The day after our boat trip through the Sumidero Canyon – on 4 November 2023 – for the second and last time in Mexico we chose an organised tour (with the same agency), because time-wise it worked out best. From San Cristóbal de las Casas we went to the south-east of the state of Chiapas: first to the turquoise cascades of El Chiflón, then to Lagos de Montebello National Park and to a lake through which the border with Guatemala runs. It was a long day – 13 hours and about 350 km on the coach.
Table of contents
- The El Chiflón cascades – a trail along a turquoise river
- The Montebello lakes – Lago Pojoj in the fog
- Lago Internacional – on the border with Guatemala
- Practical information
The El Chiflón cascades – a trail along a turquoise river
The first stop turned out to be the most interesting. A beautiful trail, about 1.5 km long, runs along the river – uphill, past one cascade after another and pools of incredibly turquoise water, surrounded by greenery.
The trail is mostly stone and wooden steps. On the way you pass signs with motivational slogans in Spanish and English – just right for the climb.
The highest cascade is Velo de Novia (“bridal veil”) – it is 120 metres high and falls into a turquoise pool.
Above and below on the river there are more cascades – including Ala de Ángel (“angel’s wing”, 60 m) and El Suspiro. Unfortunately we rushed through El Chiflón and did not have time to climb to the very top – you would need a lot more time here. For those who fancy it there is also a zip line (from 200 to 650 MXN, depending on the length of the ride).
The whole day – the cascades, the lakes and the border – is in this video:
4:15The Montebello lakes – Lago Pojoj in the fog
The second part of the tour was Lagos de Montebello National Park – several dozen lakes on the border with Guatemala. We started with Lake Pojoj. Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse: rain and fog seriously limited visibility, and apart from the view of the lake from the viewpoint there was nothing to do here – yet we had a full two hours for it, while we had rushed through El Chiflón.
Those who wanted could take a wooden raft to the islet in the middle of the lake (200 MXN). It was very close, but the “sinking” rafts moved slowly, and surprisingly quite a few people wanted to go – because of that, at the end we did not have time to see an extra lagoon.
Lago Internacional – on the border with Guatemala
The last stop was Lago Internacional – the Mexico–Guatemala border runs right through the middle of the lake.
On the shore stands a white border obelisk, and next to it two signs: “Límite de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos” and “Límite de la República de Guatemala” – you can take a photo on both sides of the border.
On the Guatemalan side there are colourful little houses and stalls, and on a wall a “Bienvenidos a Guatemala” welcome mural with quetzals – the birds that are the symbol of Guatemala. But it was not yet our time for that country: there was still a lot left to see in Mexico, and we only entered Guatemala in December, via Belize.
By the border there is also a viewpoint with a panorama of a small lake among the hills. In our case, however, the “view” of Lake Tziscao was limited mainly to the colourful La Trinitaria sign – the rest was lost in the fog.
Practical information
- Cost of the tour – 400 MXN (about €22) per person, including entry to El Chiflón (80 MXN) and Lake Pojoj (30 MXN) and transport (about 350 km). Optional extras: the raft to the islet on Lake Pojoj 200 MXN, the zip line at El Chiflón 200–650 MXN (prices from November 2023).
- Time – the whole tour from San Cristóbal de las Casas takes about 13 hours.
- Is it worth it? – the tour was not the best (too little time at El Chiflón, too much at the foggy lake), but it is the most sensible way to see both places in one day and get back to San Cristóbal. If you have more time, El Chiflón is worth exploring at a slower pace – it is the most beautiful part of the route.
- Weather – when we booked, the forecast was much better; at the lakes we got rain and fog, so a rain jacket comes in handy.
