On the highway east from Chiapa de Corzo towards San Cristóbal, you catch occasional glimpses of the lower reaches of the Cañón del Sumidero. Through this spectacular cleft the Río Grijalva runs beneath cliffs that reach 1000m in height in places, the rock walls sprinkled with patches of bright green vegetation. The typical tour is on a mesmerizing boat ride down the river from Chiapa de Corzo, or you can drive along the rim from Tuxtla. From Tuxtla, Autobús Panorámico (Sat & Sun 9am & 1pm; 3hr 30min) runs a bus from the plaza along the road that borders the rim of the canyon, passing all the main miradores the best views are from La Coyota. The buses go only when five or six people turn up. There’s no public transport to the area. In Chiapa de Corzo, several companies offer regular boat trips down the canyon, all for the same price (8am–5pm). The first office you reach is Turística de Grijalva, on the west side of the plaza. Or you can head straight south down the street to the embarcadero, where other companies operate. During Mexican vacation times, boats fill with the requisite ten people almost immediately, and it doesn’t matter where you buy your ticket; in slower times, it’s best to show up early and go from company to company to see which boat is closest to full. Tours last a couple of hours, snaking through the whole gorge to the Chicoasén Dam, which forms a lake at the northern end. Along the way you pass several waterfalls, including the remarkable El Árbol de Navidad, where calcareous formations covered with algae resemble a Christmas tree from a distance. Crocodiles and spider monkeys can often be spotted, as well as vast numbers of pelicans, egrets and cormorants.

Canon del Sumidero The Sumidero Canyon is a spectacular fissure in the earth, found east of Tuxtla Gutierrez. In 1981 the Chicoasen hydroelectric dam was completed at its northern end, damming the Rio Grijalva which flows through the canyon, and creating a 25km-long reservoir. Traveling between Tuxtla and Chiapa de Corzo, the road crosses the Grijalva just south of the canyon mouth. The canyon can be viewed from above at five miradores (lookout points); bus tours to these leave Tuxtla's cathedral at 9am and 1pm daily (except Monday) if a minimum of five people show up. However, the most impressive way to see the canyon is from a lancha that speeds between the canyon's towering rock walls. It's about a two-hour return trip, starting at either Chiapa de Corzo or the Embarcadero Cahuare, 5km north of Chiapa along the road to Tuxtla. You'll rarely have to wait more than half an hour for a boat to fill up. Bring a drink, something to shield you from the sun and, if there's any chance of bad weather, some warm clothing or a waterproof jacket. Soon after you pass under Hwy 190, the canyon walls tower an amazing 800m above you. Along the way you'll see a variety of birds herons, cormorants, vultures, king-fishers plus crocodiles. The boat operators will point out a few odd formations of rock and vegetation, including one cliff face covered in thick hanging moss, resembling a giant Christmas tree. Lanchas sometimes have to plow through a sheen of floating plastic garbage when wet-season rains wash in trash from Tuxtla Gutierrez. The breathtaking Sumidero Canyon forms the heart of a beautiful national park. Legend has it that in the mid-16th century several hundred Indians chose to hurl themselves down its precipitous sides after a defiant last stand, rather than submit to the invading Spanish forces. Nearly a kilometer (half a mile) deep, and around 14 km (9 miles) in length, the canyon was carved by the Grijalva river over the course of millions of years. This important river stretches from Guatemala to the Gulf of Mexico. Excellent views of the sheersided canyon are available from a series of five lookout points along its western rim. Alternatively, visitors can enjoy a two-hour boat trip along the river. Boats leave from two embarkation points, one at Cahuaré (on the west bank of the Grijalva, on Mex 190), and the other at the docks in Chiapa de Corzo. The trip passes caves and waterfalls. It also provides an opportunity to see a variety of unusual plants, and many animals and birds, including monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas, herons, and kingfishers.

The Sumidero Canyon is a deep narrow canyon located 5 km from the state capital Tuxtla Gutierrez in Chiapas, Mexico; Many people confuse this location because is actually in the municipality of Chiapa de Corzo. This canyon is a cliff whose height goes a little beyond the 1000 m above the water and stands on the Grijalva River, which has a depth of over 250 m. The fault line was opened about twelve million years ago in the Sierra Norte de Chiapas. It is among the most spectacular in America, with walls more than 1300 meters to rise from the depths, where the waters of the Grijalva River through the states of Chiapas and Tabasco and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. In its southern entrance, the canyon begins in Chiapa de Corzo, and flows into the artificial reservoir hydroelectric dam Manuel Moreno Torres, popularly known as "Chicoasén Dam '. Because of its great ecological wealth and be one of the most imposing canyons in the world, the December 8, 1980 was declared as Canyon National Park with an area of 21,789 hectares. On February 2, 2004, the park area was also declared as a Ramsar site in Mexico. The relevance of the canyon sump is such that part of the shield of Chiapas and was also nominated to be one of the "New 7 Wonders of Nature" as sole representative of Mexico in this international competition.

