Any comments on Tuxla Gutierrez and the coast of Chiapas?

Question

Any comments on Tuxla Gutierrez and the coast of Chiapas?

Answer 1

Hardly any tourist goes to Tuxla Gutierrez.  It's largely an agricultural area--many billboards for tractors and very hot in August.  I stopped there in August to change some money at the bank, and I was happy when I got out of there.  I'm sure it's a nice town otherwise.  But for most people it's just a stopover going between Oaxaca and San Cristobal de las Casas--two much more lovely and enjoyable cities.  I've never been to the Chiapas coast, but from what I've read, there are places with strong undertow.  That alone make it difficult to promote the area for tourist development.

Answer 2

Tuxla?

Big city, relatively difficult to navigate without assistance from the locals.

The beach?

Bath water, rustic at Puerto Arista. Shallow sandy surf, some rip tide but not the dangerous sort, the back draft can run a little sidewise is all but the geography is an endless featureless beach so there isn't anything driving the rip save the vague angle of the dangle.

Palaplas line the beach but they are seedy.

Street food and eateries one block out from the beach are fine and ethnic but limited. You can rent a secure masonry beach 8' X 8' cell for $10 to $15 US a night, Couple of $60 -$80 affairs available as well as several decent little motels for $25 to $40.

My suggestion would be think about traveling "East"  for your tour.Take the bite and pay a Taxi at the airport to take you to Chiapa de Corzo.  This makes for an excellent soft landing straight out of the airport. You can spend 3 days there easily without running out of adventures and things to do straight off the plane. Do the Canyon. the $25 trip includes a hike in a zoolgical reserve but there really isn't enough to warrent the extra bucks especially when you have so many other things to do during your stay. The $12 tour will do you fine this go round.

From there it's a piece of cake to catch a collectivo to San

Cristobal. You can spend months there getting to know this truely wonderful  place but times a wasting and you were wanting to go for a swim as I recall.

When you can bring yourself to leave San Cristobal, rent a car there and either head east directly for the coast or north to Pelenque and Chetzinitza for the ruins.  If you do the ruins  Make your return to San Cristobal on the southern route. You don't want to be pressed for time navigateing and exploring the ruins.

Either way when you get to the Atlantic you will be in some of the best . swimming , snorkeling , and  diving waters in the world

There are long stretches south of Canun all the way to the bottom that feature quintessential thatch roofed beach bungalows  with a wide range of luxury and price.

Don't fall for any of the Time share scammers, they give you a free breakfast and a few bucks or a 2 hour scuba dive   then make your whole day an exersise in misery while they twist  your arm to the breaking point selling worthless time slots for huge dollars, just say no, if you want a time share down there go through an agent in the US, You'll get it for half  the scammers price ,if that.

Then back to San  Cristobal for a day or two and  turn in the car,

From there take the collectivo back to Chiapas de Corzo for the night before the flight home. Taxi from Corzo to the airport is $20 US. You can  take a  collectivo to Tuxla for 3 bucks and then catch another collectivo to the airport for another $4 and save a few bucks but  Considering all the song and dance doing it that way it doesn't really seem worth it to me.

You can do the entire trip on public transportation of course but as you go toward the Atlantic local travel becomes more difficult. Along the Atlantic  Collectivos and buses tend to fill up at regular stops and you can wait a long time out on the road or street  for one with enough space to squeeze you in.  

The haul or hauls as they may be between  San Cristobal and either directly over to the Atlantic  or Polinque are long ones and best done by first class through buses which means you won't be able to take in any sights along the way and your in for some pretty long bus rides running on reletivly limited schedules.