only streets, and numerous churches and small museums, artisan markets and a really interesting food market. All accessible by foot (mostly flat walking) from Centro. In Centro (and of course in the villages) you will see natives in their communal clothing which identifies their tribe and village and sometimes their status in their village. Some of their outfits are simply mind-blowing. These people are not 'props' from central casting; they are the real deal (in fact, taking photos of people is illegal in parts of Chiapas). Interestingly, out of 18 people in our tour group to native villages, we were the only Americans; there was one Canadian couple and the rest were from France, England, Netherlands, Croatia, Australia, Thailand, Germany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VSOP Posted April 13, 2011 Report Share Posted April 13, 2011 Thanks, Bisbee Gal, for that wonderful post. I am very interested in San Cristobal and, because of your post, may go there sometime in May for a few days. Would you please post re possible hotels. Did you stay in Tuxtla Gutierrez as well, and can you recommend hotels there? THANKS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thevalerieleigh Posted April 14, 2011 Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 We LOVE SCLC! We have a small house there but haven't been able to visit in 2 years. It is everything as described in the original posting. We stayed at La Casa Vieja when we first went and I would recommend it to all my friends. Rogelio works there and is a terrific host and can also be used as a guide when he isn't working in the hotel. He really provides a great tour of all the surrounding areas and gives first hand knowledge of what you're seeing. Chiapas is a particularly beautiful state and SCLC is a real gem. I encourage all who haven't been to give it a try. And, you're right......North Americans are in the minority there!!! You'll meet all kinds of interesting people from Europe and South America. Just delightful! Valerie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bisbee Gal Posted April 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2011 Thanks, Bisbee Gal, for that wonderful post. I am very interested in San Cristobal and, because of your post, may go there sometime in May for a few days. Would you please post re possible hotels. Did you stay in Tuxtla Gutierrez as well, and can you recommend hotels there? THANKS! We stayed at Bela's B&B (#1 rated with Trip Advisor); location was perfect and breakfasts were great; she is very knowledgeable hostess (born in US, but moved to Mexico at age 18 and is now a MX citizen). She has four small fuzzy fur-faces at the B&B, which was fun for us. You can use her driver for airport pickup/dropoff and he charges the same as the airport taxis. Here's her website: http://belasbandb.com/index.html We did not stay in Tuxtla; it is very very hot in Tuxtla this time of year (90+). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayBearII Posted April 15, 2011 Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 You mention 18 people in your tour group. What tour were you on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bisbee Gal Posted April 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2011 You mention 18 people in your tour group. What tour were you on? A day trip to the Mayan villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan. Our young guide (Cesar) spoke the native dialect, Spanish and English; he was terrific! He took us to a house of weavers and to the home of a religious leader, and into a Mayan church. Having been born in a Mayan village, and now attending University, Cesar had unique insights into the culture and history. The tour lasted from 9:30 until past 2PM and the cost was 175 pesos per person. You can meet Cesar for a tour, any morning, at the large cross on the plaza, before 9:30. There are other tour operators there as well, but we would highly recommend Cesar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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