We went for the whole package thing, for obvious reasons, and got dropped off at the Embarcadero Cahuare, which is 5km north of Chiapa on the road to Tuxtla. I had brought some plastic bags in case Wiji's leg got wet, Wij had decided to bring some chocolate wafers. (Nice team prep work). At the jetty we were issued with vintage life jackets, mine being about five sizes too big, Wij's broken, and everyone else either wedged into one, or wearing it around their ears like me. No time to query this, because we were off down the gang plank and onto the Lancha. Wij pegging it down the plank was quite funny. As soon as we were all wedged on the Lancha, the motor was revved up and we were off down the canyon.
The Sumidero canyon is a fissure in the earth. At various points the canyon walls tower above at around 800m. In 1981 the Chicoasen hydro-electric dam was completed at its northern end, damming the Rio Grijalva, which flows through the canyon, creating a 25km long reservoir. You can view this from above at several vantage points, funny, but I didn't fancy that! Luckily it wasn't suitable for the Pegar either.
Being a Mexican boat trip, we proceded at full speed along the reservoir, pelting along, we were glad we had our cheapo sunglasses so that we could actually take in our surroundings. The canyon was totally breathtaking and so enormously high, it was hard to really take in the scale. It seemed slightly odd to be going so fast at first, especially as we were supposed to be spotting wildlife... even so, we did see a whole variety...
Cormorants.
Vultures, yes really!
Not the most sociable of creatures.
Oh no! My hair! Check out the monkey face rock formation above Wiji.
A much slower pace here to look at the rock formations.
Our guide pointing out something in Spanish.
Hard to comprehend the scale...
Another boat gives you some idea of the scale.
It was amazing looking up at the rock face, coming in and out of the sunshine.
Fast and a lot of fun! Our guide really put his foot down and enjoyed swinging the boat about!
Oh hi! A christmas tree formation of minerals, moss and lychen. This was enormous and very strange, it hung in big swathes from the rock face.
Under the christmas tree formation, (it was very 3D), one of many tiny white Herons, minding its own business. Luckily they seemed not to care that giant speed boats were hurtling towards them with noisy petrol motors, they carried on fishing. This one in a prime tourist spot, under the christmas tree formation.
A whole island of Vultures, just hanging about. They were surprisingly quiet, but seemed to be constantly flapping about and getting in each others way.
A massive nesting site, painted white with guana. Even the cactus trees were white. It looked like some kind of Art instulation. A massive variety of birds here including black Herons and very big grey Herons. The Vultures seemed to want to chase each other out of the trees.
One of the few moments that the boat was actually completely still.
As far as we could go in this direction. The Chicoasen hydro-electric dam, and monument to the men who built it. A gigantic monument that looked so tiny in the landscape. Some Pelicans in the foreground, making an escape.
The Lancha sped towards the bank at various times, without warning, so that we could get a glimps of some wildlife minding its own business. There were Iguana's hanging about in the tree tops, warming up in the sun. We also heard, and then saw a few small primates in silhouette.
A lot of lush vegetation on some of the banks. These trees had ripple marks from the slosh of the water engraved into them.
Our guide, stood above us. He did a good job of not running us into any floating debris, from his vantage point. I want his job! It seemed a lot of fun. He gave us the thumb up for enjoying it, and not just huddling together like some of the other passengers! LOL.
The money shots... the Aligator, one of the three that we saw... some of the better shots...
Others were sleeping in debris by the bank, or slipped of quickly from a muddy river bank. All basking in the sunshine to warm up.
Some people on the banks. They seemed miles from anywhere to us.
And it was over far too soon, sadly. We wanted to go again! Instead we went off to the mini bus and a very speedy journey on dry land back to San Cristobal de la Casas.
2 comments:
Hey Bruv and Clairy, That boat ride looks brilliant, i guess you're gonna have to do lots of activities that involve sitting down and maybe being driven really fast.Love the wheelchair shots. Keep up the marvellous work. jep. x
Not the kind of boat ride that takes you from Tate Modern to Tate Britain I see; They dont give you lifejackets on that one, nor is it ever sunny in london... Looks bloody awsome. Did Wij have to wrap his leg up in numerous layers of clingfilm on the boat trip just incade the cast got moist? Hope so.
xxx
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