Comitán travel guide
Montebello lakes, the Chiflón falls and tamales from every barrio
A colonial Pueblo Mágico in the Chiapas highlands near Guatemala, with literary and art museums, a distinctive regional cuisine and the Montebello lakes and El Chiflón falls within an hour. Visit November to April in the dry season; three nights covers the town and the main day trips. Costs are moderate, and the permitted stay is stamped at entry.
At about 1,600 metres in the eastern highlands of Chiapas, an hour or so short of the Guatemalan border, Comitán de Domínguez is a colonial town that most foreign visitors still drive past. Mexicans know better. Its centre of arcaded streets under tiled roofs earned it Pueblo Mágico status. It is also the nearest town to three of the state's finest sights: the lakes of Montebello, the El Chiflón waterfalls and the Maya ruins of Tenam Puente.
Comitán has given the country more than its share of names. Belisario Domínguez, the senator murdered in 1913 for denouncing the dictator Victoriano Huerta, was born and practised medicine here, and the town added his name to its own. The writer Rosario Castellanos grew up here and set her novel Balún Canán in its streets. Both have museums, as does a fine collection of modern Mexican art.
Compared with San Cristóbal de las Casas, two hours west, the town feels less staged: fewer tour agencies, more local life in the Parque Central at dusk, and a regional kitchen of tamales and sausages that changes from one barrio to the next.
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Top things to do in Comitán
Museums and churches in a walkable colonial centre, with lakes, waterfalls and Maya ruins on every side of town.
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Best time to visit Comitán
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 25 to 30 C, lows of 11 to 14 C and barely any rain from December to February; mornings and evenings are chilly from October to March, so bring a sweater.
Around 100 to 220 mm a month, wettest in June and September; the lakes and falls are greener and fuller, but trails get muddy and the sky often clouds over by afternoon.
The fiesta of San Caralampio runs from 11 to 20 February, with processions, fireworks and a fair around his church in the barrio of the same name; it is the town's busiest week, so book rooms early.
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Getting there
OCC coaches on the Pan-American and colectivos from San Cristóbal
Comitán is usually reached through Tuxtla Gutiérrez airport (TGZ), about three hours away by road via Tuxtla's OCC terminal or San Cristóbal. From San Cristóbal de las Casas, colectivo vans and OCC coaches take about two hours along the Pan-American Highway. First-class OCC coaches also come from Tapachula on the Pacific coast. A slower, more scenic option links the coast with Comitán via Huixtla and the mountain town of Motozintla, using local vans and buses. The clean OCC terminal stands on the Pan-American boulevard on the western side of town, a short taxi ride from the Parque Central. Travellers coming from Guatemala cross at La Mesilla and Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, then take a colectivo north. Organised crime has made the border strip dangerous, and the UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel within 40 km of the frontier, so check current advice before using this crossing.
- Tuxtla airport (TGZ)
- About 3 hours by road via Tuxtla or San Cristóbal
- From San Cristóbal
- Colectivo or OCC coach, about 2 hours
- From Tapachula
- Direct OCC coaches, or local vans via Huixtla and Motozintla
- From Guatemala
- Border at Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, about 80 km south
- Colectivos from San Cristóbal leave when full; mornings have the most departures.
- Sit on the right going south from San Cristóbal for views over the highland valleys.
Where to stay
Parque Central, the old barrios or a cabin at Montebello
The blocks around Comitán's Parque Central put you near Santo Domingo, the museums and the arcade restaurants, often in courtyard houses, though fiesta noise carries. Barrio Jesusito and San Sebastián are calmer, and Pan-American boulevard hotels suit drivers and early border departures. For nature, the ejido-run cabins inside Lagunas de Montebello National Park let you see the lakes at dawn, though nights are cold and evening food options are few.
- Parque Central
- Courtyard hotels near the museums and churches; noisy in February
- Barrio Jesusito and San Sebastián
- Quieter streets, a few minutes' walk from the plaza
- Pan-American boulevard
- Practical for drivers and the OCC terminal
- Lagunas de Montebello
- Simple cabins by the lakes; cold nights, limited dinners
- In the converted colonial houses, some rooms open only onto the inner courtyard with no outside window; ask to see one before you commit.
Getting around
On foot round the Parque Central, colectivos to Montebello and El Chiflón
Comitán's colonial centre follows a grid of numbered avenues and streets running out from the Parque Central, so it is easy on foot, though some streets climb steeply into the barrios. Cheap city taxis handle short hops, and colectivos run to Montebello and El Chiflón. Pay drivers in cash and check the time of the last van back. Renting a car or hiring a taxi for the day lets you link the lakes, the ruins and the falls at your own pace.
- Walking
- Centre is a compact grid around the Parque Central
- Colectivo to Lagunas de Montebello
- About 1 hour, cash to the driver
- Taxi
- Short city rides, or hire by the day for Tenam Puente and El Chiflón
- Learn the street system: avenues run north to south and streets east to west, numbered from the central axes, with Oriente, Poniente, Norte and Sur in each address.
Know before you go
What makes Comitán worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Lagunas de Montebello, a national park of more than 50 lakes in shades that run from turquoise to deep violet, set in pine and oak forest.
- The Velo de Novia fall at El Chiflón, a white column of water dropping into a chain of blue pools that you can swim in lower down.
- Tenam Puente in the late afternoon, its terraced Maya platforms and ball courts almost empty, with views across fields and forest.
Good to know
- The archaeological museum closes on Sunday and Monday, and the Rosario Castellanos museum on Monday; plan your town day midweek.
- Bring cash for the day trips; park entrance fees, ejido charges and colectivos rarely take cards.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Comitán, month by month
Comitán's highland climate is mild all year, with cool nights and a rainy season from May to October. Tap a month for averages.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Comitán (Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, via Wikipedia).
