October, 2011

Located in the southeast of Mexico, the state of Chiapas attracts tourists with its natural and architectonic beauty and its wide cultural richness.

Rivers, cascades, lagoons and caves open the door to extreme sports in this region, favorite of the lovers of nature.
Camping in Chiapas results in an unforgettable experience since its puts us in direct contact with the flora and fauna of the place.

As an example, in Sima de las Cotorras (Peak of the Parrots), very close to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, cave paintings and be seen, and its land shows us a sinking which is open through a mouth with a depth of 140 meters. In its interior, we find trees up to 30 meters tall, and its characteristics allow the practice of rock climbing and rappel.

Another place that stands out for camping, but above all to climb rock and ‘rappelling’, is found in Cañón La Venta, which length has about 75 kilometers and it has impressive vertical walls of up to 400 meters.

This is added to a strong current that allows kayaking or rafting through a river which width varies from 90 to 10 meters, the time recommended to perform this travel is from January to May, since the rainfall is lower.

Closer to Tapachula we found the Ecotourism Park La Changa, where cascade and cliff rappel, hiking and zip line are practiced.

At Chiapa de Corzo, the Cascade el Chorreadero can be visited in any month of the year; Agua Clara and Grutas de Rancho Nuevo also provide ideal conditions for caving, hiking and camping.

Inside the Lacandona Jungle there are two protected natural areas: Nahá and Metzabok, allowing the speleological and touristic exploration. The jungle, which was included to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO, allows watching its flora and fauna, besides of knowing its communities up close, which are organized to achieve a better conservation of natural resources.

Kayaking and rafting in Chiapas are two very meaningful activities for the wide quantity of rivers, lakes and lagoons of the state. Cañón del Sumidero, a symbol of the natural beauty of the country, and located at 5 kilometers from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, is famous for its water and heights. Besides, in the top of the gully, there is the zip line station which slides over the tree tops; rappel can also be performed from this spot to places inaccessible by other means.

River Lacanjá, embedded in the Lacandona Jungle and leading to the ‘Lost city of Yaxchilán’ has 150 meters wide, travels through more than 80 kilometers between the jungle and crosses the surroundings of the archeological zone of Bonampak. All these attributes make it the favorite to descend in raft, kayaking and even enjoy the beauty of the Prehispanic place.

Due to the huge quantity of experiences and activities offered by the state of Chiapas, it will be the venue of the Adventure Tourism World Summit 2011, which will gather tourism operators expert in this field, to invite all intrepid travelers to travel and get deep in this natural paradise.