The Five Missions of Fray Junípero Serra

Lovers of the baroque style, more specifically the indigenous-baroque style can visit these five jewels of artwork. The various missions can be found in the towns of Concá, Jalpan de Serra, Landa de Matamoros, Tancoyol and Tilaco. These missions were declared UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2003.

Bucareli exconvent

Embedded in an idyllic landscape that evokes spirituality proper of a sacred place, La Purísima Concepción de Bucareli was founded in the 18th century and served as a refuge for the missionaries at the time of the Juarez reforms.

Archeological Sites at Ranas and Toluquilla

Considered important fortress-towns and ceremonial centers, these sites were built and populated in the 7th century and later abandoned in the 10th and 11th centuries. In the 16th century they were occupied by the Chichimeca tribe until the Spanish conquest. Under Spanish rule, these sites were used as centers for religious, political and economic control for the immediate and surrounding regions. Here, one can find preserved ball-courts, the bases of pyramid structures, and plazas.

Watenfall El Chuveje

Standing 35 meters tall (115 feet), the crystalline water at El Chuveje plunges into a pool and is then led away by a stream blanketed by a lush, old-growth riparian forest of cottonwood. In the rainy season, the cascade and stream grow considerably

The Confluence of the Ayutla and Santa Maria Rivers

These two rivers join together at an especially scenic site before descending into the Santa Maria Canyon. The Ayutla River is distinguished by its clear, blue waters while the Santa Maria River, due to its sandy bottom and shallow depth holds warm, earth-colored water.  The rivers are ideal for swimming and visiting the sights along their shores, including various beaches where camping is welcome and at the same time is beneficial to the local communities. The river flows into a deep canyon, a section of which can be visited on foot.

Escanela River

The fresh, crystalline water travels from the top of the Pinal de Amoles mountain range down to the base of this canyon under the branches of hundreds of aspen, oak and hickory trees. These trees provide shelter for a diverse group of birds such as  elegant trunguns, euphonías, mirlos acuaticos, and even green macaws that can occasionally be seen searching for food in the surrounding forest. Small mammals such as raccoons, coaties, armadillos, squirrels and gray foxes live here as well as a wide variety of aquatic life. From January to July, visitors can follow the river’s edge, passing by cascades and small pools to the destination of the Puente de Dios, an impressive natural limestone bridge adorned with stalagmites and stalactites.

Puente de Dios

This is a cave into which the Escanela River flows. The river then follows a subterranean passage that eventually feeds into the Jalpan Reservoir. When the water level falls during the dry season, one can enter and explore this magnificent cave and view the beautiful rock formations.

Jalpan Reservoir

Enjoy a pleasant boat ride, take a walk or ride a bicycle around the perimeter of the Jalpan Reservoir and catch a glimpse of a wide variety of birds such as flamingos, cormorants, ducks, gallaretas, cardinals, euphonias, sguirrel cuckod, elegant truguns , etc. The Jalpan Reservoir is recognized as a RAMSAR site, which is to say, a humidity zone of global importance. Visitors can enjoy sport-fishing as the reservoir holds a number of fish species including bass, tilapias, mojarras and carp. During the month of April, an annual bass-fishing tournament is held here.

Cerro de la Media Luna

From the highway, cars can easily access the town of Cuatro Palos, high in the mountains at over 2,700 meters (over 8,800 feet). Contrasting landscapes consume the view from the high forests of the mountain range to the arid semi-desert from which the majestic Cerro de Media Luna rises. From this vantage point, one can also admire the breadth of the basin that cradles the River Extoraz all the way from the tallest peaks of the Pinal de Amoles Mountains. This place is historically significant as it is the location of the defeat of the determined indigenous resistance to the Spanish conquest in the mid 18th century.

Sotano del Barro

This unique geological formation can be accessed from the ecological accomodations at Santa Maria de los Cocos. The mouth of the Sótano Del Barro is covered by an oak forest that highlights the enormous gap which measures approximately 200 by 400 meters wide and 410 meters deep, one of the longest free-falls in the world. This pristine zone (zona nucleo) serves as a refuge for the last community of green macaws, an endangered species in central Mexico. Watch the spectacle as these birds fly into and out of the Sótano in concentric circles squawking all the while.

Río Blanco

To the west, in the arid river-basin of the Extoraz River, a transition belt in vegetation appears where arid shrublands and the temperate forests from the high mountains meet, creating an intriguing atmosphere between two ecosystems. Species from the semi-desert (barrel cactus, chollas, yucas and agaves),  as well as oak juniper, enebro and pino pinonero create a unique landscape. The local fauna include  roadrunner, red tailed hawks, capulineros, matracas, coyotes, deer, montain lions, cacomistles, gray foxes, rabbits and squirrels (both ground and tree varieties). This community is an example of an initiative in sustainable management and visits are offered to view productive diversification projects, namely the trout-raising tanks.

San Juan de los Durán

At the eastern end of the reserve, one of the best preserved natural areas of the Sierra Gorda can be found. The ecolodge accommodation "Ojo de Agua de San Juan" is located here, at the base of the Cerro Grande, the principle peak of the area. This land hosts temperate forests of conifers and oak as well as the lovely cloud forests at the Cañada de las Avispas. Large guayamés and white cedar trees highlight the cloud forest, accompanied by old granadillos, pines, oak and cicadas which are true living fossils. In these forests, birds such as the bearded wood partridge, chachalacas, creted guans and truguns can be found, in addition to montain lions, deer, tigrillos, ocelotes and a variety of small mammals.

La Trinidad

This community is located within the biosphere reserve though it is part of the neighboring Xilitla municipality in the state of San Luis Potosí. Visiting La Trinidad is like stepping back in time to see the splendor of old-growth forests of the Sierra Madre Mountains of the Huasteca Potosina. The conifer and oak forest as well as the orchid and bromeliad-rich cloud forest are true biological treasures. The scenic trip here to La Trinidad takes you through the shade of beautiful forests and past peculiar rock formations. In this small, isolated town a very special and distinct atmosphere exists. Excursions to Cerro de la Luz and the Hoya de la Luz sites are recommended as well as the trail to Cerro Quebrado, a trail worthy of fairy-tales of gnomes and fairies.

contact us:

mail: ecotours@sierragorda.net

tels. (441) 296 02 42/29 ó (441) 296 07 00

Jalpan de Serra, Querétaro, Méx.