What to wear in San Cristóbal de las Casas in December

In December, San Cristóbal de las Casas runs from 6 to 21 °C (43 to 69 °F) and is almost dry; the Sumidero Canyon reaches 34 °C, and Palenque’s jungle stays at 19 to 28 °C, with some showers. Pack warm layers and a hat for highland nights, light clothes and sunscreen for the lowlands, a rain jacket, and repellent.

The story

You land in Tuxtla Gutiérrez in the early afternoon, and the air is hot and dry. It’s December, the dry season, and the hills around the airport are brown. Your bag holds two trips: one for the jungle and the canyon, and one for a mountain town where the nights get cold.

The first stop is Chiapa de Corzo, on the river, where the boats leave for the Sumidero Canyon. You sit in an open launch for two hours, with the cliffs rising straight out of the water, crocodiles on the banks and spray coming over the bow. It’s well over 30 °C in the sun. The hat, the sunscreen and a light long-sleeved shirt do most of the work; a light jacket in your bag keeps off the wind and the spray when the boat picks up speed.

By evening you’re up the toll highway in San Cristóbal de las Casas, more than 2,000 metres above the sea, and it feels like another country. The sun goes down, the cobbled streets empty, and the temperature drops fast toward 6 °C. You walk to dinner in a fleece and a warm jacket, with a wool hat in your pocket. Back at the hotel, you’re glad you asked whether the room had a heater.

The mornings are cold and bright. By noon it’s close to 20 °C, and you shed layers as you walk the pedestrian streets, the market and the steps up to the Guadalupe church on its hill. On December 12, the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, those steps are full of pilgrims and music. The sun at this altitude is strong even when the air is cool, so the sunglasses and sunscreen stay in your day bag.

Then you go north to Palenque, the long way round: back down to Tuxtla, a flight through Mexico City to Villahermosa, and highway 186 into Palenque. The mountain road between San Cristóbal and Palenque (Federal Highway 199) is the one official travel advice warns against. At the ruins, the air is warm and wet, the temples rise out of the rainforest, and the stone steps are slick with moss. A short shower passes in the afternoon. You’re in quick-dry clothes, with repellent on and a rain jacket in the bag.

Chiapas in December is two climates in one trip: cold nights and sunny days in the highlands, and heat in the canyon and the jungle, with a few showers at Palenque. Pack warm layers and a wool hat for San Cristóbal, light clothes and sun protection for the lowlands, a light rain jacket, repellent, and shoes with grip.

What to pack for Chiapas in December

Pack for a 28-degree spread between a cold night in San Cristóbal and a hot afternoon in the canyon.

Clothes

Two or three T-shirts and light tops for the canyon and Palenque, up to 34 °C in the sun.
A light long-sleeved shirt: sun on the boat, and mosquitoes at the ruins.
A fleece or warm sweater, and a warm jacket, for San Cristóbal’s nights near 6 °C.
A wool hat and light gloves for evenings out in the highlands.
Warm pajamas or a base layer for sleeping: ask whether your room has a heater.
Jeans or trousers for San Cristóbal, and light quick-dry trousers for the jungle.
A sun hat and sunglasses: the sun is strong at altitude and on the water.

Shoes

Walking shoes with good grip: San Cristóbal’s cobbles, and Palenque’s mossy stone steps.
Sandals for the hot days and the hotel.

For the day

A light rain jacket: December has about seven days with some rain at Palenque.
Insect repellent for the jungle and the riverbanks.
Sunscreen and lip balm: dry highland air, and full sun on the canyon boat.
A small daypack for the layers you take off by noon.
Cash in pesos, in small bills: markets, boat tickets, taxis and small restaurants.
A refillable bottle: drink purified or bottled water, not tap water.

Documents, money and tech

Passport.
A plug adapter if you come from outside North America: sockets are types A and B, at 127 V.
A power bank for long travel days and photos at the ruins.
An eSIM with mobile data, for maps and messages between the stops.

Good to know

Weather: by the 1991–2020 averages of Mexico’s National Weather Service (SMN), December at each stop looks like this. San Cristóbal is the La Cabaña station (2,113 m); the canyon is Puente Colgante, in Chiapa de Corzo (418 m); Palenque’s temperatures are from Salto de Agua, the nearest lowland station with temperature records, and its rain from Chacamax, in Palenque.

Stop	December	Rain	What changes in the bag
San Cristóbal de las Casas	6–21 °C (43–69 °F)	about 3 days, 9 mm (0.4 in)	A warm jacket, a wool hat, warm sleepwear
Sumidero Canyon (Chiapa de Corzo)	18–34 °C (64–93 °F)	about 1 day, 5 mm (0.2 in)	A sun hat, sunscreen, a light long-sleeved shirt
Palenque	19–28 °C (67–82 °F)	about 7 days, 126 mm (5.0 in)	A rain jacket, repellent, quick-dry clothes

Cold nights: San Cristóbal’s coldest December night on record at La Cabaña was −2.4 °C (28 °F), so frost isn’t impossible.
Altitude: San Cristóbal is more than 2,000 metres up. Take the first day slowly and drink water.
Safety: official travel advice for Chiapas is detailed and changes. Canada’s advice asks travelers to avoid non-essential travel to Chiapas, except the city and ruins of Palenque (with highway 186), Tuxtla Gutiérrez and its airport, and San Cristóbal (with the toll highway 190D from Tuxtla). The UK’s advice warns against all but essential travel on Federal Highway 199 between San Cristóbal and Palenque, and within 40 km of the Guatemalan border. Check both, and your own government’s, before you book (checked October 19, 2026).
Agua Azul and Misol-Ha: these waterfalls lie off Federal Highway 199, south of Palenque. Check the current advice for that road before planning a visit.
Plugs: types A and B, 127 V.
Money: Mexican peso (MXN). Cards work in most hotels and restaurants; markets, boats and small places want cash.
Entry: check the entry rules for your passport on Mexico’s National Migration Institute site before you fly (checked October 19, 2026).
Starting in Mexico City? What to pack for Mexico City in November, for the city at 2,240 metres.

Questions

Is it cold in San Cristóbal de las Casas in December?

At night, yes: December runs from about 6 to 21 °C (43 to 69 °F), and it has dropped below freezing. Days are sunny and mild, so pack layers, a warm jacket and a wool hat.

Does it rain in Chiapas in December?

Very little in the highlands and the canyon, more in the jungle: San Cristóbal has about three days with some rain, and Palenque about seven. A light rain jacket covers both.

What should I wear to Palenque?

Light, quick-dry clothes for 19 to 28 °C and humid air, a light long-sleeved shirt against mosquitoes, and walking shoes with grip for the stone steps. Bring a rain jacket and repellent.

How hot is the Sumidero Canyon in December?

Hot by day: Chiapa de Corzo, where the boats leave, averages 34 °C in the afternoon. Wear a sun hat, sunscreen and a light long-sleeved shirt, and keep a light jacket for the wind on the boat.

What do I need to enter Mexico?

A passport, and depending on your nationality, a visa. Check the entry rules for your passport on the site of Mexico’s National Migration Institute before you fly.