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Mexico - Winter 23/24 : 2024-01-23 : Sierra Gorda Day

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Tip
Type	Name	Description	Service Provider	Cost	Notes	Actions
General Info	Casa de las artesanías	Casa de las artesanías		$0.00	There is a crafts center called the Casa de las artesanías. It exhibits and sells various crafts from Jalpan and surrounding municipalities such as those made of palm fronds, ceramics, pine needles and wood. It also includes food items such as fruit preserves, guava candies, fruit liquors, honey and regionally produced coffee.
General Info	Hacienda del Rayo	Hacienda del Rayo		$0.00	Near the town are the ruins of the former Hacienda del Rayo Can't find where this is - ask when we're there.
General Info	Local food to try	cecina serrana zacahuilt acamayas Revoltillo Atole		$0.00	One dish of the area is cecina serrana, which is dried beef marinated in sour orange and salt. Another is a “zacahuilt,” which is an extremely large tamale made with corn, various chili peppers and pork or chicken. It is wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked all night in an oven. River shrimp called acamayas are another specialty and are prepared in various forms. Revoltillo are eggs cooked on a comal with a sauce made from “coyol” which is similar to tomatoes. Atole is flavored with sunflower seeds, small guavas or piloncillo.
General Info	Pinal de Amoles	Pinal de Amoles Rome2Rio says it's a one-hour bus ride from Jalpan to the town, but most of the stuff listed here is "out in the wilds".		$0.00	19km from Jalpan, Pinal de Amoles is a town located in Pinal de Amoles Municipality in the state of Querétaro in central Mexico. It is part of the Sierra Gorda region which stretches over northern Querétaro into Guanajuato, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí, with 88% of the municipality's land comprising the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve. Pinal de Amoles, located in the Mexican state of Querétaro, is a hidden gem often overlooked by tourists. This charming town offers a unique blend of natural beauty, history, and culture. From hiking in the Sierra Gorda mountains to exploring ancient ruins, there is something for everyone in Pinal de Amoles. El Chuveje Waterfall: This is the ideal place to start your journey through the tourist places of Pinal de Amoles. It is a beautiful waterfall 35 meters high, surrounded by impressive vegetation that calls to fully enjoy the landscape, planning an excursion to reach the place and camp there. Cuatro Palos viewpoint: A visit to this site is truly a unique and unforgettable experience. You will be surprised to observe the magnificent Cerro de la Media Luna and the depth of the mountains, which invite you to explore and conquer them, living moments and experiences you will never forget. This magnificent place marks the end of the semi-desert of Queretaro and the beginning of the forested area of Sierra Gorda. Puente de Dios (God’s Bridge) / Angostura Canyon: To visit this unforgettable area in Pinal de Amoles, you must reserve at least half a day to enjoy the site and do the entire tour. The tour starts at the Escanela River, with transparent waters and a bucolic sound that relaxes, while going through forests full of large poplars. At the end of the route, you will find the Puente de Dios (God’s Bridge), with impressive waterfalls descending from the top of the cave, approximately 30 meters long. El Salto Waterfall in Pinal de Amoles: Located among the best tourist places in Pinal de Amoles that you cannot leave out on your trip is the El Salto waterfall. To reach El Salto waterfall, it is necessary to descend about 350 steps, which is considered a challenge and an adventure; the area is full of ferns, large poplar trees, and moss. The waterfall is approximately 35 meters, so at the end of the descent, there is a pool of crystalline and freshwater more than 15 meters in diameter, in addition to many small waterfalls. Visit Pinal de Amole’s former Convent of Bucareli: This building closely resembles a medieval castle in the middle of the mountain range, among the historical tourist sites of Pinal de Amoles. Explore the Pinal de Amoles cliff cave: It is known as Cueva del Risco (cliff cave) because, inside the cave, there are several cliffs scattered throughout the halls that make up the surroundings.
