Day 311 – San Cristobal de las Casas

Cascadas El Chiflon and Lagunas De Montebello

Today we woke up nice and early so we could have breakfast before our 8am tour. The owner of the Airbnb, Casa Flor De Vida requested that we wait outside during the pick up window (8-8:30am). Otherwise the tour drivers can knock very loudly on the doors, which would wake everyone up.

The tour includes the Chiflon Waterfalls (Cascadas De El Chiflon) and the Montebello Lagoons (Lagunas De Montebello, pronounced Montebeyo). We bought it from Explorando Chiapas on the walking street, Real De Guadalupe for 300 MXN / $22.76 AUD per person. We were picked up at 8.40am and got into a very full van. Unfortunately we were unable to sit next to each other.

Cascadas De El Chiflon

Our friendly driver, Juan drove to the waterfalls in around 2.5 hours. At the falls we were given red wrist bands. We were actually dropped off at a resort called Cascadas Velo de Novia. The resort had rooms, restaurants and toilets. There is actually another resort on the other side of the river, with its own path to the waterfall.

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One hour after we started walking, we arrived at the top of the falls. The water along the way was a beautiful turquoise colour, with several smaller falls. 

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There is an optional hike that allows you to go closer to the falls, but it adds another 40 minutes to the trip according to the staff. If you wish to go, it will also cost an extra 20 MXN / $1.52 AUD. From a midway point there is a zip line down, that costs 200 MXN / $15.19 AUD per person.

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At the bottom, we had to wait as the driver and van was missing. We bought some chips, which were pre-made, so very cold. Once the driver arrived, and we all boarded the van, it was 1.15pm.

Lagunas De Montebello

We then drove for several hours to a small strip of food stalls. Here we had lunch at around 3pm. The food was basic but the meat was tasty. It cost us a total of 220 MXN / $16.71 AUD for two dishes and drinks. At the end of the meal, we were given some sugared chocolate which was different. I liked it, but my wife was not a fan. The restaurant was right in front of a blue lagoon. On the other side of the lagoon, we were told that the houses we could see were in Guatemala.

After our late lunch, we drove a little further to the Laguna Montebello. And wow the water is such a nice dark blue. The name of the lake in Spanish is Lago Pojoj. There is a tiny island inside the lake that boats go to. We opted out as the ride is 100 MXN / $7.60 AUD per person.

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After waiting until the others returned from their boat ride, we drove to another viewpoint called Mirador Lago Agua Tinta (Cinco Lagos in Google Maps). Here we spent less than 10 minutes, but once again the driver disappeared so everyone was left waiting for him. The driver reappeared with the van and we started heading back to San Cristobal at around 5.45pm.

Back in San Cristobal

The drive was very long, and when we were back in town it was raining. We were dropped off at the Airbnb just after 9pm. We walked back into town, down Real de Guadalupe, which was surprisingly empty. Most of the restaurants were also closed. We managed to find a nice one called Yik Cafe for dinner. 

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