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Trip Report
Exploring Mexico
A trip through Mexico to explore culture, food and nature. I traveled from Cancun up to Oaxaca (pronounced Wa-ha-ca) in 4 months. I went from beaches to mountains and from cities to little towns.
+ 7
North AmericaMexico29 days / January - February - March - December 2022
Highs & Lows
In Mexico the wheater is all year around good. I felt very safe as a female solo traveler. Most people speak English.
Difficult to find local veggie food. Not so authentic anymore because of tourism. Long busrides.
Itinerary Overview
2021 the year i decided to quit my job and travel the world.
Never traveled in latin America so i decided that would be my starting point. In general i try to fly as less as possible for the inviroment. So i decided to travel from north till south. First stop Mexico and last stop, on this side of the world, Argentine. Mexico my first expierence with latin culture and i love it. The people are heartwarming, friendly and kind. They will always great you with a hola or a smile.
I found a cheap and direct flight to Cancun so i started my trip there. Defently not my favourite place so didn't stay long. In general the Quitana Roo/Yucatan area is in my opinion to touristy, expensive and not authentic, so i traveled fast in this region. Bacalar is one of the few places i did like in that area. It has a beautiful lake with clear bleu water and white sand simular as the maldives.
From Chiapas i really started to like Mexico and apriciate it more. It is much more authentic, cheap and has beautiful nature. In palenque we stayed in de jungle always surrounded with howler monkey's and visited the mayan ruins. In San Cristobal de las casas i learnt Spanish and explored the city and the nature around.
In Oaxaca (state) i traveled for 2 months. In the city you find beautiful churches and buildings, a big market and the best (street) food i ate in Mexico. Before moving to the beach i stopped in san Matteo a town surrounded with mountains. After a few hours on a windy road you are at the beach. Next only sun, beach, friends and fun!
San Cristóbal de las Casas Cheap and good veggie/vegan food. Beautiful nature around (El Arcotete, Don Lauro). Culture in Chamula.
2+San Cristobal De Las Casas is a city surrounded with beautiful mountains and nature. It is located on an altitude of 2100m (6900 ft). Because of the altitude it is a bit colder then most places in Mexico, during the day the temperature is good but once the sun sets you need a sweater or a jacket.
After 2 months of traveling I decided to improve my Spanish and take private classes. In the city you can find many schools. After some research I decided to go to Casa en el Arbol, they give private lessons for a reasonable price. I had a really nice teacher and could plan my classes as I wanted.
The city is surrounded with nature you can go to El Arcotete a nature reserve with impressive caves and a river you can swim in. You pay 2 small fees for entrance. I walked up to Don Lauro viewpoint, it has an beautiful view over the city and mountains. If you walk up from the city center it takes 1,5 hours to get there by foot, you can save some time to take the colectivo to the beginning of the walk.
In the city you find many good and affordable (veggie/vegan) restaurants, Te Quiero Verde and the Loving hut where some of my favorite ones. Roots bakkey has the best pastries in town!
Bacalar Beautiful lake. Not so touristy. Kayak.
2+After a 2 hours with the colectivo we reached Bacalar, a small town with a lake with clear blue water and white sand. At some spots you feel like you are in the Maldives. We decided to rent a kayak to explore the lagoon, islands and cenote. First we went to the cenote, it is attached to lagoon but you can’t really see the difference. We swum a bit and peddled to Isla de los Pájaros, a wild sanctuary on a island, to spot some birds. After a little break we where ready to hop in hour kayak again to go to the other side of the lake. Once we got there we had a feeling we were in the Maldives with clear blue water and white sand. We took some pictures and paddled back to our hostel. It took us the whole day to do everything so don’t forget to bring water, snacks and sun screen.
Every morning we went to the lake for the sunrise. It is so peaceful and the sky has beautiful colors. Right after sunset there are hundreds birds flying over the lake who are happy to start there day. Starting the day early is the message.
Q & A
What would you have changed?
I would'nt do Valladoid and Quintana Roo again.Anything go wrong during the trip?
noRestaurant recommendations?
local foodPacking tips?
Only the necesarry clothes for warm weather.Transportation Tips?
Long distance with ADO. For shorter trips you can take a colectivo, much cheaper but also less comfort.Any surprises?
noBooking details?
airbnb
Lodging
Lipi house a hostel in the center of San Cristobal De Las Casas. It is a fun hostel that feels like a home away from home. It is a big house with lots of indoor and outdoor common spaces. In the house you have a big kitchen with a living room, this is the heart of the hostel where you always can meet with people. There is a movie room, pingpong table and reading place. Outdoor you have a gardin and 3 terraces with a view over the city and the mountains.
Hostel Guarumbo. It is a small hostel located 10min walking from the lake. There are 2 bunk beds in each room. It has a small garden and a rooftop with hammocks and a nice sunset view. They offer a good breakfast (not included in the price) and very tasty cakes and desserts.