General Info	Caves	Cueva del Puente de Dios, Cueva del Agua and Cueva de la Diosa Cachum Ask about these when we get there - I can't find more specific info.		$0.00	The Cueva del Puente de Dios, located 3 km from Jalpan, is a site of outstanding beauty that can be reached by foot along the dam’s banks. The Cueva del Agua is the most interesting but difficult to access. It is located near the town of Valle Verde and has an interior with dammed water and formations of stalactites and stalagmites. To get to Cueva del Agua, walk about half an hour from Valle Verde, preferably with a mountain guide. In Cueva de la Diosa Cachum, about 11 km from Jalpan, this Pame deity was worshipped as the mother of the sun, rain, and crops.
General Info	Restaurants	Recommended on VamonosToMexico.com		$0.00	Tapanco’s Restaurant, at km 2 towards Rio Verde, is a country house that offers typical Queretaro dishes in an environment shaded by two enormous trees El Aguaje del Moro, on Vicente Guerrero st. next to the main square, is an inexpensive, simple, and good homemade cooking joint If you like seafood, you must go to Mariscos El que Hace Los Hogares Felices Las Carretas is a fresh, delicious, and comfortable country-side restaurant on the way to the dam La Malinche, Heroico Colegio Militar 674, El Puente, 15ː00 - 23ː30. Casual restaurant with burgers, tacos, hot dogs, pizza. Beer and mixed drinks available. Cheap eats. M̩$5-10. Sierra Bonita, Independencia 12, Centro, 09ː00 - 21ː00. Casual Mexican fare, specializes in huaraches. Good cafe de olla. El Aguaje de Moro, 76340, Vicente Guerrero s.n, Centro, 09ː00 - 20ː00 (closed Sunday). Great atmosphere with traditional stone walls and floors downstairs and a spacious patio on the second floor. Food is mostly botaneros (casual bar fare) late in the day, but they have a full breakfast menu in the morning. Restaurante Vicky, El Salto 1, Centro (on the plaza), 11ː00 - 22ː00. Somewhat limited menu with good selection of salads and several kinds of chilaquiles, prices are reasonable and the atmosphere pleasant with great views from 2nd floor patio. Rhinos Mojito, El Puente (corner of Gral.Rocha and Morelos). 15ː00-22ː00. Big frozen or on the rocks mojitos, lots of unusual flavors.
General Info	Sotano del Barro	At km 24 of the highway Jalpan - Green River take the detour to Santa Maria de Cocos, continue 18 km more till the site		$0.00	As if it were a natural bowl, this basement has a large variety of wildlife among which is the green macaw whose flocks out of the pit in the morning making an impressive sight. The view itself is also great because the basement has a diameter of 500 meters and a drop of 450, making you feel as if you were facing the abyss. To get dirt you will cross 26 kilometers and two hours of a dense forest.
General Info	Hike SE of town	See AllTrails for where the trails are, and Maps.Me for a pin to the "trailhead"		$0.00
Reminder	Recon bus to Tequisquiapan	When arriving at the Jalpan bus station, look for where/when to get bus to Tequisquiapan		$0.00
Reminder	Address in Tequisquiapan is incomplete	Get directions from Jorge on how to find the specific house on 5 de Febrero		$0.00
Reminder	Talk to Uriel about Transport	Can he take us to Jalpan via the "things to see" around Pinal de Amoles?		$0.00	For example: Pinal de Amoles town Mirador de Cuatro Palos Cañón de la Angostura El Chuveje Waterfall El Salto aterfall Cueva de Los Riscos
Travel Resource	Jalpan to Tequis - transport?	Figure out how we're getting to Tequisquiappan. Uriel can take us if necessary.		$0.00

