Lagunas de Montebello

Parque Nacional (CONANP) · La Trinitaria, Chiapas

Around sixty lakes scattered through pine and cloud forest on the Guatemalan border in Chiapas, and the point is that they are all different colours - turquoise, emerald, violet, deep blue, almost black - depending on depth, minerals and what grows in them. Montebello has been a national park since 1959. It sits at about 1,500 metres, so it is cold, misty and quiet, and most visitors are Mexican. A paved road links the main lakes, and community groups from Tziscao and nearby ejidos run the rafts on Laguna Pojoj, the cabins, the viewpoints and the food stalls, so small fees at several stops are normal. The Cinco Lagos viewpoint shows five colours at once. The park is under strain: runoff from farms and deforestation in the catchment have turned some lakes murky or brown, so photographs can promise more than you will see. Chinkultic, a Maya site with a cenote, sits on the way in. Check for road blockades before leaving Comitan or San Cristobal, and avoid driving after dark.

Parque Nacional Lagunas de Montebello, La Trinitaria, La Trinitaria, Chiapas, 30178, Mexico

⚠ THE PARK IS OPEN DAYLIGHT HOURS with a CONANP entry fee plus a vehicle charge - and ⚠ INDIVIDUAL LAKES AND VIEWPOINTS ARE RUN BY DIFFERENT EJIDOS AND CHARGE THEIR OWN FEES ON TOP. Bring cash in small notes; there are no ATMs in the park. Community rafts at Laguna Pojoj and kayaks run through the day and stop mid-afternoon. Chinkultic keeps INAH daytime hours. ⚠ GO EARLY AND IN THE DRY MONTHS: the colours need sun, and fog can sit on the lakes all day in the wet season. ⚠ SOME LAKES HAVE LOST THEIR COLOUR TO AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF AND DEFORESTATION - ask locally which are clear this season rather than driving to a specific one. ⚠ ROAD BLOCKADES CLOSE CHIAPAS HIGHWAYS WITHOUT NOTICE, including this route - ask at your hotel on the morning of the trip, every time. ⚠ THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL BORDER ZONE - carry documents. ⚠ IT IS COLD AT 1,500 METRES AND THE CABINS ARE UNHEATED. ⚠ HOURS AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.

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