Where to Travel in Mexico 2025 Guide: Outdoor and nature lovers

The upwind whips crossed my look arsenic the paraglider whisks maine precocious into the air. My feet, which were conscionable moving frantically disconnected the borderline of a mountain, present dangle 1,000 feet supra ground. The municipality of Valle de Bravo sprawls into the region — a patchwork of greenish fields blanketing the wooded mountains, punctuated by the deep-blue lake.

This is the Mexico I fell successful emotion with. My existent passionateness for this state wasn’t calved connected a formation successful Cancún but successful moments conscionable similar this: moments of breathless wonder, of heart-pounding thrill. It’s a feeling I’ve chased crossed the country, from the rugged slopes of Chihuahua’s Copper Canyon to the waterfall-studded portion of Huasteca Potosina to the sultry jungles of Chiapas.

One of the fewer megadiverse nations connected the globe, playing big to implicit 10% of the world’s species, Mexico is an perfect destination for outdoor escapade travelers who emotion to get extracurricular and interact with nature. (Nellie Huang)

Mexico, teeming with life, is 1 of the world’s fewer megadiverse nations. Over 90 cardinal hectares — an country larger than the United Kingdom and France combined —  are designated natural protected areas. There is truthful overmuch to research beyond the engaged coastlines and tourist-popular spots.

In this variation of the Where to Travel successful Mexico 2025 series, we task into the untamed and research six of Mexico’s champion spots for outdoor adventurers. Pack your boots, and get acceptable to caput into the wild!

Valle de Bravo: For upland bikers and paragliders

Destinations successful Mexico similar Valle de Bravo connection cleanable conditions year-round for paragliding, allowing outdoor lovers to soar precocious supra breathtaking landscapes. (Nellie Huang)

This lakeside town, snuggled successful pine-forested mountains 2 hours southbound of Mexico City, is acold much than conscionable a beauteous Pueblo Mágico. Its unsocial geography creates reliable thermals, making it a bucket-list destination for paragliders and bent gliders. As the proprietor of Flumen Paragliding School shares with me, it’s 1 of the fewer places connected Earth wherever it’s imaginable to alert each twelvemonth round, acknowledgment to the cleanable upwind conditions. 

Tandem paragliding, wherever you’re strapped to a nonrecreational pilot, requires nary acquisition oregon circumstantial fittingness level. My 10-year-old girl tried paragliding for the precise archetypal clip successful Valle de Bravo and could not get capable of it. Marko, her pilot, kept her safe, gave her wide instructions and made her consciousness assured passim the flight. Upon landing, the archetypal happening she said was, “Again! Again! I privation to bash it again!” 

But Valle’s entreaty isn’t conscionable successful the sky. The surrounding mountains are crisscrossed with world-class upland biking trails. Living for Bikes rents retired high-quality bikes and has a motorcycle parkland wherever you tin signifier method descents and jumps. Lake Avándaro itself is simply a playground for sailing, h2o skiing and stand-up paddleboarding. The calm and peaceful waters, unneurotic with the lukewarm aerial that blows successful from the seashore of Michoacán, bring successful fantabulous gusts for sailing. 

Huasteca Potosina: For waterfall chasers 

The stunning Minas Viejas waterfall successful the Huasteca Potosina country of San Luis Potosí is simply a item outdoor escapade travelers shouldn’t miss. (Nellie Huang)

The Huasteca Potosina is simply a earthy playground for those who emotion splashing astir dreamy cascades and swimming successful jade greenish earthy pools. This portion successful the authorities of San Luis Potosí is simply a crumpled scenery of limestone karsts carved by impossibly turquoise rivers. The effect is simply a wonderland of hundreds of waterfalls, caves and crystalline pools cleanable for a high-octane itinerary.

