Mini-citytrip San Cristobal de Las Casas

San Cristobal de Las Casas is a vibrant town in Mexico, close to the Guatemalan border and worth a little stop if you’re traveling around. San Cristobal de Las Casas is located in Chiapas, one of the most beautiful provinces of Mexico because of the nature. It is the perfect starting spot for exploring the nature of Chiapas.

San Cristobal de Las Casas is home to a lot of traveler hostels and restaurants. The town is busy during the day and it’s vibrant in the night. Street artists at Calle ‘Real de Guadelupe’ brighten up your night and during the day it is the perfect street to find a tour operator for your next daytrip. Walk all the way through to ‘Plaza 31 de Marzo’ where you can find many street vendors, a supermarket, a bank and even a Starbucks. If you want to eat Taco’s but don’t want to buy them at a street vendor, consider going to Super Taco at Calle Miguel Hidalgo. A very cute place with lots of options for taco’s. On your way back is a patisserie called ‘oh la la!’ where they sell delicious ice-cream and other desserts.

If you want to see more of the town and know more about its history, go on a free walking tour. The walking tour takes you to all the important historical buildings and I got the opportunity to visit a rooftop, not accessible to tourists. The tour starts at Plaza 31 de Marzo by the palace of the Government every day at 10 AM. Even though the tour is for free, tips are welcome and highly recommended. Also take some extra money with you, if you want to buy some jewelry with jade or other beautiful handmade products at the main market. The tour ends at ‘Frontera artisan food & coffee’, where you can have lunch, sit in the garden and buy some ‘Pox’ (a popular alcoholic drink in Chiapas) with different flavors. On the opposite side of the street you can find a small little bakery called ‘Kukulpan’ where you can get amazing bread, pastries and coffee (also gluten and lactose free options available). After the tour you can walk up to the church on the hill to enjoy the view over San Cristobal de Las Casas. ‘El Caldero’ is a great place to have dinner, specialized in Mexican soups.

Day trips
From San Cristobal de Las Casas it is very convenient to book a day trip to many of Chiapas’ beautiful nature. Travel agencies in the main street 'Calle Real de Guadelupe' offer day trips for very affordable prices. I recommend you to check with your hostel which day-trips are available and to pick according to your time and budget. Here are two day trips that I decided to do:

​Agua Azul, Misol-Ha & Palenque
The tour leaves in the early morning around 5 AM. After a 4 hour drive including a quick break for breakfast, you arrive at the Aqua Azul waterfalls first. In the summer these waterfalls have very blue water. Unfortunately when you go during rain season, the water is brown and swimming is more dangerous because of the currents. But besides that, it is still very nice to walk all the way up and maybe stop for a picnic somewhere. After about 1 hour, the tour continues to the Misol-Ha waterfall. This is a 35 meter high waterfall and it is only possible to swim there if the weather allows it. It is possible to walk behind the waterfall, but you will get wet. The path stopped halfway because there was too much water to continue, but in the summer it is possible to walk all the way through. The last stop of the tour was Palenque, a Maya city from the 7th century which is an UNESCO world heritage site. This is also the city where Maya emperor Pakal is buried. If you want to know more about the history of this place, consider taking a tour guide as you have plenty of time to explore the ruins. You will return to San Cristobal de Las Casas around 11 PM. The whole day tour costs around 500 pesos (25 dollars) and includes round-trip transportation and all entrance fees.

Cañon​ del sumidero
The tour leaves at 9 AM and the drive takes around an hour and a half before arriving to the cañon​. First you will get ready for a boat trip that will take you to the end of the cañon​. During this boat trip, you get to experience different animals such as crocodiles, monkeys and birds. Furthermore, you will get to see the cliffs, which are more than a 1000 metres high, the waterfalls that spring from these cliffs and hidden caves. After the boat trip, you will go back to the tour bus and it will take you to the top of the canon, where you get to experience the cañon from a different point of view. After this, the tour bus will take you to Chiapa de Corzo, where you can have lunch and enjoy the little plaza and church. Around 5 PM you will return to San Cristobal de Las Casas. The tour costs around 300 pesos (15 dollars) and includes round-trip transportation and entrance fees.

Other activities and day tours that you can do, are a tour to the El chiflon and Montebello Lakes. El Chiflon is a collection of waterfalls surrounded by beautiful nature where you can do a hike and jump in the lake after the hike. Montebello Lakes are a collection of 52 blue lakes where you can swim, or raft to the other side to see beautiful orchids. The different minerals in the water cause the lakes to be a different color, which you will get to experience during the tour. If you prefer an activity closer to San Cristobal de Las Casas without being in a tour bus for too long, consider taking a taxi (or walk) to ‘El Arcotete Parque Ecoturistico’. Here you can hike, take a boat ride and even do ziplining.

Hostels
Hostels are the perfect place to meet new people from all over the world. I recommend the following hostels, which I have stayed in and heard a lot about;

Planet Hostel
I stayed at planet hostel, which was a very affordable option with very clean rooms. They also have dorm rooms available. Breakfast is included in the price and there is an option between sweet or savory. The hotel is not too far from the center and it is of walking distance from everything. Tours were very well organized and cheaper than the tour prices offered in the city center.

Puerta Vieja
A hostel that I heard a lot about is Puerta Vieja. This would have been my first choice, but unfortunately, it was already fully booked. The hostel has three common areas for people to meet each other and incudes hammocks to chill. Breakfast is also included and the staff can provide you with information about the best places in town.