Posts By: traveleptic
December 12, 2014
El Sumidero, Chiapas, México: Part II, from the West Rim
As we’ve written about here on Traveleptics.com already, you can enjoy El Cañon del Sumidero, the giant canyon in Chiapas, Mexico, from one of two different angles – from inside the canyon itself by taking a small high-speed passenger boat from Chiapa de Corzo along the Grijalva river that flows through it, or from its west rim looking down into it (or along the length of it) from five different viewpoints (miradores) outside of Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Here, as promised in…
Posted in Nature | By traveleptic
December 3, 2014
Yelapa, Jalisco, México
We caught a late afternoon bus out of Guadalajara, took our Dramamine, and settled in for the long curvy ride. We were going to be spending the night in Puerto Vallarta before continuing on to Yelapa the next day. Tourist destinations like Puerto Vallarta don’t appeal to us much, we have to admit, which is why we weren’t going to be doing a whole lot more than getting some late-night grub and rest. We checked into the Hotel Suites Mar…
Posted in Beach, Nature | By traveleptic
October 12, 2014
Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, México
Chiapa de Corzo is one of three Pueblos Mágicos in the state of Chiapas, the others being Comitán de Domínguez and San Cristóbal de las Casas. It is also extremely easy to catch a passenger boat tour through el Sumidero from here and makes an excellent day trip if you’re based in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, it being located only some 15km from Tuxtla and easily accessible by collectivo/combi. Given our itinerary, we ended up spending two nights, rolling in late in…
Posted in Nature, Pueblo Magico, Town | By traveleptic
October 5, 2014
El Sumidero, Chiapas, México: Part I, from the River
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…
Posted in Nature, Wildlife | By traveleptic
September 29, 2014
Puerto Arista, Chiapas, México
When asked where they themselves might head for vacation, folks from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capitol of Chiapas, might respond with Puerto Arista. On some levels, we can understand why. On the coast of Chiapas, this more stereotypical beach community is the most developed of all the other coastal spots we’ve been to in the state, including Barra de Zacapulco, Ribera de Playa Azul, and el Madre Sal, which means you can pick from a range of hotel, restaurant, and bar…
Posted in Beach, Town | By traveleptic
September 17, 2014
Río Celeste Maya, Chiapas, México
Just down the road from Las Nubes outside of the ejido Gallo Giro sits Rio Celeste Maya, a more economical option to Las Nubes. As with Las Nubes, the land in the care of Río Celeste Maya, along with a few extremely basic cabins (essentially wooden shacks), is situated right on the river, albeit on a pleasantly quieter part. If Las Nubes is upscale, Río Celeste Maya is roughing it, but really all this means is that you will be…
Posted in Ecoturismo, Nature | By traveleptic
August 31, 2014
Mexico Travel Tips: How & Where to Eat While on the Move
Eating while traveling and on-the-go in Mexico can be a dicey prospect, not because of the various animal parts or insects you might be confronted with that you had never considered consuming before, but because of the real risks to your health that the food may present. We are referring specifically to food-borne bacteria and parasites. Take it from us, being stuck on a toilet (or infinitely worse, between toilets!) or being required to visit a medical clinic, then give fecal samples,…
Posted in Eating Out | By traveleptic
August 26, 2014
Las Nubes, Chiapas, México
Las Nubes (The Clouds) is an area which affords you access to views of one of the most beautiful rivers with cascades and rapids that you might ever see. Not that Las Nubes recreation area is the only spot from which to see the river in general, but for any views of the river, we recommend starting here. In a separate article, we will discuss an additional access point and recreation area, Río Celeste Maya. To get here, follow the…
Posted in Ecoturismo, Nature | By traveleptic
August 23, 2014
El Chiflón, Chiapas, México
For being a nature attraction, El Chiflón is probably the most developed nature site that we visited in Chiapas, with more of a park or even amusement-park feel to it than anything else. Many people come to swim, BBQ, zip line, and generally spend family time here. If you love nature, these waterfalls and river are absolutely worth the visit. We went during one of the busiest tourist weekends of the entire year, Semana Santa, and we still enjoyed ourselves…
Posted in Nature | By traveleptic
August 21, 2014
Barra de Zacapulco, Chiapas, México
Having returned to Comitán de Dominguez and civilization, spent some time at the Hotel Renacimiento, and washed our laundry by hand on said hotel’s roof following our trek out to and back from Laguna Miramar, we pointed ourselves in the direction of Chiapas’ coast and the Pacific Ocean. Our first beach stop on this trip: Barra de Zacapulco. We chose Barra de Zacapulco because it sounded more interesting than your typical beach spot. It is necessary to take a lancha (motorized…
Posted in Beach, Nature | By traveleptic
August 20, 2014
Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the largest city in Chiapas as well as its capital. If you fly in to the state, your point of entry will most likely be this city of over half-a-million people. We found the city to be more interesting and attractive than we were led to believe after reading the summary of the city in the Lonely Planet guide to Mexico. There are numerous plazas and parks to enjoy, including the gigantic principal Plaza Cívica with Tuxtla’s main cathedral in sight; el Parque…
Posted in City | By traveleptic
August 14, 2014
La Sima de las Cotorras, Chiapas, México
Yet another natural wonder outside of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital of the state of Chiapas, is la Sima de las Cotorras. This giant sinkhole in the earth is home to thousands of green Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) which inhabit the trees down inside the sinkhole and create a beautiful ruckus every morning starting somewhere around 7am when they wake and stir and finally get airborne, zooming around the sinkhole in small and large groups as they ascend from their home…
Posted in Nature, Wildlife | By traveleptic
August 12, 2014
Ribera de Playa Azul, Chiapas, México
The Ribera de Playa Azul is a strip of beach of very dark sand further north on the coast from Tapachula (and Barra de Zacapulco). As with other strips of beach in this part of Chiapas, you access it by boat. $10 MXN per person each way will get you there and back and the ride is extremely short. All you do is cross to the other side of the canal or river. There is a parking area next to…
Posted in Beach, Nature | By traveleptic
August 10, 2014
Laguna Miramar, Chiapas, México
If you had told me there was a heaven and asked me what it included, I would have told you that it came with an ocean, with nice waves near the shore to body surf in and a soft beach where the sand didn’t burn your feet. After spending time in the water at Laguna Miramar, I think I’ve changed my mind. I now believe it probably would include something along the lines of this lake in the western part of Chiapas, Mexico. After…
Posted in Ecoturismo, Nature | By traveleptic
August 7, 2014
El Madresal, Chiapas, México
Along the northern part of the coastline of Chiapas lies el Madresal, another of the state’s ecoturismo (ecotourism) sites. Of all the beach spots we visited during our time in Chiapas, this was the best cared-for and maintained. There was no trash to be seen, paths were well-kept, and docks were looked after. Staff wore official clothing and were friendly and professional. We parked right next to the welcome structure and disembarkation point and paid $15 MXN for the car…
Posted in Beach, Nature | By traveleptic
August 2, 2014
Comitán de Domínguez, Chiapas, México
Comitán de Domínguez is another Peublo Magico and one of three that we visited in Chiapas, the others being Chiapa de Corzo and San Cristóbal de las Casas. This is a very attractive pueblo with a beautiful central plaza and the town seems to be doing well. From what we could tell, the town is growing and people are enjoying a better quality of life. The central plaza hosts events and public music and dance nights on the weekends. Food around…
Posted in Pueblo Magico, Town | By traveleptic