Chiapas Itinerary (1 week)
Welcome to our 1 week Chiapas Itinerary.
Mexico is one of the most visited countries in Latin America year upon year and has earned its status as one of the world’s best backpacking destinations.
The region of Chiapas is a very diverse part of Mexico, where you’ll find mysterious ruins, dense jungle, exotic animals, breathtaking mountains and more in abundance here.
Backpacking Chiapas Itinerary
In this guide we’ll explore the region of Chiapas. Here we’ll go through the very best things to do with our personalised 1 week itinerary.
Specifically, we’ll look in-depth at the destinations of Palenque, San Cristóbal de las Casas and Tuxtla Gutiérrez.
Getting around Chiapas State
Chiapas is quite a rugged state, with many of its main roads winding through mountains and jungles between destinations.
Though bus times can be somewhat long, the quality of transport is still great nevertheless like most other southern states in the country.
The best bus companies to go with are OCC and ADO, which are both found within the ADO terminals in each destination.
If heading out to some of the more remote gems like Agua Azul, you’ll either need to go with a tour in a 4×4, or rent your own vehicle.
Other Things to know: Travel Tips
*When completing the itinerary below of Chiapas, you’ll need a daily budget of $15-25 a day.
This budget will cover a dorm bed, a few hearty meals, some local buses and also a few drinks or extras. Other costs such as international flights, travel insurance or long-distance buses are not included in this budget.
Chiapas is quite a safe state to travel to. Within destinations like San Cristóbal and Palenque, be sure to leave valuable at home since pickpocketers seem to be on the increase here. We recommend carrying a solid padlock like this one to keep your things safe in your accommodation whilst out and about.
Also know that there are a few cartels such as Los Zetas that operate along the more remote roads within the region, so to stay safe always talk to a local advisory to know where best to travel through.
And if you do come into contact with them – remain calm and do whatever they ask (it’s more of a respect thing – you show it and you’ll be fine).
When it comes to packing, you’ll need a variety of clothes for Chiapas. In Palenque and the jungle it can get quite hot, so light clothes, lots of sun cream and mosquito repellent are all necessary.
In San Cristóbal it’s cooler, however in the night and early morning can get quite chilly so bring a few extra layers.
Chiapas Itinerary (1 Week)
Now we’ll go through our one week itinerary of the Chiapas region.
Here we’ll go in-depth and cover the very best sights and experiences you can have in this ultimate Mexican region.
Palenque (Days 1-3)
We’ll first kick off this itinerary in the diverse jungle city of Palenque. This city is one of a kind within Mexico, and is best known for its dense jungle full of mysterious ruins and many exotic animal species.
We recommend staying within the jungle area (known as La Zona Arqueológica Palenque) where there’s many accommodation options along this one road that leads to the ruins.
The best thing to do is to take an early morning walking tour like this one, where you’ll be able to hear the shrieks from the Howler Monkeys as well as possibly see a Jaguar if you’re very lucky!
The Palenque Ruins cannot be missed, and are really one of a kind set in the middle of the sprawling fauna.
Known as Lakamha in the ancient Itza language, the best sites to explore here include The Temple of the Inscriptions, as well as The Palace.
Within the city of Palenque, a cool thing to do is to head to Aluxes Eco-Park.
Here you can see many rare animals that you might not be lucky enough to see on the jungle tour, such as: Toucans, Ocelots, Crocodiles as well as the elusive Jaguar and Panther.
A worthy day trip to take from Palenque is to the stunning Agua Azul waterfalls, which are a series of bright blue cascades set within the thick, remote, jungle canopy.
You can get here with a tour, which takes around 4 or 5 hours by 4×4.
To get to Palenque, you can connect with a domestic flight from Mexico City, or travel by bus from the region of the Riviera Maya or from neighbouring Guatemala located in Central America.
San Cristóbal de las Casas (Days 4-7)
Next we’ll take a bus from the ADO station in Palenque, and head to the mountain town of San Cristóbal de las Casas (which takes around 10 hours).
One of the most popular backpacking spots in Southern Mexico, here you’ll enjoy many cultural sights as well as impressive sceneries outside of town too.
Within San Cristóbal, the best things to see include the picturesque Iglesia de Guadalupe, which is set on top of a hill, as well as the Casa Na Bolom, which is an old house-turned museum that showcases the heritage and culture of the local indigenous tribe of the Lacandon Maya.
