It distinguishes itself from the canyons of the Mexican North by its dense tropical vegetation, which covers even the steep rock faces. The drive over the dammed Grijalva River allows breathtaking views of the canyon walls rising up to 1000 meters, caves and waterfalls. The Sumidero Canyon fauna includes white herons, cormorants and kingfishers as well as various species of monkeys, butterflies, iguanas, raccoons and crocodiles. However, the fact that swimming in the river is not advisable is not due to the latter, but to the poor water quality. No less impressive are the views of the gorge from “above”. At the road that follows the edge of the canyon, there are five view points: La Ceiba, La Coyota, El Roblar, El Tepehuaje and Los Chiapas, which is only 22 kilometres away from the provincial capital Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

The boats leave – far from noiseless – from the pier of the Cahuare Resort, located just outside the small town of Chiapa de Corzo. The route leads from here over 35 km to the Chicoasén dam. At the time of the Spanish conquest, the gorge was the scene of a legendary battle between Spaniards and the indigenous Chiapanecos, who preferred to plunge into the canyon, which they considered sacred, instead of bowing to strangers. Basically, there is no need to organize a boat tour in advance, as the privately run “Eco-Experience Park” as well as the 4 boat cooperatives, which take care of the transport of the tourists, are always prepared for visitors.