Mexico
Lagunas de Montebello
Fifty-nine lakes — cobalt, emerald, violet — scattered through pine forest on the Guatemalan border.
Each lake is a different colour. Not subtly — violently. One is cobalt, the next emerald, the one after that a deep violet that shouldn't exist in nature. Pine trees crowd the shorelines, the Guatemalan border runs through the forest, and the silence between the lakes is broken only by birdsong and the occasional crack of a falling branch.
The Lagunas de Montebello National Park protects over 59 lakes scattered through pine and cloud forest at 1,500 metres on the Chiapas-Guatemala border. Each lake displays a different colour — cobalt, emerald, turquoise, violet — caused by variations in mineral content, depth, and the limestone substrate beneath. The lakes are cenote-like sinkholes in the limestone karst, some connected by underwater cave systems. The park spans 6,022 hectares of montane forest, supporting quetzals, toucans, and howler monkeys. Swimming is permitted in several lakes, and traditional wooden rafts offer crossings at Laguna Tziscao, the largest. The area was heavily affected by deforestation in the 1990s but has since stabilised through community conservation efforts. Access is from the town of La Trinitaria in Chiapas, and the park can be combined with visits to the Maya ruins of Chinkultic, which overlook one of the lakes from a clifftop temple.
Couple
A different coloured lake at every turn, wooden raft crossings, and pine-forest solitude on the Guatemalan border — Montebello is romance found in geological improbability.
Family
Children collect lake colours like they collect seashells — each one different, each one demanding a swim. The wooden rafts, the forest trails, and the sheer variety hold every age's interest.
Friends
Lake-hopping through pine forest, swimming in violet and cobalt water, and the Maya ruins of Chinkultic perched above — Montebello rewards a group willing to explore on foot.
- Each lake is a different colour due to variations in mineral content and depth — violet, cobalt, emerald, turquoise.
- Over 59 lakes are scattered through pine and cloud forest at 1,500 metres on the Guatemalan border.
- The lakes are cenote-like sinkholes in limestone — some have underwater cave connections.
Comida casera — home-cooked meals of black beans, fresh tortillas, and scrambled eggs with epazote — at lakeside cabañas.
Tamales de bola — round Chiapan tamales stuffed with pork and mole — from the town of La Trinitaria.
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