5 Tourist Spots in Tenosique, Tabasco

The municipality of Tenosique, Tabasco, is famous for its carnival celebrations. But it’s also where you can have amazing experiences not to be missed.

If you like learning the history of explorers or discovering your own, off-the-beaten-path places, then you have to go to Tenosique, Tabasco. It’s located in the south of the state, just 37 miles from the Guatemala border. With its bountiful nature you can’t help but notice from the first instant, it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the state of Tabasco.

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1. Take a Boat Ride Through the Usumacinta Canyon

One thing that everybody notices upon arriving in Tenosique is that for its residents, the Usumacinta River is everything. The river has brought sustenance to communities living near it since time immemorial. You can’t help but imagine the ancient Mayans navigating this river with their cayucos—dugouts made from a single tree trunk in which they transported their wares.

Like them, but with modern boats, you can ride down the river and learn its secrets. Trips start at Boca del Cerro with its view of a Tenosique icon: the yellow bridge.

As you ride down the river, ask the guide to point out the archeological sites that have yet to be explored and to take you to the Tiger’s Cave, a giant cave that’s home to a family of bats.

2.  Float in the Santa Margarita Spring

With its crystal-clear water, this spring is one of Tenosique’s secrets, where you can float downstream with the current. To get here, take a boat to the Usumacinta Canyon training center. There, you’ll learn more about the history and natural endowment of this region. When you finish, you’ll have a chance to change clothes and they’ll give you a few instructions.

Then, you walk down a trail until you have to go down to the stream via simple rappel. But don’t worry, it’s nothing too involved. Once at the stream, the adventure begins. You’ll float 330 yards until the stream lets out in the Usumacinta River. The way the water changes color at the end of the trip is impressive.

3. Dare to Bridge Jump at Tenosique

Bridge jumping has grown in popularity in recent years. For a few years now, it’s one of the activities that has gotten visitors’ attention in Tenosique, too.

The adventure takes place at the Usumacinta Bridge at Boca de Cerro. With bungee cords wrapped to your ankles, you jump from a height of 115 feet. It’s like swinging in a giant swing. Once you’ve finished swinging, a boat will come take you to solid ground. Bridge jumping is an experience filled with strong emotions, shouting, and a rush of adrenaline.

4. Observe the Dance of the Pochó

The Tenosique Carnival takes place in late January. They say it’s the world’s strangest due to the cultural displays such as the Dance of the Pochó. The dance’s origins go back to the period of Spanish conquest.

They say the indigenous people of that time performed it in worship of their gods and it symbolizes the purification of man through the battle between good and evil. The figures of these dances are cojóes (men), pochoveras (women), and tigers. Plan your trip during this month to take part in this colorful celebration.

5. Check Out the Pomoná Archeological Site

Only just discovered in 1959 by farmers looking for arable land, Pomoná was a city that may have controlled routes of passage between coastal populations and the Usumacinta River. Thus, it was a city that had to defend itself from several attacks. You can learn some of its history at the site museum.

The archeological site might surprise you with its similarities to some of the structures at Palenque, not to mention the extraordinary jungle vegetation that surrounds it. In spring, you can see and hear howler monkeys.

Take Note!

Specialized Tourism Agency: Wayak Xuul, Adventure Tourism

1. 934 129 0788
2. 01 (934) 129 0788

Facebook: Wayak Xuul

Where to Eat in Tenosique

Boca del Cerro Tourism Center

Km. 9.5 on the Boca del Cerro road, Ejido San Carlos

Opens at 1 p.m.

Where to Stay in Tenosique

Hotel Cortés

28th Street between 23rd and 25th streets. Downtown

T. 01 (934) 342 1523

How Do You Get to Tabasco?

Leaving from Villahermosa, take the Mexico 186 road and then the Emiliano Zapata-Tenosique road. Approximate travel time is three hours.