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Hwy-200, much of it upgraded and repaired following severe flooding over recent years, provides a fast route from the Oaxaca border to Tapachula: if you plan on getting to Guatemala as quickly as possible, this is the road to take. It traverses the steamy coastal plain of the Soconusco , running about 20km inland, with the 2400-metre peaks of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas always in view. These little-visited mountains, protected by National and Biosphere Reserve status, are penetrated by roads only at their eastern and western extremities: Puerto Arista is the only place even remotely resembling a resort town on the Chiapas coast. The plain itself is a fertile agricultural area, mainly given over to coffee and bananas, though there are also many ranchos , where cattle grow fat on the lush grass; the excellent local cheese is celebrated in the Esposicion de Quesos , held in Pijijiapan the week before Christmas. Tapachula , the "capital" of the Soconusco, which is cut off from the rest of Chiapas by the mountains, has constant connections to the two southern border crossings into Guatemala, and on the way you can easily visit the ancient Olmec and Maya site of Izapa . From Tapachula you can also take a relaxing trip up to the delightful little town of Union Juarez , the base for expeditions to Volcan Tacana , the highest peak in Chiapas.
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