Bathed in the cooling breezes of the Chiapas highlands, between canyons dressed in green forests and carved by babbling rivers, little Chiapa de Corzo is everything you might want from your age-old Mexican pueblo. Escaping Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the state capital to this town means trading concrete boulevards for slow-moving plazas, tooting traffic for the mellifluous sounds of mariachi and Mexican guitar.

But it's not all about chilling out. Chiapa de Corzo tour guides can reveal how their small town is a steppingstone to some of the most stunning vistas in the state – nay, in the whole of Mexico. You can climb through steep-sided gorges or drift on kayaks in the Parque Nacional Cañón del Sumidero that's to the north, a place where dashes of misty rainforest creep over bluffs, crocs snap in the water and banded geckos hide in the trees. You can trek the escarpments that line the Grijalva River, unraveling tales of pre-Columbian warring tribes as you go.

Back in the town center, relaxation comes courtesy of cantinas and wide squares spotted with tropical trees. At night, head down to the central plaza to see the flying buttresses of the unique La Pila fountain, and to haggle your way through clothes hawkers and stands flaunting elaborate sombreros.