Chiapas
More information
Chiapas is a fantastic land of waterfalls & caves, with the Chorreadero being a top attraction. Chiapa de Corzo is a friendly town that makes for a good home base to visit the area. If interested in Mayan lore, plan to spend a few days at Palenque or other remote archeological sites in the region.
How to get there
The area is best accessed by flying into "Tuxgla Gutierrez (TGZ)" airport, rent a car and then drive to Chiapa de Corzo. From SoCal it will be much cheaper to fly out of Tijuana Airport (TIJ), about 1/2 the price, and the new bridge "Cross Border Xpress" planned to open in 2015 will make this process a breeze.
Car Rental
Most car rentals in Mexico will offer much cheaper deals online, so better book in advance. However, most car rentals will often NOT include or even mention about the "mandatory insurance" that will then force you to accept once you are picking up the car. If the car rental if quoted for US $5 a day, the hidden "mandatrory insurance" will add US $30 to that rate. Hertz and Avis proudly advertise they do NOT charge such hidden fees to customers, and both offer discounted rates through Costco. When renting a car, better pay with American Express as it provides additional insurance to cover for loss of use, property damage and any other claims not covered by other insurances. VISA claims to offer the same level of insurance with some of their cards, but Amex offers a "no questions asked, customer is always right" procedure, while VISA does NOT.
Money Exchange
Bank of America offers customer the option to order Pesos online and receive them at their home withing 2 business days or even overnight for an extra fee. The exchange will be better than Travelex or any other "official exchange service" you can find. Another option is to get money from ATM in Mexico, and Bank of America customers will get great exchange rates and no ATM fees when using Santander ATMs.
External Links
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuxtla_Guti%C3%A9rrez
- http://wikitravel.org/en/Tuxtla_Guti%C3%A9rrez
- http://www.turismochiapas.gob.mx/sectur/
- http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g664450-Chiapas_Southern_Mexico-Vacations.html
- https://www.google.com/flights/#search;mc=m : Google Flights allows to quickly check flight fares
- http://www.costcotravel.com : Discounted rates on Avis and Hertz car rental are offered for Mexico
- http://www.crossborderxpress.com/ : Bridge across the border will make access to Tijuana airport a breeze
- https://www.bankofamerica.com/foreign-exchange/ : foreign currency delivered to your home
- Digital Topo Map
- Adventure Companies:
- Caving Links:
