TAPACHULA and TONALA
Tourism in TAPACHULA and TONALA
TAPACHULA
Tapachula is also known as “La Perla del Soconusco” (The Pearl of Soconusco), it is a modern city with beautiful buildings built in a classic style. Located just next to the border with Guatemala, almost at the foot of the volcano Tacaná.
It does have an interesting combination of urban sophistication and tropical tempo. It was the settlement of immigrant groups from Japan, Germany and China. Amazing natural beauties surround the city, and you can visit the ecotourism parks offering a wide variety of activities.
Map of Tourist Attractions in TAPACHULA and TONALA
Tourist Attractions in Tapachula
Miguel Hidalgo Park and Central Square
It is located between the Municipal Palace, the Temple of St. Augustine and the new City Hall. Locals as well as visitors get together in this nice park.
Bicentennial Park
This is a monument to culture, is a place to promote the traditions, especially the marimba, which is very representative of the city.
Parish of San Agustin
It features a neoclassical facade, and has become a symbol of Tapachula. Inside there are beautiful pieces of contemporary sacred art.
Soconusco Regional Museum
Housed in the old city hall, facing the Central Square. Exhibits pieces from archaeological sites of the region, especially Izapa. Also on display are the remains of the Aztec and Teotihuacan cultures.
Banana Plantation
In the community of Miguel Aleman, in the Municipality of Suchiate, you can visit a banana plantation and learn the history of the region, its people and their traditions, as well as the banana growing and harvesting process. You can also visit for church and community center in the town.
Coffee Route
You can visit beautiful fincas (plantations) in the middle of the rainforest, a top destination for nature and coffee lovers.
The Beaches Route
Near Tapachula there are many attractive beaches to practice all kinds of water activities. But the best one is Playa Linda.
The Volcano Route
Includes: Izapa Archeological Zone, settled as early as 1500 B.C., it is a connective link between the Olmec and the Maya cultures. This was an important point in the trade routes for the exchange of cocoa and obsidian.
Tuxtla Chico
It is surrounded by tropical vegetation and has kept some of the main colonial monuments of the coast, nearby you can visit the Finca Rosario Izapa that conducts research on cocoa and tropical fruits.
Tourist Center of Santo Domingo
An old coffee plantation built in the early twentieth century in a California-style with an art nouveau decoration. It has a museum and restaurant. Unión Juárez, a picturesque town with houses made of wood in a style similar to that of Switzerland, will amaze you with breathtaking landscapes; it is the main destination for mountain climbing lovers in Chiapas.
Nearby you can visit: the Muxbal and Monteperla cascades, the Pico de Loro rock formation, with panoramic views of the mountain range, the Tajamulco volcanoes (in Guatemala); and the Tacaná Volcano, a lava-capped peak, 13,425 feet high. In this trip you can explore different types of vegetation ranging from high rainforest to moorland.
Tourism in TONALÁ
Tonalá is a city in the southwest of Chiapas and head of the IX Istmo-Costa region; considered the third city in economic importance of the state; It is located in the transition of the Pacific Coastal Plain and the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. It has a very own style, with coastal domestic style constructions, whose demographic growth advances rapidly and whose social life revolves around the central park, which is adorned by a “Tlaloc” stela of Teotihuacan influence.
The city is considered a strategic place, both because it is a place of passage (Tuxtla Gutiérrez-Tapachula), and because it provides the state capital with an abundant production of fish, molluscs and shellfish, in addition to being the center of one of the Chiapas’ main livestock regions and possess a thriving developing tourism industry.
One of the oldest villages in Chiapas and is full of history. It is a colorful city and that has kept the coastal architecture. Tonalá offers diverse attractions including, the Temple of San Francisco built in 1537, it features an elegant and sober altarpiece; the parks Esperanza, Matamoros and the courtyard of the Culture House exhibiting amazing pre-Hispanic sculptures; the Niños Héroes Park, offering fun and local cuisine; and the major pottery center founded in 1972. Archaeological vestiges also surround Tonalá, but the most interesting is Iglesia Vieja (Old Church).
