Thinking about an overland trip to Mexico, but don’t know where to go? In this article, I share with you why the town of San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico should definitely be on your destination list!

San Cristóbal truly stole our hearts – we stayed for almost a month because we couldn’t get ourselves to move on. The overlander-friendly weather, the striking indigenous dress, language, and traditions, and (always thinking with our stomachs) the dozens of cute restaurants serving quality international cuisines kept us intrigued, happy, and very well-fed during our stay.

Indeed, “San Cris” seems more famous by word-of-mouth than by advertising. We’d heard from so many travelers that they stayed way longer than they planned to because: It’s. Just. That. Great.

So, of course, we wanted to see what all the fuss is about! Let’s get to it!

(Not a vanlifer or overlander? I’ve still got you covered! Check out my article on Things to Do in San Cristóbal de las Casas.)

Why Overland in San Cristóbal de las Casas: A Summary

For those in a hurry, I’ve summarized the top reasons why you need to spend some vanlife or overlanding time in San Cristóbal de las Casas!

Good Weather: San Cristóbal is a lovely respite to the hot, humid, lowland temperatures that surround the area. Take some time here to recharge in comfortable weather. Or, get some work done, because every vanlifer I know has some sort of van maintenance they’ve been putting off!

Good Food: Have you been traveling through Mexico for a while now? Does the prospect of finding really good Hindi, Thai, Italian, Chinese, or you-name-it food make you salivate a little? Well, San Cris surprised us with its wide range of cuisines on offer. Go out; have a date night!

Good Ingredients: If you do prefer to cook, San Cristóbal’s Mercado Viejo (old market) is an excellent place to shop. The vendors carry a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, seasonings, and meats – I even found everything I needed to make Vietnamese-style lemongrass sea snails!

Good Social Prospects: Do you miss having more complex conversations in your primary language? Even as our Spanish is ever-improving, sometimes it’s nice to meet and get to know others without the language barrier. San Cris has numerous expats and travelers coming through, many with nothing to do but relax and socialize!

Ultra Relaxation: San Cris is perfectly set up for relaxing days: quiet mornings, slow wanders through narrow streets, lively people-watching, and more. There’s something for everyone.

What is San Cristóbal de las Casas?

San Cristóbal de las Casas is considered the ‘cultural center’ of Chiapas, Mexico’s southmost state. It is home to a large indigenous population of the Tzotzil and Tzeltal peoples, has a unique history of political activism, and attracts an impressive melting pot of residents, expats, and visitors.

All of these factors give “San Cris” a unique culture, color, and personality that distinguishes it from other towns and cities in Mexico.

Don’t let its size deceive you; San Cristóbal de las Casas will capture your heart if you allow yourself to slow down and enjoy this town!

Overlanding for Free in San Cristóbal de las Casas

If you’re like us, the first thing you ask yourself is: How do I overland for free?

Well, we’ve looked at the pins on iOverlander and we’ve wandered the town extensively. These are the pros and cons we came up with for overlanding free on the street:

• Pro: The weather is wonderful year-round – not too cold in the winter (if your van is insulated) and not too hot in the summer. Located in the Central Highlands of Chiapas, San Cris is an island of cool in a sea of heat and humidity. It’s purportedly the only place you’ll visit in this area that requires cold-weather clothing.
• Pro / Con: The town has very few formal parking restrictions, so you can park almost anywhere. But, depending on the size of your vehicle and the homes or businesses that may find issues with your presence, the neighbors may ask you to move.
• Con: Some of the streets are quite narrow and others are on an incline. This makes it a little more difficult to find a good parking space. We’ve done our fair share of rushed three-point turns with our extended Ford Transit van.
• Pro: Amenities like toilets, showers, and wi-fi are just around the corner at the many businesses squeezed into this small area. With a smile and some pesos, it isn’t difficult to find what you need.
• Pro: There are businesses like Walmart on the outskirts that permit parking overnight. However, for more atmosphere and to enjoy San Cris, I recommend spending your waking hours closer to town.

The takeaway? If you’re looking to park for free overnight, your experience will depend on the size of your vehicle, the length of your stay, and your neighbors. I’ve seen business owners ask regular-sized sedans how long they intend to park!

Where We Stayed in San Cristóbal de las Casas

DangGoodLife Note: If you’re unfamiliar with vanlife and our DangGoodLife story, here’s the short version: My husband, dog, and I have been driving through Mexico in our 2015 Ford Transit high-roof van. We converted this van into our casa rodante (rolling home) with our own two hands, so it has everything we need to live comfortably on the road. We share our travels through DangGoodLife to help others plan their overland journeys through Mexico.

In San Cristóbal, we stayed at an *RV park* called Rancho San Nicholas (RSN) for almost a month. We came across the RV park on iOverlander, an excellent resource for overland travelers around the world.

*RV Park* = It seems that some of our fellow campers and overlanders took offense to me calling it an RV Park! Their reason? Rancho San Nicholas doesn’t have giant RVs with long-term residents, and it has rooms and cabanas for rent. They preferred the more casual term “campground.” I can see their point, because RSN is a very cute, friendly, and atmospheric community of active overland travelers and renters. I choose to still call it an RV park because of the amenities it offers, but it is worth pointing out (for your mental image) that Rancho San Nicholas has much more character than your typical U.S.-style sterile RV park.

We rarely stay at paid RV parks. In four months in Mexico, this is only our second (the first was in San Miguel de Allende). But after five weeks of boondocking for free by the beaches, T-Mobile cutting me off from the internet, AND our compressor fridge breaking down, we decided to “splurge” on accommodations in San Cristóbal. And we just kept on paying for more nights, reluctant to leave!

