MEXICO – Cuatro Cienegas, Ocampo and Muzquiz

Cuatro Cienegas, Ocampo and Muzquiz:

5 days, 4 nights

Day 1:

Meet the guides at Boquillas Port of Entry, in Big Bend National Park, at 9:00am. We drive a 15-passenger van, which will comfortable haul up to 10 guests, a guide and a driver. For a group of 4, we will use a dual cab pick up. In Boquillas we take time to arrange our duffel and load drinks and a lunch to take for the road.

About half way to Muzquiz, we stop at Cuesta Malena for lunch en route. La Cuesta has amazing geology, with twisted and tortured rocks, and where Fluorite was once mined in quantity. On the south side of La Cuesta, we abruptly leave the Chihuahian Desert for Tamaulipan scrub/thorn environment, a surprising transition. Before we arrive at our overnight destination, Santa Rosa de Muzquiz, a Magic Pueblo, we cross the Rio Sabinas, a spring fed stream lined with tall cypress trees. An option kayak experience of approximately two hours is available.

Muzquiz was founded in 1735 as Santa Rosa Maria del Sacramento. Muzquiz has a lovely town square and ornate cathedral. We stay overnight at Gran Hotel de Muzquiz within easy walking distance from the central plaza, restaurants and shopping.

Day 2:

After breakfast at our hotel at 8:00am we load up and head to Cuatro Cienegas; (4C). On the way, we have the option for a quick hot spring soak at a funky but authentic local facility. Cuatro Cienegas is known worldwide for complex karst geology, extensive wetlands and ponds, and a gypsum dune field similar to White Sands National Park. 4C is a Mexican Natural Protected area and a United Nations World Heritage site. The town of Cuatro Cienegas is also a Magic Pueblo, with a traditional town square, attractive accommodations, and a variety of restaurants. Mexican revolutionary leader Venustiano Carranza was from Cuatro Cienegas; our tour includes a visit to a museum dedicated to his life. We will visit the Protected Natural Area and Pozo Azul, the Blue Hole.

We will visit a privately owned lake for swimming and kayaking, where we can see live stromatolites. We spend the night at a local hotel. Depending on the season and guest interest, we might be in a hotel with a large swimming pool, or stay in a historic property close to town center. We have time to explore all the natural and cultural attractions that Cuatro Cienegas offers.

Day 3

We continue to explore 4C . Mid afternoon, we drive an hour to Ocampo, an authentic Mexican town completely untouched by tourism. It is a literal oasis with abundant water and tall trees surrounding the town square. Hotel San Francisco is reserved just for us, which features lovely landscaping and a small swimming pool. Since there is no restaurant available to serve us dinner, our evening meal will be catered at the hotel.

Day 4:

After breakfast in a private home, we walk with the local historian and check out the local architecture which features thick adobe and stone walls with high ceilings. We will tour Parque La Mota (The Grove), where we find abundant springs that are channeled into cement pools surrounded by cypress trees planted in 1890, before continuing down hill to nourish orchards of walnut, pecan, peach and a variety of agricultural products.

Noon we return to Cuatro Cienegas, where we will have lunch and more time to explore the historic downtown. Then we return to Muzquiz, a drive of 2.5-3 hours

Day 5:

After breakfast we leave town by 10:00 am and hit the road north towards Boquillas and the US border. The drive is about 4 hours, which is paved except for the last 25 miles. We arrive in Boquillas at or before 2:00 pm, in time to have lunch before we cross the Rio Grande before 4:00pm, when the Port Of Entry closes.

Cost of the 5 day trip is $950 per person, based on double occupancy. Single supplement is an additional $125. All meals are provided; alcoholic beverages not included. A $250 per person deposit reserves your space. Upon receipt of your deposit, you will receive a confirmation via email with a check list of what to bring and a health/diet questionnaire. We can operate a trip with a minimum of 4 participants, and a maximum of 8-10. Email mike@gobigbend.com or call 432 386-5635 for information about dates and availability.