Chiapas is Mexico’s southern most state, and, it’s something of a Mexico in miniature - just missing an expanse of desert and a city of global proportions. Chiapas has moist jungles hiding ancient Mayan ruins - this is where you’ll find Yaxchilán and Palenque - and opening out onto long stretch of sandy coast. It has graceful colonial cities, Chiapas de Corzo and San Cristóbal de las Casas are particularly rich in charm and Spanish history; coffee and cocoa plantations, and the pristine Laguna Miramar, a remote biosphere reserve packed with wildlife. Choosing the best places to stay in Chiapas really depends on what sort of experiences you want to have while you’re here, as your options range from all-out, beachside luxury to remote eco lodges.

What Not to Miss

Writing about what not to miss in a state this size and diverse is challenging - do you want to see as many Mayan ruins are you can fit in? Explore the lush interior and strike out for new ground and new discoveries? Experience the best a Mexican beat holiday can offer, follow the path of the Spanish colonials, or do a bit of this and a bit of that? But this state’s list of highlights is quite something, so let’s start there.

• The impressive Mayan temples at Palenque are arguably the top Mayan site in Mexico. Beautifully preserved, it’s laid out so that when you enter you see a row of magnificent buildings leading towards the Temple de las Inscripciones, which is the site’s grandest sight, and also one of its most significant. You will recognise it from photos, and it really is bucket-list-worthy. It’s incredible that the construction of these huge monuments was even possible.
• Yaxchilán is the other great Mayan highlight. It’s also surrounded by dense jungle, though this time its location, on a loop of a great river, plays a part in the majesty of the place as well as the ornate designs to its architecture and archaeology.
• If your Mayan interest is now bubbling up you’ll want to visit the less-visited Toniná, which is actually the city that did for Palenque. The ruins are spectacular, but of some reason hardly anyone comes here.
• Once you’ve appreciated the skill and stories of the ancient Mayans you might want to see what the Spanish brought with them, and what the indigenous Mexican population contributed, and a good place to do that is San Cristóbal de las Casas. This small city’s highland valley setting, surrounded by traditional Tzeltal and Tzotzil villages, and its markets and cobbled streets, have been drawing visitors for decades.
• If you’re here for an adventure - and Chiapas certainly has an air of needing to be explored - then the Sumidero Canyon might be a highlight. It’s spectacular. But also damned, so you can now speed along the canyon floor on a boat, and really appreciate the sheerness and drama of its walls.
• And while you’re admiring stunning natural wonders you might also want to visit the waterfalls of El Chiflón, which tumble 120metres off the edge of an escarpment. Or the almost magically pristine Laguna Miramar, with its howler monkeys, tapirs, toucans, macaws, butterflies and crocodiles - among a myriad of species to choose from. Come on in, the water is warm, but make sure you’ve booked to stay for a few days, there’s a lot to see, but it’s also a long way to come.