In the mountains where abut the state of Tabasco to Chiapas is the town of Tapijulapa. A village of white houses and red tile roofs surrounded by dense vegetation. Tapijulapa is a village in the municipality of Tacotalpa, a region characterized by hot and humid weather that has rainfall throughout the year. Near the village and cross the Oxolotlán Amatlán rivers that come together to feed the Grijalva River, whose waters irrigate the plains of the state. In Tapijulapa you can enjoy the village and its surroundings, just walk its narrow cobblestone streets is a pleasant experience, you can visit the temple dedicated to St. James which was built in the seventeenth century, walk along the river or travel by boat to the community of Villa Luz, where you can enjoy sulfurous waters or visit the local museum and former home Governor Tomas Garrido Canabal.

A Tapijulapa is known as the Emerald of the Sierra, is the center of the reserve called Sierra de Tabasco, a protected preserve the Tabasco jungle area in this region yet can observe in the wild animals such as ocelots, spider monkeys and cochimonte or wild pig. Walking the steep streets of the village is the temple of St. James, this is at the top of a hill, from this point can be seen a spectacular panorama of the town. Later, after descending stairways several workshops of artisans working wood and weave various wicker objects are. Near the town a suspension bridge crosses the Amatlán and Oxolotán rivers, you can walk along the riverbank or cross it. by boat from a pier located near the village Other attractions are the Cave of the blind sardines and ecotourism park Kolem-Jaa; it has an impressive Tyrolean, the second longest in Latin America; Also, you can practice waterfall rappelling, rafting and trekking; Among its services, has cabins, a restaurant and souvenir shop.

Relevant information about Tapijulapa: The old hacienda Villa Luz, vacation home of Governor Tomas Garrido Canabal, is now a museum that has a collection of archaeological pieces, crafts and consulting room. In some nearby towns can also visit other colonial buildings. Kolem Jaa means Chol grandeur of the water, is surely the appropriate name for this park over 20 hectares has a very wide range of activities for its visitors. A local tradition of Easter is to fish in the stream of the Cave of the blind sardines, villagers try to catch as many fish as an omen for crops. In small restaurants in the main square and along the river you can try Almandro the typical food such as tamales, cakes pejelagarto and iguana.

Activities in Tapijulapa: Walk along cobblestone streets and visit its colonial church and its shops and market. The visit to the museum and walk along the river, swimming and bathing in hot springs, hiking, camping, bird watching, photography, mountain biking, boat rides, zip line, waterfall rappelling and track command in the park.

To escape the humidity of the lowlands, head up the valley of the Río Oxolotán to the Sierra Puana, Tabasco’s “hill country”. This is an extraordinarily picturesque area, with quiet colonial towns set in beautiful wooded valleys, and a turquoise river laden with sulphur. The main destination is Tapijulapa, a beautiful whitewashed village with narrow cobbled streets that could, at first glance, be mistaken for a mountain town in Spain. It’s celebrated for its wicker craftsmen, who have workshops all over town, and as the starting point for a beautiful natural park. If you’re just going for the day, you’ll need to make a fairly early start.

Parque Natural Villa Luz (daily 8am–5pm), with its spa pools, cascades and caves. Two companies charge the same price (round trip, with two hours’ waiting time) for the short ride upstream; the better established operation is past the plaza: follow López Portillo till it dead-ends, then turn right to the river. The natural park’s outstanding feature is the stream running through it, which owes its cloudy bluewhite colour to dissolved minerals, especially sulphur. Where it meets the Río Oxolotán, it breaks into dozens of cascades and semicircular pools. Thousands of butterflies settle on the riverbanks, taking nourishment from dissolved minerals, and jungle trees and creepers grow wherever they find a foothold a truly primeval sight.

From the boat dock, well-signed trails (no need for a guide) lead 1.5km to the waterfalls, passing the Casa Museo Tomás Garrido Canabal (daily 8am–5pm), the country retreat of Canabal, the controversial former governor of Tabasco, which contains a few of his personal effects as well as Zoque artefacts and handicrafts from the area.

Another path leads to the Cuevas de las Sardinas Ciegas the caves of “blind sardines”, sightless fish with translucent scales that have adapted to the cave’s sulphur-rich waters. The gases in the cave are so powerful that it’s impossible to breath inside, but you can peer into their precipitous entrances. In Maya cosmology the openings are believed to lead to the underworld (Xibalba). During Semana Santa, the local people catch the fish and dedicate them to the rain god, Chac. Beyond the caves are a couple of albercas, stream-fed swimming pools said to have therapeutic properties.

You can also take an easy three-kilometre walk to the park: cross the tributary river on the suspension bridge (to the right before you reach the plaza), head left on the concrete path, across the football field, then follow the track over the hill, keeping close to the main river about 35 minutes in all. And for those travelling by car, the main entrance to the park is on the main highway toward Oxolotán, a few kilometres past the turn for Tapijulapa.

To get to the village from Teapa, take a bus to Tacotalpa from the OCC terminal on Méndez (every 30min; 20min), then on to Tapijulapa (hourly departures; 45min). The last bus back to Teapa (with connections to Villahermosa) leaves at 7pm, but there are also a couple of simple and relaxing places to stay.