Kolem Chen: Facing Fear in Tabasco’s Epic Cave

After experiencing Chiapas, I continued to Tabasco, the Mexican state that has pretty much nothing to do with the famous American hot sauce of the same name.

What I found surprised me.

Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, may be Mexico’s reigning Capital of Adventure… but Villahermosa, Tabasco is no snooze, either!

I was psyched to learn that within an hour’s drive of Tabasco’s capital, adventure-hungry travelers could be deep in nature: hiking, rappelling, mountain biking, and so much more.

Kolem Chen, an explorable cave of epic proportions (it means “Big Cave” in the indigenous Ch’ol language), is also conveniently located within Tabasco.

So, on my visit to Villahermosa, I opted for a Day of Adventure exploring the dark (and sometimes creepy-crawly-filled) reaches of the cave with Jungla Experience: rappelling down its sheer cliffs, and crawling through its tightest spaces.

I’m scared of the dark, of weird insects, of heights, and of tight spaces…