This canyon is a product of a separation of terrestrial layers result of a geological fault during the Pleistocene. Given its size and lush tropical vegetation, this canyon is an important tourist attraction in the state of Chiapas. The conquest of the Canyon Sink born since the arrival of the Spanish in Chiapas. In 1527, Captain Luis Marin tries this journey but fails in his attempt. In 1534 came the memorable battle Tepetchía. Bernal Diaz del Castillo says unable to overcome his Chiapas invading enemy, they preferred to die of Tepetchia throwing themselves from the rock at the top of the Canyon. In 1869, the French group Foudon Gastinel brothers Pedro and tried to cross the Canyon Sink, all died in the adventure. From 1915 to 1922, the master Marcos E. Becerra and a group of Chiapas made significant progress, but not released to the great adventure; it is known that it was the first group that explored the top of the canyon. The May 17, 1958, the Heroic Military College, a fully equipped expedition under General and former governor of Chiapas, Francisco J. Grajales, proposed cross the canyon, giving up after many setbacks. To date, that was the issue that was more penetrated the Canyon Sink: about two or three kilometers from the place called La Ceiba. In August 1959, a group led by Georgie White Clark, Women Rivers, penetrates a short flight and back, after finding that the journey is beyond his powers. In that year, two months before the Spanish explorer Francisco Fernández Alberdi, plunged one morning in a boat built by himself;but never knew the fate in the mighty river Grijalva. In April 1960 it was conquered Sumidero Canyon, Chiapas feat that made the group Red Scarf. The March 31, 1960; before then sink canyon was unexplored in its 25 km long.

With the construction of the Chicoasén Dam, the Grijalva was slightly tamed with a small glass of a very high regulatory curtain where Chicoasén hydroelectric plant, considered among the highest capacity in the country. The easiest and common way to get there is by car, bus or paying for a guided tour that can include a boat trip and ecotourism resort that faces the Chicoasen. The road from Tuxtla Gutierrez to take the viewpoints of the Canyon. Alternatively, the most spectacular for its sense of adventure, is by boat, you can sail from the docks of the banks of Cahuaré or city of Chiapa de Corzo. The gradients of light and heat on the walls and projections, and led to several microclimates abundant runoff observed in the flora and fauna at different heights, while deep limestone walls dotted with whimsical shapes highlighted green and red bromeliads 1 000 meters above there are pines and oaks. On the slopes with less enlightened gentle slopes, there ceibas, ocotes Ramones and where the spider monkey and curassow refuge, safe from the crocodiles that lurk. Jaguars and other cats that inhabited these places have been displaced by human presence. So many varieties of birds that still plenty room to keep them at a distance as hawks, ducks, herons, pelicans and on a lucky day, a harpy eagle. His jungle is medium, low, no oak and grassland habitat here are the spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi), the anteater (Tamandua mexicana), great curassow (Crax rubra), crocodiles and other species such as alligators and some catfish. As well as jaguars, hawks, ducks, herons, pelicans and others.

The scenery of the canyon has become a major tourist attraction for the state, with developments for eco tourism and extreme sports. The navigable part of the Grijalva River is mostly used to ferry visitors into the canyon area. The park has six lookout points accessible by land called La Ceiba, La Coyota, El Roblar, Tepehuaje, Los Chiapas and Manos. In the rainy season, tourism is enhanced by the activity of waterfalls such as the Árbol de Navidad, Cueva del Hombre, Cueva del Silencio, Cueva de Colón, Cueva de Colores and Cueva del Suspiro. A lesser known attraction is the archeological site called the Ruins of Berlin. The most important economic activity in the canyon is ecotourism. Weekends are busiest with local and regional visitors to bike, swim, hike, camp and picnic. The canyon is the second most visited site in Chiapas, after Palenque .The park is visited annually by 300,000 people from Mexico and from abroad. During vacation times, the park may be visited by anywhere from 1,000 to 7,000 people per day, who either enter by car to go to the lookout points or enter by water by boat from Chiapa de Corzo. Entrance and boating fees can generate about 70,000 pesos per day for cleanup efforts. The number of visitors to the park hit a peak in 2003 with about 196,500. Commercial activity in the park is limited to those which serve tourists, sales of food and Mexican handcrafts and folk art. Tour operators are organized into cooperatives, with food and craft vendors working independently. These merchants must receive an annual permit in order to operate within the park’s borders. The most important of these businesses are the boats which ferry people through the canyon along the Grijalva River. Most of these boat tours operate out of Chiapa de Corzo and run along the river to the Chicoasén Dam for a distance of about thirty km. Chiapa de Corzo has two main docks for this activity. The largest and oldest is called Cahuare, with paved areas and a restaurant. The second smaller one also has restaurants but it also has a swimming area as well. These two docks host six tour cooperatives, with about 120 boats that can hold between ten and forty passengers each. As they take visitors from Chiapa de Corzo or Tuxtla Gutierrez through the canyon and to the dam, providing environmental, historical and cultural information. These are the most organized tourist activity in the park.

For those who choose to see the canyon from the lookout points above, there are restaurants and other food service places as well as camping and picnicking facilities. The other two attractions of the park are general ecotourism and extreme sports. The park has hiking paths and sports fishing is allowed sporadically by permit. There are some locations that rent kayaks and other boats. The Amikúu Ecological Park is located within the canyon area, which is accessible by boat from Chiapa de Corzo. The park is divided into three parts; Discover the Canyon, Colors of Chiapas, and Area of Adventure. The first is located in the dock area, with a demonstration of the history of the canyon and a video of its geological formation. There is also a souvenir shop here. The interior of the park contains a 300 meter long zip line. Colors of Chiapas is a small museum which exhibits the traditional dress and native musical instruments of the state’s indigenous peoples. The Area of Adventure takes visitors on a tour of the rainforest area, which include a suspension bridge. It also has a herpetarium, an aviary and enclosure for jaguars and one for crocodiles. The park was opened in 2009. Extreme sports include mountain biking, rappelling, spelunking and more. Rappelling allows for access to many of the canyon’s small caves which are not accessible any other way. The dam area has recreational fishing with an annual tournament. One major annual event is the Copa Mundo Fino swimming marathon.