Travel
Type	Name	Service Provider	Origin	Destination	Cost	Notes	Actions
Bus	Bus to Jalpan	Flecha Amarilla			$0.00	Almost four hour trip by bus. Taxi would be three hours but cost $200 (maybe more). Flecha Amarilla bus options: 11:10-15:05 11:50-15:40 12:30-16:25 13:10-17:05 Note from WikiVoyage: From Queretaro, it's a direct 4-hour bus trip to Jalpan. Flecha Amarilla buses run hourly to Jalpan and cost M$300 (January 2023).

Activity
Type	Name	Description	Service Provider	Cost	Kms	To Date	Total	Notes	Actions
Sight See	Day trip to Landa de Matamoros	About a $25CAD taxi		$0.00
Sight See	Day trip to Pinal de Amoles	1h bus from Jalpan ($4)		$0.00				This small town nestled among the hills and mountains of Sierra Gorda is your perfect base to organize all the excursions through the natural wonders of the region, so rich in culture, various different landscapes, and adventurous activities to do.
Tour	Tour and drop off in Jalpan	Drive us to Jalpan with stops at Puerta del Cielo, Pinal de Amoles lookout, Puente de Dios trail, and Chuveje fall.	Bike Tour QuerÃ©taro	$377.00				4750 pesos

Accommodation
Type	Name	Service Provider	Confirmation	Location	Cost	Notes	Actions
Bed and Breakfast	Very clean, cozy room in the center.	AirBnB		Jalpan de Serra	$263.34	Paid $131.67 2023/01/29. Balance due Jan 14. Free cancellation before Jan. 22. Host: Guadalupe Check-in: Flexible No laundry facilities Luggage drop beautiful terrace. a lot of steps. common kitchen. location is in the middle of the town: there is a chruchbell playing songs for three minutes straight, starting at 7 or 8 am.

Trip Log

Notes	Actions
We moved today from QuerÃ©taro to Jalpan de Serra in the Sierra Gorda. We didnâ€™t want to just zoom to Jalpan - we wanted some Sierra Gorda experience, so we got Uriel and Ana from Bike Tour QuerÃ©taro to take us. We drove the winding mountain highway into the Sierra Gorda. We saw the painting of the virgin on the hill at Camargo. Uriel says that the way the water dripped on the hill made a shape that looked like the virgin so the locals just went with it. Then we had a little stop at Pinal de Amoles, which is a really beautiful little Pueblo Magico. Our first significant stop was to hike CaÃ±on de la Angostura, which was spectacular. To get there we turned off the highway and drove down a very long, narrow, winding gravel road. In terms of specs - distance, elevation, stream with multiple bridge crossings and a waterfall at the end - the hike is very similar to Heart Creek. In appearance, though, in feel and appearance it reminded us a little more of Plitvice in Croatia, and Walk-Behind-Falls. Next stop was a hike to the El Chuveje waterfall, which required driving out the long narrow winding gravel road back to the highway, then exiting the highway a short distance later to drive down a shorter narrow winding gravel road. The hike is shorter than the first one and Uriel and Ana sent us off by ourselves. It is a very pretty, well-developed trail through forest with a creek and some green pools, with a very tall waterfall at the end. At last we continued on to Jalpan where we had lunch at La Casita de Alex, which is owned by a friend of Urielâ€™s and then checked in to our AirBnB. Uriel and Ana were planning on staying over someplace rather than driving all the way back to QuerÃ©taro and they ended up checking in to the same place as us. We all went for a walk and they introduced us to Mestiza, the signature bread of Sierra Gorda which is a delightful cross between bread and a giant cookie.

Notes

Actions

We moved today from QuerÃ©taro to Jalpan de Serra in the Sierra Gorda. We didnâ€™t want to just zoom to Jalpan - we wanted some Sierra Gorda experience, so we got Uriel and Ana from Bike Tour QuerÃ©taro to take us.

We drove the winding mountain highway into the Sierra Gorda. We saw the painting of the virgin on the hill at Camargo. Uriel says that the way the water dripped on the hill made a shape that looked like the virgin so the locals just went with it. Then we had a little stop at Pinal de Amoles, which is a really beautiful little Pueblo Magico.

Our first significant stop was to hike CaÃ±on de la Angostura, which was spectacular. To get there we turned off the highway and drove down a very long, narrow, winding gravel road. In terms of specs - distance, elevation, stream with multiple bridge crossings and a waterfall at the end - the hike is very similar to Heart Creek. In appearance, though, in feel and appearance it reminded us a little more of Plitvice in Croatia, and Walk-Behind-Falls.

Next stop was a hike to the El Chuveje waterfall, which required driving out the long narrow winding gravel road back to the highway, then exiting the highway a short distance later to drive down a shorter narrow winding gravel road. The hike is shorter than the first one and Uriel and Ana sent us off by ourselves. It is a very pretty, well-developed trail through forest with a creek and some green pools, with a very tall waterfall at the end.

At last we continued on to Jalpan where we had lunch at La Casita de Alex, which is owned by a friend of Urielâ€™s and then checked in to our AirBnB. Uriel and Ana were planning on staying over someplace rather than driving all the way back to QuerÃ©taro and they ended up checking in to the same place as us. We all went for a walk and they introduced us to Mestiza, the signature bread of Sierra Gorda which is a delightful cross between bread and a giant cookie.