¡El Tour
Budget Bicycle Tours in Mexico
www.BikeMexico.com
The Complete Archive · 2000–2020
Highlands of Chiapas 2003–04
Season 2003–2004 · all tours that season
This tour is brought to you by Los Pingüinos, the partner bicycle shop and guiding operation in San Cristóbal de las Casas. On Christmas day we will meet in the beautiful colonial mountain city of San Cristóbal de las Casas where we will fit you with your bike and equipment. We will cycle through pine forests visiting waterfalls and lakes, through Tzotzil Maya country rich in tradition and culture. From Teopisca we will cycle to Chiflón, Comitán and Lagos de Montebello. Returning to San Cristóbal after the tour you'll also have the chance to visit the surrounding Tzotzil and Tzeltal villages.
Archive note: Recovered from the bikemexico.com Wayback archive. Registration was handled directly by Los Pinguinos in San Cristobal, so the company client database holds no rider records for it. US$250 per person, plus US$200 bike and equipment rental, or US$100 for a shorter 2-day version.
| Dates: | Thurs Dec 25, 2003 to Thurs Jan 1, 2004 (1 week) |
| Price: | US$250 (that year's published approximate total land cost) |
Itinerary
Click any day for the full description. Itineraries were always subject to minor changes.
WhenWhereDistanceHighlights
Day 0Meet at Los Pinguinos in San Cristóbal de las Casas-
Meet your guide and get fitted for your bike [more]
We will meet up in the colourful colonial city of San Cristóbal famous for its indegenous cultures. If you are renting a bike from us, we will match you with the bike that fits you best as well as a helmet and bike bottles.Day 1Around San Cristóbal30-50km
Explore surrounding the villages of Chamula and Zinacantan. [more]
Today we will explore a couple of the famous surrounding Tzotzil Maya villages, Chamula and Zinacantan. This will give you a chance to get used to your bike and 'wake up' your cycling legs.Day 2Car or bus to Teopisca (1806m) ride down to El Chiflon (1100m)70km
Colonial mountain town, sugarcane plantations, waterfalls [more]
At 7:30am we will be transported by bus or taxi to our starting point for the ride, Teopisca. From there it's mostly downhill. We drop down through the beautiful pine-clad mountains with breath-taking views and end up in sugar cane country. In El Chiflon we'll see some waterfalls up to 200m high. There, we can camp or stay in simple cabañas.Day 3Chiflon (1100m) to Comitan (1635m) then Las Margaritas (1480m)55km
Challenging climbing, colonial town [more]
What goes down must come back up! We climb back into the pine forests, pass through the little touristed colonial town of Comitan and then drop down a little to the Tojolabal Maya town of Las Margaritas.Day 4Las Margaritas (1480m) to Lagos de Montebello (1488m)65km
Hilly, pine cloud forest, lakes [more]
No big climbs or descents today, but it's still hilly. We go to the pine cloud forest area of Lagos de Montebello with its spectacular lakes. Once again we can camp or stay in simple cabañas.Day 5L. de Montebello (1488m) to Comitan (1635m)60km
Climb back to Comitan [more]
Today we cycle back to Comitan to fully appreciate this gem of a colonial mountain town.Day 6Comitan (1635m) to Teopisca (1806m) and car or bus back to San Cristóbal62km
Hilly, pine forest, colonial town [more]
Our hilly route will take us up to Teopisca through more pine forest. Teopisca is another, much smaller, colonial mountain town famous for their cecina. Once there, we'll be transported back to San Cristobal by car or bus.Day 7San Cristóbal de Las Casas (2100m)-