If you google Chiapas, you’ll read tons of travel guides that talk about San Cristóbal de las Casas, the great canyon in Tuxtla Gutierrez, the amazing Mayan city of Palenque, the Velo de Novia Waterfall or Montebello’s Lagoons. But almost none include Tapachula, and that’s a shame.
Tapachula has made it to news for the immigrant caravana wanting to cross Mexico all the way up to the US border and for its streets packed with people from Central & South America, Africa and Haiti waiting to be issued a refugee visa. Now, we want to show you another face…
Here are four unique experiences that will make you add Tapachula to your bucket list:
1. Finca Argovia’s organic coffee and flower plantations
Imagine waking up in a chalet, surrounded by 187 hectares of rainforest and coffee plantations, completely “disconnected” from the world (there’s actually good Wi-Fi and cell reception, but you won’t even want to turn it on). The highlight of our trip.
Finca Argovia is one of the oldest coffee plantations in Mexico. Dates back to 1880, when the Mexican government offered these lands to foreigners (in this case a Swiss family) who were interested in producing ‘high mountain coffee’ and creating jobs.
Nowadays, it’s owned by a German-Mexican family who have made it their mission to make it as sustainable as they can, with an organic coffee plantation, clean energy and by replenishing the land with more than just coffee: 20 hectares of bamboo, more than 150 species of flowers and over 100,000 trees. A huge environmental impact that has attracted deer, capybaras, coatis and hundreds of bird species. Such a beautiful oasis in Tapachula.
Things not to miss:
- Spa: try the temazcal experience and a relaxing massage. The view is breathtaking.
- Coffee tour: the entire coffee process, from the plantation to the roasters. Plus, a very interesting and insightful tasting– not at all pretentious.
- Flower tour: here, you’ll get to see more of the property, across the rainforest, in a cool truck. And you won’t believe your eyes! They have very special and rare flower species.
- Tierra de café restaurant: try the fish with carambola sauce and the coffee flan. They’re de-li-cious!
2. Finca Hamburgo’s coffee plantation
Finca Hamburgo is also one of the oldest coffee plantations in Mexico, dating back to 1888. In fact, it’s one of the few that still belongs to the original family (the Edelmann’s from Perleberg, Germany).
Their slogan is “half a block from Heaven”, and that’s exactly where this place is. Staying here was also one of the highlights of the trip, especially when we woke up and there was already coffee served in our terrace overlooking the 350 hectares of coffee plantations. A breathtaking experience.
Another cool experience is their coffee tour, where you get to see some of the original machinery that’s still being used, plus some vintage treasures that made their way into the small museum. And at the end, a coffee tasting with different dripping methods– which you’ll notice it changes the flavor completely–. The type of beans you’ll find here are Arabica, Robusta and Maragogype.
Just look at these views…
3. Suchiate’s banana plantation
When we saw that our itinerary included this experience, we weren’t expecting it to be this beautiful. Starting with the location in a sustainable rural community called Ejido Miguel Alemán, just in the border with Guatemala, where the Suchiate river connects with the Pacific Ocean, surrounded by 320 hectares of banana plantation.
The tour began with a visit to a rural primary school where we got to speak to many kids and learn more about them and the education they’re getting. Some of them have to walk miles to get here, others have had to convince their parents to let them stay in school, and many are paying for private English classes, so that they can later work as bilingual guides and attract more tourism to the community.
Then, with a humbled heart filled with hope for these hardworking kids, we sat down and enjoyed the beautiful performance they had planned: four traditional dances perfectly executed with the biggest smiles. But perhaps the best part was the heartwarming goodbye with hugs and handmade drawings, which we will treasure forever.
From the school, we toured the banana plantation and saw the entire process from planting the trees to packaging. It was very interesting. Actually, 80% of the production is sent to USA, Europe and Asia –that means almost 60 tons of bananas are being shipped daily–. Nils and I buy these every week and never knew where the came from, and when we posted a story on Instagram of the Japanese packaging some recognized it as well. So, there’s a high chance that you’ve been buying them too…
4. Ron Bonampak’s rum tasting
This distillery, near Tapachula’s center, has been producing high quality rum and aguardiente since 1948, some of which have won several international medals. In fact, it’s the only Mexican rum that has been given an international award in the history of the American Rum Industry.
During the tour you’ll get to see the old sugar cane machinery and the whole process of making rum and aguardiente: from the fermentation of the sugar cane and the distillation, to the aging in barrels and bottling. You may have seen some of their labels around the world: Bonampak, Deadhead, Izapa and Cozumel.
The final tasting is set around the phrase “if you don’t like rum, it’s because you haven’t found the right one’. And that’s exactly right. There are tons of types: white, black, aged, spiced (chocolate, coffee, ginger & spearmint), etc. Our favorite, from now on, is the one with cacao by Deadhead!
Totally recommend this experience! Especially if you don’t like rum… Trust us.
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Useful information
Packing up
Weather can change drastically in Tapachula, so dress in layers. Don’t forget to pack a raincoat, a warm jumper for the evenings and comfortable shoes (preferably boots). And the most important thing: pack loads of bug spray or vitamin B, because mosquitos will eat you alive, and some could carry the dengue virus.
Finca Argovia
They have tour guides that speak Spanish, German, English & French.
Reservations: Tel. (962) 6266115 / Email: [email protected]
www.argovia.com.mx
Finca Hamburgo
Reservations: Tel. (962) 6267578 / Email: [email protected]
www.fincahamburgo.com
Banana plantation
For tours contact: Ángel Morga (he speaks English) / Cel: +52 1 (962) 138 2524 / Email: [email protected]
** If you’re taking a cruise that stops at Puerto Chiapas, they’ll probably offer this tour.
Ron Bonampak
Reservations: Mr. Rigoberto Vera / Tel. (962) 1039929 / Email: [email protected] (Make your reservation in advance)
Open: Monday to Saturday 09:00-14:00
Cost: $350.00 mxn
www.ronbonampak.com
Tour operator in Chiapas
Otisa Tour Operator & DMC / www.otisatravel.com
They gave us the Tapachula Tour, and they also rent vans with chauffeurs for small and large groups.
Thank you to Sectur Chiapas for showing us around and changing our perception of Tapachula. It’s definitely a place that needs to be seen!
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