Pine Trees and Islands, Los Lagos Montebello

Lakes at the Border

Los Lagos Montebello are a collection of turquoise colored lakes edging the border between Mexico and Guatemala. They are managed by indigenous community and open to responsible tourism. When the local government in Chiapas decided to join the newly founded Mexican state, many people living in this area involuntarily became citizens although maintain a Guatemalan identity. We hired a friend of a friend to drive us by taxi from Tzimol where we were staying.

A Marshy Lakeshore

The first of the lakes we stopped to explore, Laguna de Montebello, was flanked by a wide grassy marshland. After the time in the car it was so refreshing to step out into the breeze coming off the lake. We bought some dark chocolate from an abuelita in the parking lot and munched on it walking out towards to shore. Mattias encountered a beetle cruising around in the nearby rocks and began an ambitious, albeit slightly wet, shoreside home as a gift.

Exploring by Raft

We stopped at an overlook and climbed the vendor lined steps up to a break in the trees for a full view of the Cinco Lagos, a set of interconnected lakes lined by steep forested hillside. On the way back to the car we stopped and bought some community grown coffee and cardamom (!) Learning that it was a popular crop for cultivation in the area.

Next we arrived to Laguna Pujoj, right on the Guatemalan border and walked down to the shore where the rafts were tied up. Guides from the community took turns ferrying tourists out onto the water to explore a number of little islands.

Aldo’s Super Ability

After strapping on life vests we wobbled out onto the raft and pushed off. As we took off Aldo (*for the first time) picked up a paddle and naturally started rowing in time with our guide. He was really excellent!

Our guide explained the indigenous way of life; daily rowing on the lakes, growing food, caring for animals and spending time in nature, has kept them extraordinarily healthy - A beloved member of the community had recently passed on at the age 106!

New Environments

It was the first time that Mattias had been on a raft and he was a little unsure at first. After we approached the deeper, and darker, waters he asked our guide to explain about the animals that lived in the water. Listening carefully to the answer, a variety of types of endemic fish, he used his serious voice to verify that none of them liked to eat humans. And was quickly relieved to hear that not a single species had the habit of eating humans.

Color and Depth

The lake was pristine and the sun shimmered through patches of clouds reflecting the glorious tones of turquoise water. Because of the success the indigenous community has had with managing tourists, the water was free of human garbage or contaminants. This meant that the fish were healthy and the local people could continue eating them (and not the other way around, ha!) as they had been for generations.

Pujoj Orchid Island

We arrived on the shore of a small island and jumped off the raft and into the sand. The community had developed an orchid nursery on the island and used it to educated tourists about the illegal trade in local plants. It is against Mexican law to remove wild orchids or bromeliads from the forests of Chiapas. Indigenous growers issue special certificates of legality for ownership of any orchids sold on their land ensuring responsible private cultivation.

Snoozing Home

It was about a 90 minute drive back to Tzimol. Mattias slept the whole way home very comfortably stretched out in the backseat.

Traveling as a family, we sometimes choose the easy way as we did for this trip. A private taxi is not always affordable and we balance the occasional costs by taking public transportation most of the time. Not only does it save money but you can learn a lot about where you are when sharing the road. For this adventure we appreciated the efficiency of a private car to enjoy so much of the park in one day.