A wonderful trip to cities and places, called UNESCO World Heritage Sites, through an excellent protected natural area and ending up in a surrealistic garden by artist Sir Edward James. Just keep reading ...
The trip begins in the city of Queretaro at an altitude of 5970 feet above sea level.
Queretaro is a colonial city founded more than 500 years ago and named the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It is located in the center of the country two hours north of Mexico City. It has now become one of the most dynamic cities in Mexico due to the surrounding industrial parks, where many international companies are located.
The first stop is just 45 minutes from the hotel: “La Peña de Bernal” (“Bernal's Rock”). We are talking about the third largest rock in the world and the highest in Mexico. At his feet, a quaint town, you could stop for a soda, have lunch or spend the night. You can also find beautiful souvenirs. No matter what you decide to do, this place is a must.
If you like climbing, you're in the right place too!
The road to Bernal is not a serious problem, most of the road is straight with several extended curves ... but immediately after the passage of Bernal begins to have fun!
Surrounded by a dry landscape due to the high lime content in the soil, you start from a very interesting winding section, one after another, up and down, of a technical road between the mountains for about 30 miles. The landscape changes a little as you move, and after a few miles you are in the middle of a semi-desert.
After this winding stretch, you continue on a straight road. A few more miles along the route, and you will find a military checkpoint ... Don't worry about it, they are usually polite people, just looking for smugglers with guns and drugs.
After the checkpoint, curves and fun begin again. When you get to the “Peña Blanca” (“White Rock” in English) - by the way, if you need gas, this is the place where you can stop and fill it - you start climbing the slopes of the mountains after the twist.
I like this part: most of the ride you can clearly see three or four turns in front of you, and since this is a low road route, you can enjoy taking the best lines (always keep it in a safe place if you know what I have mind!).
After climbing for a while, you notice how everything begins to change, and suddenly stone stones, sand and cactus are now pines. It's beautiful .. You feel the temperature change, and then you reach “La Puerta del Cielo” (“Door of Heaven”) at its highest point on this trip.
We are now at an altitude of about 9,200 feet above sea level ... The turn continues, but now you are going down. Do not forget to customize your trip to this fact. Unfortunately, I have seen more than someone forgetting about it and paying the consequences.
As you begin to descend, you drive through a small town called Pinal the Amoles ... get down, turn around, turn around, turn around, turn around ... I like this! About 10 miles from Pinal de Amoles, the weather starts to change again and it gets warmer. Vegetation is also quite a sudden transformation.
You continue to devour the road, and you can not help but admire the scenery around you ... Do not forget to keep your eyes on the road! Turn around, turn around ... You are in the center of the Sierra Gorda protected area and home to several plants and animals.
You continue to descend until you reach Jalpan de Serra, the most important city in Sierra Gorda, and the place where Father Junipero Serra built one of his most important missions in the area, before heading north to build a Mission in California. These missions were also named UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
In Jalpān you can find a few simple but pleasant hotels and restaurants. Another way to spend the night is to drive a few more miles to the west to a place called Konka, where you will find a hotel with Spa to relax from the day and get ready for the rest of the trip.
After Jalpan, our next stop and final destination is Xilitla,
so you're heading northeast until you reach the state of San Luis Potosi.
A few miles after crossing state borders in the middle of the mountains, at an altitude of about 3,300 feet, in a tropical forest of incredible vegetation you find yourself in Xilitla.
This city was chosen by Sir Edward James, a surrealistic British artist, also noble and rich, to spend the rest of his life. It was in this place that he built a huge garden, a private zoo and a place of meditation in the middle of the jungle. It is very difficult to describe in words ...
At Xilitla you can stay at Castillo's “Castle” at the home of the former Sir Edward James; right hand and friend: Plutarco Gastel. This exclusive bed and breakfast is unique in its kind, and you can see, feel and breathe the influence of an artist all over the world.
Another opportunity to spend the night is to travel a little north and stay in Ciudad Valles in the important city of San Luis Potosi, where you will find all kinds of hotels and restaurants, nightlife, etc.
My recommendation ... stay in Castillo, forget about your trip and enjoy the whole day this Mexican Shangri La.
After spending the whole day at Xilitla, prepare for the long drive back to Queretaro. For this, I like to leave early in the morning and keep, if possible, a fast pace. Turn, turn ...
We talk about many miles and literally hundreds of twisted ... As soon as my wife counted them ...
It's so fun that time flies, and suddenly you realize it, and you would like to turn around and do it again ...
Do you know this feeling well?
Another possibility from Xilitla is to go to the famous Huastek Potosina in the zone of lush rivers, waterfalls and springs ... But this area describes the whole article by itself. I will write this in the future.
If you liked the trip I described and want to get more information about the excellent rides in Mexico and / or contact me for any other problem, please visit my website at http://www.japanese-motorcycles-only.com
Enjoy the ride!
Daniel Levy
PS Below you will find a few facts about this trip.
Trip facts:
Difficulty: Intermediate
Recommended time to enjoy the trip: 3-4 days
Total distance: about 600 miles
Checkpoints:
Queretaro-bernal
Bernal military benchmark
Military checkpoint-Pinal de Amoles
Pinal de Amoles-Jalpan de Serra
Jalpan de Serra-Xilitla
Weather: usually clear and dry, with the exception of the rainy season from July to September, where you can find heavy rain.
Recommended map: Guia Roji You can find it on Amazon.