What You Get

The price (in early 2020) was 300 MXN per night, with a 10% discount for periods over a week. In exchange, we got hot showers, wi-fi access, electricity, warm fireplaces at night, friendly neighbors, green grass for our dog, a kitchen (with freezer and oven!) and space to spread out for van maintenance, repairs, and cleaning (much needed after weeks on the beach!). While it is a bit expensive, in the long run, we save a lot living the vanlife in Mexico compared to owning a home in San Diego!

From Rancho San Nicholas, it is a convenient 20-minute walk to reach the Zócalo. It is only 10 minutes to reach Iglesia de Guadalupe and the surrounding restaurants and cafes.

Once considered only as an agricultural neighborhood, the community of San Nicholas now has a growing population of expats and extended visitors. As of February 2020, many new homes are being built in the outskirts of the neighborhood.

What to Do in San Cristóbal de las Casas

You’ve made it to San Cris! You’ve found safe parking for the night and you’re ready to explore the town!

San Cristóbal is the kind of place where you can spend your time doing a lot of activities and tours, or you can do nothing at all.

We recommend any of the following:

• Taking a walking tour of San Cristóbal
• Taking a cooking class with STEPS, a non-governmental organization
• Wandering the streets for plazas, churches, graffiti art, and more
• Shopping at the artisan and grocery markets
• Visiting a cultural museum (Mayan Textiles, House of the Jaguar, & Kakaw)
• Hiking at the orchid museum (especially if you’re traveling with a dog!)
• Soaking in the bohemian vibes, live music, and the melting pot of people on the streets

You can read up on all of these activities in my article, Things to Do in San Cristóbal de las Casas.

What to Eat & Drink in San Cristóbal de las Casas

Whether you want to cook “at home” or dine out, San Cristóbal has options.

Grocery Shopping in San Cristóbal

Like everywhere else in Mexico, you’re never more than a few blocks away from a neighborhood produce store, a pollo fresco (raw chicken) store, and a carnicería (meat shop).

But if you really want options, San Cristóbal’s Mercado Viejo (Old Market) is one of our favorites in Mexico. It is not too crowded or dirty or impossibly maze-like – it is the perfect tourist-friendly market without the upsurge in prices.

You can read all about the market, some of the interesting foods we tried, and our tips for shopping in my article, Things to Do in San Cristóbal de las Casas.

Dining Out in San Cristóbal

Though vanlifers cook “at home” a lot more than other travelers, it is really nice to splurge sometimes and let someone else do the cooking and cleaning!

It helps, then, to have a lot of fun dining options when you do want to go out. San Cris has more variety in terms of cuisines than we’ve seen in most of Mexico – pick a type of food you miss and you’re likely to find it here.

DangGoodLife Budget Tip: As vanlifers, we are often on a budget. Some places have very touristy prices, so look for places off the tourist track. The ‘Menu del Día’ is a fixed lunch package that runs no more than $100 MXN for a complete meal, from beverage to dessert. Filling up on a ‘menu del día’ special is the cheapest way to dine out anywhere in Mexico, but especially in San Cris.

I’ve got much more detail in my article, Things to Do in San Cristóbal de las Casas, so check it out for all our tips on eating and drinking in San Cris.

The Case for Staying a While in San Cristóbal de las Casas

It’s true: the growing number of expats and tourists coming to San Cristóbal has affected the town tremendously over the decades. English is more prevalent, prices have gone up, markets sell “artisanal” products that aren’t even Mexican in origin, and there’s growing pollution and deforestation – all common side effects of tourism.

But people know a good thing when they see it, and San Cris has a lot of good things.

Here’s just a shortlist of reasons why we love San Cristóbal de las Casas:

The Weather

Heading south towards the equator, it gets really hot and humid. But not in San Cris!

As vanlife travelers, the cool weather is the reason that San Cristóbal de las Casas showed up on my radar. We were looking for high elevation, temperate places to comfortably vanlife with a dog. And boy, did it deliver!

Accessibility to Oaxaca, the Yucatán, and Guatemala

Mexico has such diversity that there’s something for every type of traveler. For us, Oaxaca and the Yucatán are at the top of our list. Well, Chiapas is dab smack in the middle of Oaxaca and the Yucatán (and is more affordable than both), and it borders beautiful Guatemala in the south.

Needless to say, Chiapas is now officially on my radar as a potential expat home!

As a Home Base for Exploration

San Cristóbal makes an excellent home base for wildlife excursions, visits to indigenous towns, and beautiful natural sights like caves, rivers, and waterfalls. Within 2-4 hours’ drive from San Cris, there are countless possible explorations.

A Viable Social Life

With all of this, it’s understandable why this town, built in a valley within the otherwise remote mountains of southern Mexico, came to be such a lovely melting pot of indigenous peoples, Mexican nationals, and foreign expats. The people and the mix of so many cultures make it possible to have a little bit of everything in one community.

Other Planning Tips

Here are a couple of tips to help you plan your trip, whether you are boondocking or renting a place:

1. Dress in layers. The day can alternate between hot and cold very quickly. One moment you’re chilled by the wind and the next you’re sweating under the sun.
2. The mountain roads are curvy and steep. If you’re riding in the passenger seat, you may want to dose yourself up with Dramamine.
3. Do not drink the water. Word on the street is that the Coca-Cola plant polluted the town’s once-clean, once-beautiful river.
4. Sunscreen! At 2,200 meters of elevation in the south of Mexico (i.e. much closer to the equator), the sun is much stronger than many are accustomed to.
5. Bicycles are a popular form of transportation here. If you’ve packed a bike, this is the place to use it! Several businesses also rent out bikes and lead bicycling tours outside of San Cris.

I hope this helps you to prepare for VanLife in San Cristóbal de las Casas!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us at hello@DangGoodLife.com.

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With sincere gratitude,

Lien & Jon