"A small town in the south border..." Tapachula by Laura_Mexico

I didn't visit Tapachula for touristic reasons, so there aren't a lot of tips I can give you about it.... but hopefully the few little tips I could gather will be useful for someone who also needs/wants to visit this town -- although I have to warn you that this isn't a very nice place for vacation purposes! There's nothing to see here! :-P We have other places in Mexico which are a lot lovelier and nicer to visit!! But... have a nice trip to Tapachula if you ever go there!

Note: picture taken by the government of Chiapas, borrowed from website: http://www.explorandomexico.com.mx/state/5/Chiapas/photo/mexico/2488/

The state of Chiapas & TAPACHULA

Located just next to the border with Guatemala, Tapachula is located on the southernmost tip of the country and close to the coastline (and several kilometers away from the state capital, Tuxtla Gutierrez). The closest port is "Puerto Madero", better known now as Puerto Chiapas, which is only a half hour drive away and has recently increased its commercial and touristic importance. People from Tapachula used to visit this place because of the beach, but the port hosts now freight vessels and cruise ships as well and the government is trying to make it become a gateway to all the richness and attractions the entire state has to offer.

Chiapas is perhaps one of our most beautiful states and has a lot of cultural and natural richness: our biggest rain forest is located here, not to mention one of our main archeological sites and lots of interesting places; but unfortunately Tapachula itself, though an important town, doesn't have any of these beauties closeby. It's rather away from everything - except for Guatemala - but they say there are some cool places to visit nearby nonetheless... So it's just a matter of driving out of town and you might be able to see some nice places in the surroundings -- including crossing the border and visiting some Guatemalan towns.

The closest interest spot - if you're interested in activities related to being in contact with nature, that is - is the Tacana volcano, which isn't active but is one of the main attractions nearby Tapachula. It's, indeed, a beautiful natural landscape that you can see from downtown Tapachula itself on a clear day (<--- now, THOSE are rare!!!).

• Pros:Hmmmm.... former boyfriend used to live there...?? That was the only reason for me to go to such place! LOL
• Cons:Town: too small, not so many places to visit... Weather: too hot, too rainy, cloudy days, floods, mosquitoes...