Mexico

Travel In Sumidero Canyon

When thinking about canyons, you’ll be surprised by Sumidero Canyon which is different from the Grand Arizona. What makes Canyon de Sumidero different is, while the latter is in a desert, Sumidero Canyon is an explosion of greenery, water, and wildlife.

Canyon de Sumidero is in Chiapas State, Southeast Mexico. It begins near Chiapa de Corzo, stretches for 35km. Sumidero Canyon finally ends at the reservoir of the Chicoasn hydroelectric dam.

Canyon de Sumidero can be visited by boat or driving along the miradores at the top of the cliffs surrounding Canyon de Sumidero. We opted to join a boat trip at the Cahuar embarcadero. We were quite fortunate that a number of people turned up shortly after us, so we didn’t need to wait for long. After putting on our life vests we were ready to go to Canyon de Sumidero!

The boatman took us to some of the interesting spots along Canyon de Sumidero. The first one was the Cueva de Colores (Colours Cave), a small cave which has some interesting pinkish colours on the ceiling and a small statue of Virgin of Guadalupe. Later, towards the middle of the boat trip, we arrived at the highest point of Canyon de Sumidero, a cliff that reaches nearly 1000m, where the mountains from both sides of the river create an impressive gate full of life surrounded by nature.

My favourite spot in Canyon de Sumidero was a curious formation called the Christmas Tree. During the rainy season it becomes a waterfall, but during the winter, when the rain is not so abundant in Sumidero Canyon, an interesting formation is created covered with moss that resembles a Christmas Tree. It was quite a coincidence to be in Sumidero Canyon during Christmas season to contemplate this interesting sight.

After an hour, we arrived at the end of the Canyon de Sumidero, where the river meets the Chicoasn dam. On the way back from Canyon de Sumidero we tried to spot spider monkeys, birds and crocodiles. We were fortunate to see them all in Canyon de Sumidero.

Need more information on Canyon de Sumidero? Visit the Indie Travel Podcast for excellent travel advice for Sumidero Canyon.

Tags: canyon, Mexico, sumidero, sumidero canyon, Vacation