A symphony hums beneath the emerald canopy, where the air hangs thick with the tropical heat and the scent of damp earth. Sunlight, fractured into shimmering emerald and gold, pierces the dense foliage, illuminating a world teeming with untamed beauty. The Amazon — the world’s biggest rainforest — is home to over 10% of the world’s known species and hundreds of indigenous communities.
As an adventure-seeking travel writer who’s spent the past 15 years scouring the world for secret corners, I’ve had the fortune of exploring a small part of the Amazon and can safely say the Amazon delivers on a scale unlike anywhere else. It’s a true bucket list destination for any intrepid spirit – whether you see it from an Amazon River cruise or a hard-earned trek through the thick jungle.
But what if I told you there’s a place just as wild, with that same feeling of being deep in the wilderness, right here in Mexico? For the latest installment of our series, where we highlight amazing Mexican spots that rival world wonders, we’re going deep into the luscious green heart of Chiapas: the Lacandón Jungle.
Amazon vs Lacandón
Spanning nine South American countries, the Amazon’s dynamic terrain covers an area larger than Western Europe. In comparison, the Lacandón is much smaller, blanketing Mexico’s poorest and southeasternmost state of Chiapas, spilling across the Usumacinta River into Guatemala.
But it’s nearing the Amazon in abundance, boasting 25% of Mexico’s total living species, from tapirs to spider monkeys and even endangered jaguars. The 1,500 tree species that live here provide a home for a third of the country’s bird species.
From the moment you step into the Lacandón, you feel as though you’re in the Amazon. The air hangs thick with the tropical heat and the scent of damp earth. The very atmosphere is alive with sound – the booming calls of howler monkeys and the ceaseless hum of insects. The Lacandón may not have the mighty Amazon River, but it’s also sprinkled with natural swimming holes and misty cascades where you can easily splash around and cool off.
The accessibility of the Lacandón
The Amazon’s legendary status is undeniable, but its sheer scale means reaching its deepest, most untouched corners requires extensive travel, often involving multiple flights, lengthy boat journeys and navigating challenging territories. Tours into the Amazon are notoriously expensive, with costs quickly escalating for transportation, specialized guides and accommodations.
In comparison, the Lacandón is relatively easy to explore and access. You’ll start by flying into Tuxtla Gutiérrez or Villahermosa – both airports serve most major cities in Mexico. From there, take an ADO bus to Palenque or San Cristóbal de las Casas, where plenty of tour operators offer overnight trips into the Lacandón Jungle. The intrepid backpacker can also continue onto the Lacandón villages of Frontera Corozal or Lacanjá Chansayab via colectivo.
For a real and responsible experience in the Lacandón, choose operators who work with the local communities. One group that truly stands out for helping the community and protecting nature is LacanTours. They organize multi-day tours in the Lacandón that include trips to the ancient Maya ruins and waterfalls within the jungle.
Highlights of Lacandón Jungle
Like the Amazon, the Lacandón also has its own protectors. For hundreds of years, the Lacandón Maya people have looked over this ecosystem and until today, they continue to stay deeply connected with their land. In fact, when the Spanish first appeared, the Lacandón people disappeared into the jungle and only reconnected with the outside world in the 19th and 20th centuries. Their way of life today is about living in balance with nature and respecting the forest.
To take a deep dive into the Lacandón culture, I recommend staying in a cabaña with a Lacandón host and going on treks. Campamento Lacadones, with its rustic bungalows and cabañas located by a river, is owned and run by Lacandón guides who will share insights you simply can’t get from anyone else. Join a cultural workshop, learn to weave with palm leaves, go trekking or even whitewater rafting – these direct interactions are incredibly rewarding.
Top Che Ecolodge is another worthwhile base from which to explore the Lacandón. On one particularly memorable walk, my Lacandón guide, Chan K’in, pointed out a rare quetzal bird and shared a centuries-old Lacandon myth about its significance, then quietly showed me how to identify medicinal plants his ancestors used. It was a deeply personal sharing of knowledge, of a life intrinsically woven with the forest itself.
Tracing ancient roots
And then there are the ancient secrets! While there are hundreds of impressive ancient Maya sites across Mexico (in the likes of Chichen Itza and Palenque), the Lacandón hides two Maya sites that deliver an unparalleled sense of discovery: Yaxchilán and Bonampak.
Reaching Yaxchilán is an adventure on its own. It involves a journey downriver in a lancha (long, narrow boat), through a landscape shrouded in mist and primordial silence. When you finally step ashore and see those monumental, moss-covered temples rising from the jungle canopy, with howler monkeys roaring overhead, you’ll feel that visceral thrill of exploring a place that not many people have visited.
Nearby is Bonampak, famous for some of the best-preserved, most vivid Mayan murals anywhere in the world. These are breathtaking, full-color narratives depicting battles, ceremonies, and the daily lives of an ancient civilization. Standing before them, I felt like I was witnessing history come alive right before my eyes.
Saving the jungle
Sadly, the Lacandón, like the Amazon, is facing threats of deforestation. Thus, the Lacandón risk losing their natural habitat. Only about 10 percent of its original, untouched forest remains. Local groups, particularly in Lacanjá Chansayab, are working hard to stop this deforestation. By choosing responsible tourism here, you directly help these vital conservation efforts.
The Amazon will forever be a titan, a monumental force of nature. But Lacandón makes a good alternative for those who crave a jungle experience that’s more accessible and affordable. I urge you to go now, rather than later, before the Lacandón jungle sadly becomes a thing of the past.
Nellie Huang is a self-proclaimed Mexico-holic who’s lived in San Miguel de Allende and Playa del Carmen. She’s the author of Lonely Planet’s Mexico guidebook and has written hundreds of articles on Mexico for various publications. Read about her adventures worldwide on wildjunket.com and follow her updates on Instagram @wildjunket.
