Tuxtla Gutierrez
Time spent: 28 days
Elevation: 1,969 ft (600 m)
Currency: Mexican Pesos
Lodging Cost: $0 (used Hilton points)
Sunset over Tuxtla
Arriving in Tuxtla Gutierrez
To be honest, Tuxtla Gutierrez probably isn't on anyone's bucket list for travel destinations. And for good reason. There isn't much to do there but it does have one major claim to fame that I'll get to later. Tuxtla is the capital of the Mexican state of Chiapas and really just a transportation hub. It has a large airport and bus station. Most tourists just use it as a stop to get to San Cristobal de las Casas.
I wasn't planning on staying either, but while I was playing with my Hilton Honors account, I saw it had one of the cheapest points per night in the entire world. 5,000 points per night compared to 50,000 or 60,000 in a lot of other popular destinations. So I figured I'd cash in most of my points just to have a free room for a month.
Destinations are what you make them, and I've always found pretty much any city will still have the "newness" factor and be neat for a month. Being a digital nomad is a marathon, not a sprint.
Getting around in Tuxtla
Getting around is pretty easy. While they do have Uber, the best way for budget travelers is using colectivos. At first it is a little daunting if you aren't from there because there are TONS of these little white vans and they all have different numbers, literally over 100 different routes, and from what I could tell there weren't any maps saying what goes where. A few do have a sign that says "Wal-Mart" or other major stops, but it really seemed like you just had to be a local and learn it from living there all your life.
I wasn't going to bother with them until I found Tuxmapa. This website has everything you need. You tap the map where you are and then tap where you want to go and it will highlight which vans have a route that will take you there. It's 10 pesos ($.60) per trip.
Monumento a los Caidos de la Fuerza Aerea Mexicana. Tuxtla has a military base in it and this is a monument to pilots and air crews who lost their lives in service.
I lost my dog of 14 years right before I took this trip and the botanical gardens in my hometown were one of his favorite places. I always check out if there is one in any town I go to. The one in Tuxtla is pretty small but, is a nice shady spot in a concrete jungle. A 15 peso ($.85) entrance fee.
Sumidero Canyon
While Tuxtla doesn't have much in the way of tourist attractions, it does have one doozy of a good one that should not be missed. Canon del Sumidero. The Grijalva River runs through this canyon and it has vertical limestone walls that go straight up a full kilometer, over half a mile, in some sections.
You can do it one of two ways. I just took an Uber down to the dock and took the boat tour, but there are tour groups that will take you to 5 or 6 miradors, or viewpoints and you can see the canyon from above.
Life jackets are required
The boats work kind of like a lot of transportation in Latin America does and doesn't really have a set time to leave. People show up and fill the boats and when they get full they take off.
For the tickets, there are two things you need to buy. The boat ticket is 250 pesos ($15) and then you need a wristband for the park entrance fee that was 65 pesos ($3.75). It also has a shop where you can buy souvenirs and water. I'd definitely get some water because it can be brutally hot.
The tour guide will drive down the river stopping to tell you about a few things, but unfortunately for me, it was only in Spanish, but don't worry, it is still pretty damn cool even without knowing the landmarks.
There is also some wildlife, I've heard you often see monkeys, but we didn't see any on my trip.
With the clouds you can get a sense of how high that cliff is
It was so hot I was hoping we'd cruise under this
Presa Chicoasen officially named Presa Manuel Moreno Torres
The trip ends at Chicoasen Dam. There are floating vendors on boats selling snacks. You can also buy beer or even mixed drinks. I had a michelada, a Mexican specialty that's kind of like a Bloody Mary.
After a brief stop, the tour guide sets the throttle to full and you head back. The ride back isn't so hot because you got the wind from the boat cooling you down.
Now when you get back, it's actually kind of tricky to get back to town. The canyon is pretty much in town but right on the edge. I took an Uber and the driver had no problem taking me but you can't get an Uber back. Getting there crosses some invisible boundary and Uber doesn't service it.
I just started walking back and flagged down a taxi when I saw one
Final Thoughts on Tuxtla Gutierrez
Unfortunately, everything you probably heard about Tuxtla for tourism, which probably isn't much, is probably true. You do need to fly into here to get to San Cristobal de las Casas but there isn't much to see in town. If you can make the planning work, and figure out what to do with your luggage I'd recommend trying to get an early flight and late bus to San Cris and see the canyon. If you can't, don't sweat it, San Cristobal has tours from there, this just saves you a little bit of time on the bus.
Next stop is one of my favorite places and the city I have spent the most time in. I went on several tours here over the 9 weeks I spent in town and I'll go into detail on all of them.