In the surrounding area you can visit: Puerto Arista, with its beautiful beaches; the Madresal Ecotourism Centre, where you can fish, and have a wonderful boat trip admiring the majesty of mangroves; Playa del Sol, ideal for ATV tours on the beach; Paredón Bay, a nice fishing village where you can enjoy water sports; Boca del Cielo, with strong waves on one side, and calm water on the other, divided by the Barra de San Marcos, here you can go fishing, swimming, skiing, scuba diving, have a nice ride on a boat rides, or just explore the local flora and fauna and visit the turtle camp and enjoy the best in regional gastronomy based on fresh seafood; and La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve, a great place for bird watching.
You can also visit Arriaga, beautiful place with warm weather. Among its attractions are: the Railway Museum, which displays pieces of the first railroads that reached the station and old photographs. The Poza Galana, located within the Biosphere Reserve La Sepultura, where you can admire the caves and a huge pool. Santa Brígida, located 32 Km from Arriaga is characterized by its calm waters ideal for swimming, boating or fishing, the place has restaurants offering typical dishes made with fresh seafood.
Playa Aventura (Adventure Beach), has a unique beauty it is near the mouth of the Mar Muerto (Dead Sea). Isla de Pájaros (Bird Island) a sanctuary for various species of birds such as roseate spoonbills, gulls, ospreys, eagles, caracara, kingfisher, white ibis and black ibis. And UMA’s Cabin, a green iguana farm, the most important in the region.
Tourist Attractions in Tonalá
Puerto Arista
Just 19 km (approximately 15 minutes) from Tonalá, is Puerto Arista, the main sun and beach destination for the people of Chiapas.
Counting on a beautiful landscape and a wide and extensive beach of more or less 40 km of fine gray sand, you can practice all kinds of beach sports, pleasant motorcycle rides and taste in almost 50 local restaurants the variety of exquisite dishes prepared at fish and seafood base from the same port. Puerto Arista, has a RAMSAR certificate, for which it is a marine turtle sanctuary, also offering lodging services in comfortable hotels, guest houses and cabins.
Parque Niños Héroes
Located in the heart of Puerto Arista, it is a place that offers fun, delicious local cuisine and moments of relaxation.
Boca del Cielo (Mouth of Heaven)
It owes its name to the impression of being an entrance to heaven, which unites the colors of the water with the sunset and the setting sun. It is located 38 km from the city of Tonalá, on the Tonalá-Puerto Arista highway, taking the detour to Colonia Cabeza de Toro. In Boca del Cielo you can enjoy the lively waves of the Pacific Ocean at one end, and calm waters at the other that come together and form an islet called Barra de San Marcos.
Its location allows recreational activities ranging from sport fishing, boat rides, canoeing, swimming, skiing, diving, photography, flora and fauna research; as well as savoring delicious dishes prepared with mojarra, mullet and shrimp, touring the mangroves aboard a motor boat or even traveling and visiting the Tortuguero camp.
Near “Boca del Cielo”, is the spectacular Biosphere reserve known as La Sepultura, located just 50 km from Pueblo Nuevo; where the noise of the motor boats towards the very heart of the reserve, causes the flight of the birds that inhabit the area, offering the perfect opportunity to take the best photos of the place.
Camp Tortuguero
In charge of the protection and preservation of the sea turtle, mainly the Golfina, it is located just 20 km from the city of Tonalá, along the Tonalá-Puerto Arista coastal highway. The arrival period of the turtle is from July to October, with its peak season from September, its release is from July to December of each year. Night tours are carried out in the camp in coordination with CONANP staff). Hours: Monday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
El Madresal Ecotourism Center
Located in the last corner of the paradisiacal municipality of Tonalá, within the “Manuel Ávila Camacho” community, also called “Ponte-Duro”, it is located in the Mexican Pacific, 40 minutes from Tonalá. It is a very appropriate place for boat rides, sport fishing and appreciation of the majesty of the mangroves and the exotic local flora and fauna, as well as allowing the practice of sports such as soccer and beach volleyball.
Playa del Sol
It is part of the territorial extension of the beaches of the Pacific Ocean and is located just 13 kilometers from Tonalá arriving by the Tonalá-Puerto Arista highway, taking the detour to Cabeza de Toro, you can even access it from the Extension of Boulevard Mariano Matamoros from Puerto Arista. It is the ideal place to do motorcycle tours along the fine gray sand beach and admire the beauty of the sunset, it has palapa-style restaurant services with wading pools.