The Parque Central is a nice area to go for a stroll, where you can try out local street dishes such as Tamales Juacanes, as well as to get some good photos of the Catedral de San Cristóbal de las Casas.
The arguably best thing to see here (and if not in the whole state) is Sumidero Canyon, which is just outside of the town.
This stunning canyon features perfectly vertical cliffs that spiral upwards of 3,300ft above the river below.
Here you can take a boat tour to get the best glimpses of the stunning canyon, as well as get up and close with numerous wildlife such as the American Crocodile, Central American River Turtle as well as Spider Monkeys.
Tuxtla Gutiérrez (Days 7-8)
Lastly on our adventure we head to the capital of Chiapas.
Tuxtla tends to be skipped by most travellers as it’s not so tourist friendly compared to the rest, however we recommend a night here to see some of the lesser known gems of the region.
Home to some of the best preserved ruins of the region, you must visit Museo Regional de Anthropologia e Historia where you can see numerous fossils and exhibits, with some dating up to 300 million years old!
After this you can head to the Dr. Faustino Miranda Botanical Garden, which is home to many rare endemic plants of the region, including colourful orchids and over-sized cycads.
When you’ve got free time between these activities, be sure to head to the Plaza Civica, where you can see many sites from the white-washed Catedral de San Marcos to the Municipal Hall.
It’s also a good area to find a local restaurant and try out more of the local Chiapas cuisines, such as Ningüijute as well as the Chipilin herb.
From here you can easily take a flight back to Mexico City or Cancún and onwards.
Alternatively (if you have more time), you can head west towards Oaxaca with its world-class beaches, or south into Guatemala to start your Central American adventure!
Another worthy sight are the El Chiflon Waterfalls, which are easy to get to from the city. We recommend heading on this tour, which also includes a visit to the picturesque Montebello Lake.
Best time to visit Chiapas
We’ve spoken a lot about the best time to visit Mexico on this blog (George is absolutely obsessed with checking the weather when we travel).
The best time to head to Chiapas are during the months of March and April.
Still within the dry season, here daily average temperatures in San Cristóbal are optimal with between 57-61°F, highs of 73°F and lows of 57°F.
In Palenque these range with daily averages of 80-83°F, highs of up to 94°F and lows of 70°F.
Within all of the major destinations, you can expect between 1-3 inches of rainfall throughout each of these two months.
Aside from the weather, it’s also a great time to visit as the Spring season tends to receive less tourists than the busier Winter and Summer periods.
If heading during the wet season, then you’ll need a good quality poncho which is especially the case when heading to Palenque
Chiapas Backpacking Tips
⬇️ Below you can find a list of our top recommendations for Chiapas:
- 🛏️ – Hotel Cabañas Safari (Palenque), Posada del Abuelito (San Cristobal de las Casas).
- 🌮 – Real de Guadalupe in San Cristóbal is full of cheap eats and nice restaurants, with my favourite being Carajillo Cafe. In Palenque, head to the Zócalo for lots of great street food options.
- 🏛️ – Sumidero Canyon, Palenque Ruins, Guadalupe Church (San Cristóbal), Agua Azul Falls. See this list of top rated tours in Chiapas.
- 🍺 – Panóptico is a nice bar in San Cristobal, and to be honest anything else around the plaza and Real de Guadalupe does the job.
- 💡 – When staying in Palenque, look to book yourself in one of the hostels/hotels in the archaeological zone. Not only are you in a nicer area (middle of the jungle!) but you’ll be able to get to the ruins much earlier than the tour buses. Double win.
Backpacking Chiapas Itinerary
The diverse region of Chiapas is perfect for backpackers, with some picturesque towns to be explored with all of their charm and hidden gems.
There’s also some breathtaking landscapes such as Sumidero Canyon and Agua Azules too, not to mention the vast exotic wildlife to be experienced in its dense jungle.
In this itinerary-style guide, we’ve explored the Chiapas region including the very best destinations to visit, how much time to spend in each, what to see and also our own top recommendations.
Be sure to come back to this article whenever you need help planning, or even to suggest your own tips once you’ve completed the adventure yourself.
Also see our backpacking Mexico guide for more travel inspiration!
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