La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve

La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve is a protected natural area in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico. It covers an area of forested mountain slopes in the Sierra Madre del Sur mountain range known locally as the Sierra Madre de Chiapas. It is an area of rugged mountain landscapes that provides habitat to numerous plant and animal species including hundreds of birds and more than 50 types of mammals, from ferocious big cats to small forest creatures.

It is a large park, covering an area of about 167,000 hectares.

The Mexican government began setting aside conservation zones in the area in 1995. The reserve was formally adopted by the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2006. It is managed under a cooperative agreement between local communities and the federal government. It is administered by CONANP (Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas), the federal agency that manages most federal parks and natural areas.

The reserve consists of steep mountain slopes covered in varying types of forest depending on the elevation and other factors. At lower elevations are deciduous forests and tropical dry forests. At mid elevations, the forests become more tropical and remain green year-round. Mid-level forests include areas of cloud forest.

Trees include pines and oaks with native cedars and other trees.

Six of the seven feline species native to Mexico live in La Sepultura. These include the jaguar, the puma, and the ocelot as well as smaller cats like jaguarundi, margay, and ocilla. Quite a few large to mid-size mammals constitute prey for these predators. Tapir, red brocket deer, white tailed deer, and peccary are all hunted by predators, as are smaller mammals like the cacomistle, kinkajou, river otter, tamandua, anteater, and tayra. Several kinds of monkeys can be found swinging from the canopy branches including spider monkeys and howler monkeys.

An estimated 300 kinds of birds can be spotted, some of which are year-round residents, while others are migratory and only spotted during a few months of the year. Resident birds include colorful tropical species like parrots, toucans, trogons, and quetzals. Some are carnivorous predatory birds like vultures, hawks, owls, and raptors. Many of the estimated 90 species of migratory birds are northern woodland songbirds.

The area has a constant warm, temperate climate year round but conditions vary considerably by elevation with low valleys being hotter and more humid while mountain tops remain cool and often breezy. There is a clear dry and a wet season. The months of November to April are generally dry with pleasant temperatures. The months of May to October are more likely to see heavy rainfalls and hot, humid conditions.

The nearest airport with scheduled commercial flights is in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. From Tuxtla Gutierrez, you can rent a car (4WD truck is highly recommended), or you can take a combi or bus to a nearby town and hire a guide to take you into the reserve.

Pick up a 4WD vehicle directly from the international airport in Tuxtla Gutierrez. Take a highway south (either Chiapas state route 133 or state route 133) through Suchiapa to the town of Villaflores. From Villaflores, the route is on a remote, unpaved dirt mountain track called Camino a Francisco Villa. It will take at least an hour to drive from Villaflores to any of the ecotourist lodges. Arrange lodging ahead of time or hire local guides to take you into the reserve and show you where the hiking trails are.

Shared vans (called combis or ecolectivos) go to Villaflores from the bus station or the ercado de los Ancianos in Tuxtla Gutierrez. This option is only good for travelers with very good Spanish skills as you will need to interact with locals to find the right van and connections or transfers along the way are likely.

CONANP charges a daily admission fee of M$125.

• Hiking
• Mountain biking
• Birdwatching

• Centro Ecoturistico Sierra Morena, ☏ +52 555 150 1455. Sierra Morena is the best-known and largest of the ecotourism centers in the reserve. (updated Aug 2026)

There are other tour guides from local indigenous communities (ejidos) and there are two other Centros Ecoturisticos that offer a full range of accommodations, backcountry guides, and other traveler services. They are in other parts of the reserve and offer a different natural experience:

• Centro Turístico El Chinchorro (Rosendo Salazar, Cintalapa), accessible vis federal highway MEX-190. Offers lakeside activities as well as trail access and guides into the surrounding pine-oak forests.
• Ejido Tierra y Libertad (Jiquipilas), specializes in extreme biodiversity exploration with specialized guides for birders and biologists looking for rare lizards and orchids.

Camping is permitted only at the designated ecotourism sites. No backcountry camping is allowed within the reserve.

• La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve
• Lagunas de Montebello National Park
• Naha-Metzabok Biosphere Reserve
• Tuxtla Gutiérrez