PILALCHÉN
Hiking
Maya Cosmovision
Local Family Experience
A 2-day immersive journey intonature, spirituality, and indigenous community life
This experience invites you to slow down and reconnect with the living wisdom of the Tzotzil Maya people in a community nestled in the highlands of Chiapas and known as “the place of stones and caves.”
Over two days, you will walk ancestral paths, share daily life with a local family, and explore sacred landscapes where nature, spirituality, and community are deeply intertwined. This journey is about reciprocity: learning from the land, giving back to the community, and honoring traditions that are still alive today.
Your positive impact
- Supports ancestral Maya knowledge and spiritual traditions
- Strengthens the local Tzotzil community economy
- Honors and protects sacred hills, caves, and springs
- Encourages the transmission of medicinal plant wisdom
- Supports women’s weaving collectives and fair craft practices
- Promotes environmental care through trail clean-up and reciprocity
- Fosters intergenerational exchange with local children
- Respects community rhythms through slow travel
- Contributes to cultural preservation through authentic encounters
- Nurtures personal well-being through nature and ceremony
Itinerary
DAY 1 · Sacred Paths and Ancestral Knowledge
Leaving San Cristóbal de Las Casas behind, you travel to a small Tzotzil Maya community. On the way, we stop at a local market and bakery to pick up small gifts for the host family.
Upon arrival, your hosts welcome you with a traditional breakfast. The day continues with a 5 km hike through forested mountains, guided by local experts who share ancestral knowledge of medicinal plants and the spiritual meanings rooted in the land. Along the trail, you collect herbs to prepare a healing tea and to use later during the temazcal ceremony, traditional Mesoamerican steam bath used for physical, emotional, and spiritual cleansing, symbolizing rebirth and renewal through heat, herbs, and ritual.
The path leads you to sacred caves, natural springs, and ceremonial hills — places where the Maya cosmovision reveals its deep connection to Mother Earth. As an act of reciprocity and care for the territory, we also collect waste left along the trails.
The hike culminates at a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the Chiapas Highlands, offering a moment of stillness and reflection that nourishes both body and spirit.
Back in the community, your host family welcomes you with a nourishing homemade meal. As the day comes to a close, you enter the temazcal — a traditional Maya steam bath — for a ritual of spiritual cleansing and renewal.
DAY 2 · Weaving, Community, and Shared Care
In the morning, you join the women’s weaving collective to learn how sheep’s wool is prepared, naturally dyed, and woven using ancient techniques passed down through generations.
At lunchtime, you help prepare a local dish with the family, sharing stories and daily rhythms. In the afternoon, you take part in a community activity alongside local children, cleaning village streets and caring for shared spaces as a collective act of responsibility and pride.
The experience ends with a small gathering, sharing coffee and sweet bread brought from San Cristóbal as a gesture of gratitude to everyone who participated.
PRICE per person:
From 2760 MXN peso with local Spanish speaking guide only
From 3605 MXN peso with professional English speaking guide
Includes:
- Accommodation: homestay
- All activities listed in the itinerary
- Meals: 2 breakfasts- 2 lunches – 1 dinner
- Regional transportation from start to finish, departing from your hotel in San Cristóbal de Las Casas
- Community donation
- Professional local Spanish-speaking guide
Excludes:
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses such as souvenirs
- Optional activities not listed in the itinerary
- Tips for guides, hosts, and driver
Good to know:
- Best travel season: November to May, as well as July and August
- This is a community-focused, rural itinerary with simple homestay accommodation
- The hike can be adapted to your physical level
- Dietary requirements can be accommodated with advance notice
- Available only on weekends.
- With Spanish driver: only when you know Spanish! local people also do not speak English
