Are you familiar with Mexico’s hidden gems?
I recently flew to Mexico City to film an episode of Epic Trails. My girlfriend Kristi joined me and we met up with an old friend of hers, photographer Rob Woodcox. Rob has been living in Mexico City for more than four years, and he has become quite enamored with the country. When Kristi and I proposed that he join us on this adventure, he immediately listed off a dozen options for us to explore.
Needless to say, Mexico is a vibrant and beautiful country that is diverse and nuanced. And there is much more than deserts and Dos Equis.
Mexico City is a bustling modern city with verdant green spaces, museums, world-class restaurants, and all the things that make city living attractive. But our adventures were elsewhere.
Mexico City Road Trip
Five of us, Kristi, Rob, Max (the Director of Photography of Epic Trails), and another friend Michelle all piled into her car loaded with equipment for filming for a week. It was a bit of a clown-show in there, all of us squeezed in with gear packed to the brim. But it worked!
Within a few hours of Mexico City is a sight that I never thought I’d see in the middle of an arid landscape. Grutas Tolontango is an oasis of hot springs that pour forth from canyon walls for as far as the eye can see.
Grutas Tolongtango is an unheralded gem that is mostly filled with local vacationers enjoying their own country. But even though we were visiting on a holiday and there were many people here, the hot springs are so extensive we were able to find grottos all to ourselves.
Tamul River
After a long drive from Grutas Tolontongo, we arrived at Tamul, a wonderful river known for its green blue waters and a stunning waterfall. During the summer monsoon season, the waterfall is so thunderous that it cannot be seen without a long hike in. The flooding canyon is simply too dangerous. However, during the dry springtime, visitors can paddle long wooden boats upstream and see the waterfall firsthand.
While the waterfall is certainly the main attraction, it wasn’t, in my eyes, the most interesting thing we would find this day. That distinction lies with my dream of swimming in a cenote. Cenotes are caverns or sinkholes where water has eroded or eaten away at the limestone. They are prevalent across Mexico, but I wasn’t expecting to get to swim in one on this trip.
So when the guides stopped the boat and let us go for a wander, I was thrilled with what we found.
According to a local diver, the cenote is more than 120 feet deep. For daring scuba divers, there is a whole underground river to be explored. I think I’ll stick to the cool blue surface.
Hiking Nevado de Toluca
We had one more big objective in mind on our travels through Mexico: Nevado de Toluca.
Nevado de Toluca is the fifth highest mountain in Mexico at 15,350 feet and can be easily accessed from Mexico City. The day after our roadtrip waterfall tour, we awoke at 2:30 am to drive out to the base of Nevado de Toluca.
With the sun just breaking the horizon, Kristi, Rob and I set out for the summit. The mountain is an old volcano that springs up majestically out of the surrounding landscape. This old volcano is beautiful, and not exactly what I would’ve expected to be on the doorstep of one of the world’s most populous cities.
With the temperatures still frigid in the early morning, we began the slow, steady climb. It was quickly apparent that this was more of a climbing endeavor than a day of hiking. The steep terrain gradually became rockier as we approached the summit and we needed to use both hands to stay on the mountain.
The summit was fairly intimidating looking pile of cracking and crumbling boulders, spewn out of the earth eons ago. But the guides assured us we would be able to make it without too much risk to our lives.
At long last, and with heavy breathing, we made the summit. The view from the top had us smiling from ear to ear. The view of the two lakes within the caldera was the cherry on top.
It was a whirlwind adventure. I know a return trip to Mexico is in my future. It was simply too wonderful a place to experience in such a short time.
