What to do in Southern Chiapas
We recently took an impromptu trip to the SOCONUSCO (southern) area of Chiapas. We actually had another trip planned, but we had to cancel it at the last minute. A return trip to Chiapas has been a dream of ours ever since we left San Cristobal a year ago. There is so much to see and do in Chiapas that one trip really isn't enough.
The purpose of this trip was to learn about the process of making coffee. It is something that we drink every morning and we thought it would be really cool to get to see the process first hand.
During our trip we kept a daily diary of sorts. There will be four parts in total that we will release with the corresponding video on Youtube. We have never really written blogs like this so let us know what you think. Soon will write an updated post that covers where to stay, what to do, and where to eat for your trip to southern Chiapas.
Enjoy!
Day 1: Friday (Tapachula)
We flew to Tapachula late tonight. Well, not late, but late for us. Which is just anytime after the sun goes down 😂
Arriving in a new city at night time always feels strange. You have made it to your destination but you still have no idea what the city looks like. In a weird way we kind of like it like that. It adds to the suspense and mystery of what lies ahead.
It makes the next morning even more special.
On the road into town, we saw a sign for the Ruta del Cacao. I knew that there were coffee farms here but I had no idea that cacao was grown here as well. As soon as we made it to the hotel I immediately started googling cacao farms, cocoa plantations, cacao tours, etc. "This is why we should plan more!", I thought.
I found a tour company that operates several tours in the area, contacted them, and booked two for the next two days. Not exactly sure what we are getting ourselves into here! But it sounds like we get to eat chocolate, right?
Day 2: Saturday (Tapachula/Union Juarez)
We woke up early this morning ready to explore! The first thing we did was raise the curtain in our hotel room to take a look outside!
I’ll be honest. The view was mostly of the Hotel One parking lot! But we do have an amazing view of the Volcano Tacana. Now that I see it in person, I am wishing that we had more time to hike it! "This is why we should plan more!", I thought. Again.
Hotel One is one of our favorite hotel chains in Mexico because they are cheap, clean, and they have free breakfast! We highly recommend them if you are looking for a budget friendly hotel.
The breakfast seemed different compared to other parts of Mexico! They of course had eggs and chilaquiles, but they also had some delicious fried plantains and shredded beef that was to die for. It was most similar to cochinita pibil, but I don’t think that’s what it was. Regardless of the name, it was surprisingly delicious for a free hotel breakfast!
Even the hotels in Mexico have delicious food!
We are taking a tour this morning. Neither of us have any idea what we are going to do!
Why are we so bad at planning?
How do we plan so much yet so little at the same time? I think it goes back to wanting that little bit of added mystery. Researching every little thing about a place takes away from some of the suspense. Even if that means showing up to southern Chiapas in the middle of rainy season…
Either way, we are sure to make some memories!
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The tour was amazing!
We saw an impressive rock that was overhanging a mountainside, we ate some delicious food (are you surprised?), and we passed so many different types of food growing- sugar cane, oranges, bananas, cacao, and coffee. That was really cool. I know they are just plants, but to see things growing on a farm, or in the wild, that you normally only see in its polished form at the supermarket was really neat!
Day one in southern Chiapas was really special. I can't wait to see what day two has in store for us!
Be sure to check back soon to find out 😉
After the tour, we couldn't find a restaurant close to our hotel so we had to settle for greek yogurt and pan dulce that we bought from Walmart ☝️
We will be publishing more "diaries" in the upcoming days. We hope you enjoyed this one :) They are part of a larger project we are working on. Aren't we always working on a project of some sorts? In Part two we will explore the city of Tapachula, which of course turned out to be quite interesting... See you soon!