Paredón Bay
It is located 14 kilometers from Tonalá, taking the federal highway from Tonalá to Paredón. It is part of the extension of the shore of the Dead Sea, it does not have a sandy beach due to its waves, it is a fishing village and a supply center for seafood. You can practice water sports and enjoy its varied dishes made from seafood, served in any of its six restaurants or stay in a simple class hotel in the center of the town.
More Tourist Attractions in CHIAPAS
Palenque
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San Cristobal de Las Casas
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Ecotourism and Adventure in Chiapas
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Beaches in Chiapas
The Chiapas coast offers beautiful beaches where you can do a wide variety of water sports. There are beaches of great beauty that are characterized by their tranquility and that are ideal for you to relax and enjoy nature. However, it must be taken into account that many of them face the open sea, so the waves tend to be high and you must be careful to enjoy these waters. Part of the coastal area is immersed in the La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve, so if you are a lover of venturing into nature, this is one of the places with more options, where you can find some of the largest red mangroves in all of America that are located in a series of estuaries that make the landscape unique.… Read More
Archaeological Sites in Chiapas
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Magical Towns in Chiapas
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Gastronomy of Chiapas
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Tuxtla Gutierrez
It is the capital city of the State of Chiapas. Its climate is hot and semi-humid. Tuxtla Gutiérrez is a modern city where culture and traditions of Chiapas blend together. The streets in Tuxtla contain a combination of past and present. It is a beautiful city surrounded by lush vegetation. In downtown there is the Central Park and the beautiful Marimba Park. During the evenings you can stroll around this park and enjoy the marimba music played at the gazebo. There are many natural wonders nearby Tuxtla and the city offers very good touristic infrastructure, but most of all, the city offers the warm and kindness of the people.… Read More
Guided Tours in CHIAPAS
Flights & Hotels in CHIAPAS
More Tourist Attractions in MEXICO
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Archaeological Sites
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Gastronomy
The Gastronomy of Mexico has a great diversity of typical dishes, which is why it was recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The basic and representative ingredients of Mexican dishes are: corn, coriander, chili, beans, piloncillo, nopal and tomato. Mexican cuisine is also characterized by its sauces, which serve as an accompaniment to traditional dishes, prepared based on spices.… Read More
Beaches
On the Beaches of Mexico you can immerse yourself in the intense blue ocean of the Pacific bays, sunbathe on the shore of the warm and transparent waves of the Caribbean Sea in Quintana Roo or even rest on the beautiful coasts of the Gulf of Mexico. Mexican beaches hide wonderful secrets for the traveler. By visiting them, in addition to enjoying the excellent climate and water activities, you can discover splendid archaeological sites and interesting colonial cities without traveling long distances.… Read More
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Capital Cities
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States Of Mexico
Mexico has an incredible diversity of landscapes, where the beauty of its beaches, internationally recognized, stands out. In its vast territory of coasts, there are beaches of unparalleled beauty, and colorful landscapes. A large network of first-class hotels and tourist services is available to visitors to these beaches. Mexico is also mystical places, dotted with archaeological testimonies inherited from its original inhabitants. Monuments made by the Mayas, Aztecs and Toltecs are located in magical landscapes, like lighthouses in an ocean of natural beauty. They offer visitors buildings that tell their history, and museums that collect their cultural heritage. And that keep alive ancestral traditions, in ceremonies and festivals, where you can enjoy cultural activities and entertainment.… Read More
Magical Towns
A Magical Town is a place with symbols and legends, towns with history that in many cases have been the scene of transcendent events for our country, they are places that show the national identity in each of its corners, with a magic that emanates from its attractions ; visiting them is an opportunity to discover the charm of Mexico. The Magical Towns Program contributes to revalue a set of populations in the country that have always been in the collective imagination of the nation and that represent fresh and varied alternatives for national and foreign visitors. A town that through time and in the face of modernity, has conserved, valued and defended its historical, cultural and natural heritage; and manifests it in various expressions through its tangible and intangible heritage. A Magical Town is a town that has unique, symbolic attributes, authentic stories, transcendent events, everyday life, which means a great opportunity for tourist use, taking into account the motivations and needs of travelers.… Read More
