Sumidero Canyon (Chiapas)

We haven't been on many tours - ever, not just this holiday - always preferring to chance it a bit even if it would be wiser to let someone else do the organising. Sometimes this works (like with the Roberto Barrios waterfalls) and sometimes it doesn't (just witness my crippling embarrassment every time I try to communicate with locals...). Maybe we're doing it for the story, but probably it's because we're cheap.

A tour that was well worth the 700 pesos all up was from San Cristobal de las Casas to the Sumidero Canyon. The canyon - the same age as the Grand Canyon - is so central to the identity of Chiapas that it features on the state crest. It is certainly impressive. As the boat of around 20 people, piloted by two national park workers giving an enthusiastic commentary in Spanish, makes its way along the river, you are dwarfed by bald cliffs and wooded hills towering above you. It's hot and there isn't any shade, but the boat zips along and the guides are keen to point out crocodiles and monkeys along the way, in addition to the incredible scenery.

I really dislike crocodiles - too many viewings of Peter Pan as a child probably - and wasn't particularly keen to see them in the wild. I've seen alligators many times thanks to childhood visits to swamps in South Carolina, and I've watched them stalk birds and chow down on fish, but crocodiles always seem more malevolent. Watching them sun themselves on rocks and wind slowly through the greenish water didn't change my view, but it was interesting to see them - and how powerful they are - at home in their natural habitat rather than cooped up in a zoo.

While it is possible to visit the canyon without a tour, although it is two colectivo rides away from San Cristobal, it is much easier to go with an established company that will get you there and on the boat with minimal fuss. The information online implied that the boats - which are not particularly regular - give priority to tour groups rather than solo travellers and I didn't fancy waiting for hours for a space to come up.

Later this trip, in October, we will be hiking in the Grand Canyon with our friends Char and Leo. Visiting Sumidero was an exciting taster without any climbing or walking at all.