Travel to Mexico!

Barrancas del Cobre (Chihuahua)

El NYT publica la guía de viajes de aventura a México, no sólo para extranjeros. Quizá muchos de nosotros podamos tomar alguna idea para comenzar a pensar en las vacaciones de Semana Santa o de Verano. Las opciones son muchas, aquí algunas...

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January 20, 2008
Adventure Guide to Mexico
By BONNIE TSUI
BEYOND the sunbathers, cervezas and spring break debauchery so conspicuously on display in Cancún and Cozumel, Mexico offers a lesser-known adventure experience — the kind that is found deep in the jungle or near small fishing villages and offshore reefs.
The same country that possesses one of the world’s most polluted capital cities also ranks as one of the richest in species diversity. Twenty-two biosphere reserves and nearly 50 national parks offer hiking and wildlife-watching opportunities; mountain chains and interior canyons are chockfull of biking trails; fertile warm-water upwellings attract pods of whales and glittering fish.
Adventurous tourists — particularly those focused on a specific outdoor sport or activity — have much to discover along the coast and on the country’s ruggedly varied interior terrain.
Almost by definition, some of these unexplored gems are in remote areas, so travelers will need to be vigilant about safety. That’s where knowledgeable outfitters are key — they can take you to little-touristed places where you’ll feel comfortable exploring the backcountry forests and secluded beaches that you might not visit alone. Regions like Chiapas and Oaxaca, while still extricating their reputations from recent political unrest, have become more stable. Before you book, consult the United States State Department (http://www.travel.state.gov/) for travel advisories.

SURFING: SAYULITA
Small coastal fishing village 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta.

ROCK CLIMBING: EL POTRERO CHICO
About an hour northwest of Monterrey, a craggy limestone outcrop named El Potrero Chico has been quietly attracting rock climbers from around the world.

DEEP-SEA FISHING: CABO SAN LUCAS
Though the town of Cabo San Lucas is now known as a luxury golf destination, it first earned its reputation through its prized access to waters teeming with fish. With the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Sea of Cortez on the other, Cabo offers exceptional sport fishing at the confluence of both in the harbor’s deep-water canyons.

MOUNTAIN BIKING: COPPER CANYON
Almost all visitors to the Barranca del Cobre, or Copper Canyon — one of the deepest and largest canyon systems in the world — show up via train or tour bus, stopping only to take a snapshot or two of the gloriously bizarre rock formations and caves. Actually composed of a series of huge canyons, Copper is traditionally home to the native Tarahumara Indians, a reclusive people who still live in remote canyon villages much as they have for centuries.
An eight-hour drive from El Paso, Tex., the town of Creel in the state of Chihuahua is the gateway to Mexico’s thriving mountain and road biking scene.

SNORKELING WITH WHALE SHARKS: ISLA HOLBOX
Forty miles northwest of the party port of Cancún is little-known Isla Holbox (pronounced OLE-bosh), a narrow spit of white sand some 25 miles long and no more than two miles wide at its widest point, situated in the Gulf of Mexico.

BIRD WATCHING: CHIAPAS
Chiapas was best known for its incredible biodiversity. In the Lacandón rain forest, the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve — designated in 1979 as the first biosphere reserve in Mexico — protects more than 1,200 square miles, home to a whopping number of bird species (close to 350, which comprises nearly a third of the country’s total), at least 3,400 plant species and more than 100 species of mammals.
The reserve is probably the only place where you’ll encounter so many rare birds in the wild, including the quetzal — whose feathers were prized by ancient civilizations — and the scarlet macaw, harpy eagle, king vulture and Muscovy duck, all of which are threatened with extinction.
HIKING: THE SIERRA NORTE
The Sierra Norte is one of the most biologically diverse mountain systems in Mexico, blanketing an area of about 6,500 square miles in the northern part of Oaxaca state. Its diverse topography includes steep mountain slopes covered in pine and oak, cactus-clad 5,000-foot valleys and lush tropical coastline, with an elevation range from sea level to 10,000 feet. Much of the biological richness of the Sierra Norte is found in its mountainous cloud forests, long isolated because of their steep slopes and high altitudes.


BONNIE TSUI is editor of “A Leaky Tent Is a Piece of Paradise” (Sierra Club), a collection of essays on the outdoors.

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