El Sumidero, Chiapas, México: Part I, from the River

October 5, 2014|Posted in: Nature, Wildlife

Leave a Comment

El Sumidero is a giant canyon in the Mexican state of Chiapas that runs more or less north-south although in the middle it takes two practically 90-degree turns leaving a section that runs roughly east-west. This giant rift in the earth lies to the north and to the east of Tuxtla Gutiérrez and can be appreciated from two very different perspectives – from its west rim looking down into it (or along the length of it) from five different viewpoints outside of Tuxtla, or from inside the canyon itself by taking a small high-speed passenger boat from Chiapa de Corzo along the river that flows through it. We went ahead and did both. Below, we discuss the river angle. Look for a later article where we discuss the experience from the rim.

Getting yourself on a boat that disembarks from Chiapa de Corzo is a fairly simple affair, once you are in Chiapa de Corzo, of course. This pueblo magico is just outside of Tuxtla Gutiérrez and, while we spent two nights there, you could just as easily make a day trip out of it if you are basing yourself in Tuxtla. There are collectivos that can get you there from Tuxtla rather inexpensively, frequently departing from the heart of the city.

From the southwest corner of the main plaza in Chiapa de Corzo, all one has to do is begin walking toward the river and Chiapa de Corzo’s boardwalk along Calle 5 de Febrero and you will quickly be intercepted, believe us. You can trust that whatever young man intercepts you with the intention of getting you on a passenger boat to see the canyon will lead you directly to an official tour outfit with several cashiers at a ticket counter and a waiting area. In other words, there didn’t seem to be any other competing companies or poachers, just one outfit that runs boats smack from within the town (there are other outfits just outside of town that offer tours as well, though). A little strange, then, that they felt the need to catch business in the open street, especially tourists like us who were only heading down there for that very purpose, but whatever, we’re sure they have their reasoning for it.

We paid $320 MXN total ($160 MXN per person) and waited for the next boat to depart, which they do often. The waiting area had a television, booths with food and snacks, bathrooms, and rows of chairs. Along with some thirty other people or so, we were eventually shepherded riverside where staff helped us don life jackets while we formed a line to board the boat. Once situated on the boat, thankfully next to each other as the seats are arranged in twos and you never know who from the larger group is flying solo or in odd numbers and we were last to board, we took off for El Sumidero. From an elevated platform at the rear of the vessel, our captain vowed to do the best he could to catch us some glimpses of wildlife, including crocodiles and monkeys, as well as show us the best of the canyon.

He basically succeeded. Quickly upon entering the canyon we came across a crocodile sleeping on a large boulder sticking out of the water. It was hard to believe with all the noise the various tour boats made on their trips into and out of the canyon that this animal would want to be anywhere near all the commotion, but we have seen crocodiles sleep through all kinds of activity occurring in very close proximity to them. The skeptical and cynical sides of me, of course, said it was a fake put there to keep the tourists happy. Who knows, who cares, we didn’t come to see crocodiles anyway. Soon thereafter our captain spotted some monkeys in the trees clinging to the sheer cliff walls. Wildlife seen, check.

At speeds that would blow the hat off your head, we catapulted further into the canyon, stopping here and there for preselected photo opps, here a formation on a cliff wall that resembled a Christmas tree, there a man-made shrine to the Virgin Mary under an overhang in a precipice. Along the way we encountered trash collecting in river pools off to the sides in the meanders. We didn’t stop a ton and we didn’t stop at some of the more interesting points in the canyon from the perspective of the historical development of the canyon – El Sumidero itself is a wonderful geological formation and its walls abound in beautiful color variations, outcroppings, and caves. To capture photos of these things, one just had to sort of throw up their camera above the heads of the other passengers and point and shoot as we sped along, and hope for a good outcome.

As we turned around for the return trip, the captain made it abundantly clear that he would appreciate tips (and who can really blame him – they supposedly work for tips only). We then proceeded to scoot all the way back to the boardwalk from which we had departed without stopping even once. From start to finish, then, the trip was roughly 2-2.5 hours long.

As for any historical or geological data or information such as the estimated age of the canyon or which cultures relied upon the river in previous times, don’t expect any. Not that the tour or the boat are designed for that – the tour is about getting you into and out of the canyon just so you can see it, there’s no educational objective; and, unless the captain is stopped, there’s no addressing the passengers over the sound of the engine without what would most likely be a deafening microphone-and-speaker setup. Nevertheless, it would have been nice to learn a bit more about the canyon itself, if only in little bursts at stops.

Despite any of the negatives, we’d recommend the tour and the perspective. The cost per person isn’t out of the question and with canyons in general it’s not as often that you can easily catch river tours through them, so in our opinion it’s worthwhile.

{Last Visit: May 2014}