6 Best Sights in Chiapas and Tabasco, Mexico

Raúl and Alex really know their stuff; their tours leave every day at 9:30 am from the cross in front of the cathedral in the zócalo, returning around 2 for $15. You'll visit San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán; the cultural commentary is particularly insightful.

Call ahead to arrange a tour of Hacienda la Luz, which is quite close to downtown Comalcalco. It's also known as Hacienda Hayer, because a German doctor named Otto Wolter Hayer bought it in the 1930s and turned it into the most profitable hacienda in the region. On the tour you'll learn everything about the production of cacao, from bean to chocolate. Tours depart at 9 and 11 am and 1 and 3 pm and are in Spanish only.

Otisa Travel Agency gives daily guided tours to the Cañón del Sumidero, Palenque, Yaxchilán, and Bonampak. Horseback-riding trips are also available, as are transfers to and from the airport in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.

Pepe Santiago, a Lacandón resident associated with Na Bolom since childhood, leads tours daily to San Juan Chamula, Zinacantán, and San Nicolás Buenavista. (Pepe's name is a veritable ticket to acceptance in the more remote regions of Chiapas.) The group leaves Na Bolom promptly at 10 am (they suggest arriving at 9:45) and returns around 3; it's well worth the $30 per person price. Pepe's sister, Teresa Santiago Hernández, also leads tours.

This experienced tour provider hosts daily tours from San Cristóbal de las Casas to the Cañón del Sumidero, as well as longer excursions to Palenque and Bonampak.

This tour company offers boat tours and tours through the Cañón del Sumidero that last around 2½ hours and cost $25 per person.