Chiapas

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Chiapas
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state
Country: Flag of Mexico Mexico
Population: 4,900,000
Seat: Tuxtla Gutiérrez
Licence Plate: Chiapas
Motorways:

Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico. It shares borders with the states of Oaxaca to the west, Veracruz to the northwest, Tabasco to the north, and the country of Guatemala to the east. Its capital and most important city is Tuxtla Gutiérrez. An important point of junction in Chiapas is Arriaga.

Many tourist visit cities like San Cristobal, Comitán and Palenque, so the locals are used to see foreigners and they will try to practice their English with anyone carrying a backpack. Even if you're also Mexican.

Can be sometimes hard to hitch but definitely worth a visit. Chiapas has a lot on offer from historical Mayan sites and waterfalls to jungles and mountains further south. Unfortunately the locals know this and most of the natural beauty is locked up and requires an entrance fee. Go explore if you can pay… or be creative and find uncontrolled paths through the forest.

If you're up for an adventure, consider hitching the Carretera Fronteriza that follows the Guatemalan border from near Comitán to near Palenque. There are numerous beautiful places along the way some of which unfortunately you have to pay for accessing -- like the Lagunas de Montebello -- but some of which you can visit and camp at for free, such as the beautiful wild Ixcan river at the Puente de Ixcan river crossing. Traffic is very sparse here and due to the dubious security situation not everybody is happy to pick you up, so you shouldn't expect to make more than 50 kilometers a day unless you get a lucky ride. If you have the time (or are willing to take a combi from somewhere on the way if you run out of it), you can have a lot of interesting encounters here with friendly soldiers and indigenous people in the small villages. The landscape is also really beautiful.

Cities