Chiapas Rappel Adventure at Sima de las Cotorras

After hotel pickup by air-conditioned minivan in Tuxtla Gutiérrez or San Cristóbal de las Casas, head out on a Mexican nature and adventure tour. Your professional guide will drive you to the famous La Sima de las Cotorras (Sinkhole of Parrots), roughly 2 hours away. The sinkhole earned its name from a natural spectacle that occurs every morning at dawn when flocks of parrots embark on a mass exodus.

The area surrounding the sinkhole is Selva El Ocote, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, known for its lush, expansive forests and dramatic karst cliffs. It’s one of the most important tropical forests in Mexico, due to its large size and biological and ecological diversity.

The sinkhole itself is a large pit, surrounded by trees and shrubs, in limestone terrain. It plummets 459 feet (140 meters) and is the deepest sinkhole in the region. But there’s much more to this scene than just a giant hole in the ground, which you’ll experience as you follow your guide down a safe rappel line.

Once you’re immersed in the darkness beneath the earth’s surface, see 46 ancient paintings scrawled on the walls, vestiges of the Zoque culture. The paintings, located 230 feet (70 meters) down, are estimated to be 5,000 to 10,000 years old. It remains a mystery how the paintings came to be made in such a difficult place, which just makes them all the more beautiful to admire. Make your way back to the surface and enjoy lunch, and then settle back in your minivan for the trip back to your hotel.