A Day's Trip in El Cielo

The best hour to start the ascend to the Biosphere Reserve is early in the morning (7 AM). Exiting Gómez Farías the paved road ends and you will find an unpaved road (in good conditions) signaling 10.3 Km to Alta Cima, through which you can climb in your own vehicle (truck) or take a bus at the main square of Gómez Farías. On the road there is a detour to the same place passing through Rancho El Cielo, which is of less distance but it takes longer in time by the conditions of the road, being this a more dangerous where can only be transit by foot or in 4X4 vehicles.

Just a little bit after starting your climb you will start to see on the sides of the road big rocks with fossils that date back millions years ago, and after this you can see the big trees flanking the road amid a dense fog and the "epiphytes" plants that grow among the trees like the "helechos, musgos, bromeliads and orchids".

After an hour you will reach the Alta Cima, a small town at 900 msnm located in a green valley surrounded by mountains. Before entering the town there is a small office of the SEMARNAP (Natural Resources and Fishing Agency) where you have to register and state the reason for your visit to the Reserve. Here you will also find a small restaurant where you can have a basic breakfast, an ecological store where the inhabitants from the ejido sell their products like shirts, grape liqueur, berries, pear marmalade and Japanese oranges, all products that provide the town with means to live. On the side of this store, there is a small aviary where you can admire some of the species typical of the region like the ajol, the guacamaya ara militaris and the ocofaisan, same species that live in the foggy forest and are in danger of extinction. Alta Cima also has some rustic cabins and a small area for camping.

After having breakfast at Alta Cima, we follow our tour. Before restarting our climb there is an area of basalt rock that fell from the mountain under the hurricane Keith last year (2000), from this point to San José there is only 6 Km that have to be climb for 600 meters (that will take you about an hour). From here, you can only go by an off-road vehicle. Here, the vegetation is dense but big Canadian and Mexican maple trees can be seen as well as a wide variety of pine trees and beautiful flowers like bromeliads, the "tiger flower" and orchids.

Half way of the road from Alta Cima to San José you will find another beautiful valley called Estación Canindo, where amidst green grass fields surrounded by mountains there are wood cabins property of the ejidatarios that offer them to the tourists. These cabins have hot water and electricity obtained from solar cells and in front of them you can see the Valle del Ovni (UFO Valley).

A few minutes after reaching Estación Canindo, on the left side you can see the Cerro de la Campana, a big basaltic rock that crowns one of the mountains of Sierra de Cucharas.

Two hours away, where you can admire the beautiful surroundings by exotic vegetation and the sound of the birds, the town of San José is located. Deep in the reserve at 1400 masl. This beautiful valley is inhabited by friendly people that offer the tourist all needed help and orientation. There are no lodge facilities but it is an area that is suitable for camping with a small store where you can acquire refreshments and some basic articles.

One of the most relevant things at the town of San José, are the truck cabins left there as a reminder of the forest exploitation that took place in the region until 1970; as well as the beautiful flowers, and the red colored earth which is characteristic in almost all the reserve.

From here, you can start a walk for 20 Km until you reach the Cueva del Agua (Water Cave) where an interesting fauna troglobia is one of the inhabitants. This fauna is notable for the lack of eyes and pigmentation. On the trail to the cave you will find El Vivero, a valley situated 800 Mts. from San José where you can admire small and permanent water filtrations. No camping is allowed here.

 

The tour from Gómez Farías to San José and the Cueva del Agua can be done in only one day, but you have to descend with enough time before sundown (estimated 2 hours for the descent). If you like camping or to spend the night at one of the cabins on this tour, you can visit some other sites that are above the town of San José, it is however recommended to hire a tour guide.

· La Gloria, a small town, ideal for camping.

· El Elefante, located 6 Km from San José, accessible by offroad vehicle or walking. It is a rock formation with an elephant-like figure, measuring 4 meters tall and rises inside a valley made of pine forest at an altitude of 1680 msnm.

· Joya de Manantiales, a small town, situated within a valley, 13.5 Km from San José at an elevation of 1520 masl. where you can admire during raining season (From July to October) beautiful water falls as well as caves and underground sites. Here the locals prepare for the visitors trouts that they fish at the nearby creeks. On these later places there are no type of services for it is recommended to take everything you need to camp, as well as water and food.

 

Tips

· Visit the Information Center and register before entering the reserve.
· Ask for help and guidance from a qualified person.
· Camp only on approved sites
· Do not make fire near the trees.
· Do not pollute the water.
· Do not use recorders or radios since they affect the local fauna.