Health

Is some especial vaccine required?
It is recommendable to get a shot to prevent yellow fever and hepatitis A and B; the ideal thing is to do it 4 or 6 weeks prior to your arrival. It is advisable to ask your doctor about other precautionary measures that may be useful too, in order to avert health inconveniences in the forest zones of Chiapas.

What sorts of risks do I take going on excursions across the forest?
Although nature is beautiful, it also poses some risks to man; for this reason avoid walking through zones with leafy vegetation while touring the forest, for it usually houses serpents and venomous insects. Neither stick your hands in cracks in the rocks and restrain from touching the insects, tree trunks and branches, without the authorisation of the guide or a knowing person.
If you were to be bitten by an insect, try to remain calm and remember its size and colour, and then go as quickly as possible to see a doctor (there are health centres in Chiapas with antidotes for almost all the poisonous species). If you are in the company of a guide, they will know how to handle the situation; follow their recommendations.

Is potable water reliable?
No, it does not offer the necessary guarantee for its direct consumption. It is advisable to drink bottled, purified or boiled water. Avoid soft drinks and ice creams whose origins are not reliable as well.

What precautions should I take regarding food?
As is the case in the rest of the country, food in Chiapas is pretty spicy, seasoned and greasy; but this is not all, it is also characteristic for using ingredients proper of the zone (click on gastronomy), unknown to cosmopolitan palates.
Due to these characteristics it is rather common to see these delicious dishes causing health problems in foreigners; therefore, it is recommendable to walk carefully along the "streets" of flavour; meaning be frugal until your organism gets used to Aztec seasoning. Likewise, avoid eating at places that do not show adequate hygienic conditions. Regarding fruits, chose those that can be peeled, and in the case of salads, ask for them only at clean and neat restaurants.
If in spite of all these precaution you were to suffer a stomach problem, do not get too scared because it is a rather common malady during trips; they usually do not have serious consequences.