With vertical limestone walls reaching as high as 3,300 feet (1,000 meters) and tropical rainforest vegetation bursting all around, Sumidero Canyon is a stunning site to behold. When planning my trip to Mexico, I knew it had to be on the list.
The canyon was formed 35 million years ago and is 8 miles (13 kilometers) long. I visited in September, during the rainy season, when the canyon’s walls were at their lushest. I went with a tour group and rode a boat through the canyon as well as getting to view it from above, and it was an unforgettable experience. Read on to learn more about Sumidero Canyon and why you should visit, too.
Touring Sumidero Canyon
I arrived at my hostel in San Cristóbal de las Casas at 7 a.m. on the night bus from Oaxaca. I had come to town for one reason: to see the Sumidero Canyon. I asked my hostel if they could book me a tour, and by 9 a.m. I was being picked up by a van to be taken to the canyon.
An hour later, after a ride through the highlands of Chiapas, our tour group arrived. We were shuffled out of the van, down a ramp, and into a boat and given life jackets. Shortly before 11 a.m., the river ride began.
The tour on the Grijalva River that runs through the canyon lasted about two hours. Throughout the tour, the sun beat down on us, and it remained swelteringly hot.
But the experience was worth sweating a little (or maybe a lot). Looking around the canyon as our guide explained its history and pointed to the different flora and wildlife was magical.
The Canyon’s Dark History
The Sumidero Canyon is without a doubt beautiful. But it has a dark history. Our tour guide told our group about the brave Indigenous warriors of Chiapas. During the Spanish conquest, the warriors chose to throw themselves into the canyon rather than face slavery or death at the hands of the Spanish.
The canyon’s more recent history is one that unfortunately includes pollution. During our tour, mixed in with the canyon’s natural beauty, our boat ran through a garbage pile. Our tour guide and my later research explained that the canyon has become overrun with trash and debris, made even worse during the rainy season. Much of this is linked to poor municipal waste management. Many municipalities on the river are unable to afford the infrastructure to dispose of waste properly, contributing to the problem. While efforts to better dispose of waste and clean up the river continue, it is an ongoing concern.
The Animals of Sumidero Canyon
Sumidero Canyon is home to a diversity of animals, and I had the pleasure of seeing many during my visit. Two of the most exciting to see were crocodiles and spider monkeys. The crocodiles laid basking on rocks in the sun with their mouths wide open. It was so interesting when the boat stopped and we could just watch a crocodile lay unmoving on a rock for several moments, mouth agape.
Spider monkeys live high in trees and use their tails as an extra limb. Most of the monkeys were residing in the trees on the canyon walls, so we could not see them well from the boat. However, one was relaxing on a rock low enough to the river that we could see its face up close, which was a very unique experience.
The Christmas Tree Waterfall
The best experience at the canyon, and possibly my favorite of all my time in Mexico, was when the boat arrived at the Christmas Tree Waterfall. It is called this because, during the rainy season, the waterfall falls on a part of the canyon rocks which are covered in moss and appear like an evergreen tree. I was lucky enough to be there at a time when the moss was abundant and the “tree” appeared to have many “branches.”
The experience was surreal. The way the water fell over the clusters of moss combined with how the sunlight peaked through to change the color and vibrancy of the falls as our boat glided along the river under the waterfall reminded me what traveling is all about. The intense greens and elaborate textures of the Christmas Tree Waterfall make it obvious why Sumidero Canyon was a finalist for one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
The View From the Top
After reaching the other side of the canyon and returning to the main docks, we returned to the van and ascended to the scenic viewpoint. To get from the depths of the canyon to the viewpoint in the town of Chiapa de Corzo meant ascending hundreds of meters, and I felt my ears popping, demonstrating how high the canyon actually is. From here, the group took photos and enjoyed getting to fully grasp the enormity of the canyon and true height of its walls. At this point, a downpour began, which was unsurprising as it was after 2 p.m. in September in Chiapas.
Upon return to my hostel, I looked back on the photos I had taken and reflected on a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you ever find yourself in Chiapas, Mexico, or anywhere in southern Mexico, please don’t miss out on visiting Sumidero Canyon and enjoying one of nature’s masterpieces.