Santo Domingo's tower, Tenam Puente and a day at the Montebello lakes
Start Comitán in the Parque Central, beside the 16th-century church of Santo Domingo and its tall, Moorish-style brick tower. The town's best museums ring the square: the Casa Museo Doctor Belisario Domínguez with its 19th-century pharmacy, and the Museo de Arte Hermila Domínguez, with works by Tamayo, Toledo and Cuevas.
The Archaeological Museum a block away sets the scene for the highland Maya.
Afternoon. Walk to Barrio Jesusito and the Museo Rosario Castellanos, devoted to the writer and her feminist work, then take a taxi 15 minutes south to Tenam Puente. The ruins climb a hillside in terraces, and late in the day you may have the ball courts to yourself.
Evening. Return to the plaza for chalupas and a glass of local spirit as families come out to stroll.
Second day. Leave early for Lagunas de Montebello, about an hour southeast. Stop on the way at Chinkultic, a Maya site whose pyramid looks down onto a deep blue cenote. In the park, the lakes near the entrance, such as Laguna Bosque Azul, are the busiest; continue to the Cinco Lagos route and Laguna de Montebello for quieter shores, rafts and short forest walks. Back in town by dusk.
Third day. Spend it at El Chiflón, west of town: a path climbs past cascades and swimming pools to the 120-metre Velo de Novia. Wear shoes with grip; the spray makes the upper steps slick.
Butifarras, chinculuaj and patzitos from Comitán's barrio kitchens
Comitán eats differently from the rest of Chiapas, and locals are proud of it. The signature is the butifarra, a boiled, spiced pork sausage sliced and served cold with pickled vegetables or chilevinagre, and the town's own chorizo and longaniza, seasoned unlike other regions', sell at the market and old butcher shops.
Tamales are a world of their own. Patzitos come in several versions: sweet ones filled with a cinnamon and cornstarch custard, savoury ones wrapped with momón (the anise-scented hoja santa) or made with chipilín, a highland herb. There are also tamales de bola and banana-leaf tamales. Look for chinculuaj, a tortilla folded around refried beans with a kick of chile de árbol.
In the evening, stands near the Parque Central serve chalupas, small fried tortillas piled with toppings, while family restaurants cook heavier dishes such as lengua en pebre (tongue in a spiced sauce), olla podrida, a long-simmered meat stew, and chanfaina. Bakeries sell pan compuesto, a sweet bread that goes with afternoon coffee.
Drinks are part of the tradition. Comiteco is the town's own spirit, once made from agave. Mistela is a fruit liqueur, while temperante and atole de granillo are warm or soft drinks still found in markets. A cup of pozol, made here with peanut, is the local pick-me-up on a warm afternoon.
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How we research our Comitán travel guide
Comitán's museums, Montebello lake access and bus links are checked against the official Comitán website and the town's Wikipedia record, with entry rules from Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migración.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of ComitánInstituto Nacional de MigraciónUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Comitán.
Timing & weather
About two hours on the Pan-American Highway. Vans leave when full, most often in the morning; OCC coaches also run the route.
From 11 to 20 February, with processions, fireworks and a fair around the saint's church; it follows the fiesta of San Sebastián on 20 January and the Virgen de la Candelaria on 2 February.
The best time to visit Comitán is Nov to Apr. Dry season, with only 7 to 42 mm of rain a month and highs of 25 to 30 C.
- Dry and bright: November - April (Highs of 25 to 30 C, lows of 11 to 14 C and barely any rain from December to February; mornings and evenings are chilly from October to March, so bring a sweater)
- Rainy season: May - October (Around 100 to 220 mm a month, wettest in June and September; the lakes and falls are greener and fuller, but trails get muddy and the sky often clouds over by afternoon)
April is the warmest month in Comitán, with average highs of 30°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 11°C. June is the wettest month, at about 223 mm of rain; January is the driest. Comitán's highland climate is mild all year, with cool nights and a rainy season from May to October.
General
Colectivo vans make the trip in about an hour and can drop you at the park entrance or Chinkultic; a taxi hired for the day lets you visit more lakes.
Yes, in the lower turquoise pools; the upper path to the 120-metre Velo de Novia is for viewing, and the steps are slippery with spray.
A boiled, spiced pork sausage typical of Comitán, eaten cold in slices, often with pickled vegetables.
Yes. The terraced Maya site is a short taxi ride south of town, rarely crowded, and has ball courts and wide views over the countryside.
A doctor and senator from the town who was murdered in 1913 after speaking out against the dictator Victoriano Huerta. His family home is now a museum with a 19th-century pharmacy.
It is quieter and less touristy, with its own museums and food, and it is much closer to Montebello, El Chiflón and the Guatemalan border.
Comitán's colonial centre follows a grid of numbered avenues and streets running out from the Parque Central, so it is easy on foot, though some streets climb steeply into the barrios. Cheap city taxis handle short hops, and colectivos run to Montebello and El Chiflón. Pay drivers in cash and check the time of the last van back.
Getting there
About 80 km south to Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, opposite La Mesilla in Guatemala; colectivos run the route, but read current travel advice first, as the border area has serious organised-crime problems.
Stay & facilities
Rarely. From December to February lows reach about 11 C and the old houses hold the chill, so ask for extra blankets and pack a warm layer.
Visa & documents
Tourist stays in Mexico are visa-free for citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and many other countries. Immigration officers decide how many days you can stay (up to 180) and stamp your passport or issue a digital record. Holders of valid US, UK, Canadian or Schengen visas may also be exempt.
Health & safety
Most tourist areas are visited without problems, but violent crime linked to organised crime is high in some states. Governments advise against travel to parts of several states. Petty crime and scams occur in tourist areas.