Prepare to get bedewed and your bosom pumping! A emblematic week involves white-water rafting connected the Class III rapids of the Tampaón River, rappelling down the 167-foot Minas Viejas waterfall and cliff-jumping into the cerulean pools astatine Puente de Dios. To code it down a notch, you tin hop connected a vessel to get up adjacent to Cascada Tamul — it does not travel twelvemonth round; beryllium definite to cheque earlier booking — oregon spell ziplining and skybiking implicit the Cascada Micos.

Those with kids tin besides walk a frolicking bully clip astatine the family-friendly Cascada Tamasopo, implicit with Tarzan swings and jumping boards. Just debar visiting during the Mexican holidays, and you should person the waterfalls each to yourself. 

El Potrero Chico: For stone climbers

Climbers from crossed the globe are drawn to El Potrero Chico’s dramatic, spired peaks and hundreds of bolted routes. (Government of Nuevo León)

Just a two-hour thrust from the metropolis of Monterrey, the world splits unfastened to uncover a canyon of sheer, towering limestone walls. This is El Potrero Chico, Mexico’s stone climbing paradise. The dramatic, spired peaks and seemingly endless stone faces pull climbers from crossed the globe. In fact, a climber person who travels the satellite for the champion stone calls Potrero Chico 1 of her favorites — truthful overmuch truthful that she makes a constituent to instrumentality for a climbing travel each year.

What makes El Potrero Chico peculiar is the unthinkable attraction of high-quality climbing. There are implicit 600 bolted routes, from beginner-friendly slabs to legendary, 23-pitch multi-day ascents that instrumentality you thousands of feet disconnected the canyon floor. The limestone present is known for its grippy, textured aboveground filled with earthy pockets that make an intuitive benignant of vertical look climbing, making it cleanable for beginners. 

Campsites similar La Posada connection cogwheel rentals and instruction, making a time connected these celebrated walls achievable for astir anyone. Seasoned climbers often get with conscionable a enactment and harness. Once you arrive, everything you request — food, lodging and the climbs themselves — is wrong walking distance. Spend your days connected the partition and evenings sharing stories with chap adventurers; you’ll consciousness similar a portion of the climbing assemblage wrong days.

Copper Canyon: For the backmost state hiker 

Explore the breathtaking depths of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, a web of six interconnected canyons deeper than the Grand Canyon. (Nellie Huang)

Sprawling crossed the bluish authorities of Chihuahua, the Copper Canyon is simply a web of six interconnected canyons that are deeper — and successful parts wider — than the Grand Canyon. This is the ancestral location of the Rarámuri (Tarahumara) people, champion known for their legendary long-distance moving abilities. I saw this firsthand erstwhile I met Rarámuri usher Lorenzo, 1 of the unthinkable athletes who has tackled the yearly 80-kilometer Caballo Blanco ultramarathon, a grueling contention that snakes up and down the canyon’s steep trails.

The champion mode to get astir Copper Canyon is connected committee the El Chepe train, a scenic obstruction travel that weaves done agrarian towns and the imposing mountains, adjacent teetering connected the canyon rim successful immoderate parts. The obstruction enactment itself is an engineering marvel, stretching implicit 656 km of way and 37 bridges, it took implicit 60 years to build. While the bid offers spectacular views, the existent magic happens erstwhile you get disconnected and hike into the canyon’s depths. 

Base yourself successful a municipality similar Divisadero and put guided hikes from there. Spend a time astatine the nearby Parque de Aventura Barrancas del Cobre, location to 1 of the world’s longest ziplines. You tin besides bash a multi-day hike down to the distant canyon-floor villages of Batopilas oregon Urique. The travel from the conifer forests to the subtropical riverbeds volition assistance you summation a profound appreciation for the Rarámuri’s transportation to this landscape. 

Loreto: For oversea kayakers and divers

The Gulf of California is simply a marine wonderland, making Loreto Bay National Park a premier destination for kayaking and different outdoor adventures. (All Trails)

For underwater adventurers, the Baja California Peninsula is simply a superhighway for magnificent marine animals specified arsenic the whale shark and mobula ray. Here, the heavy bluish of the Pacific meets the affluent waters of the Gulf of California, creating a theatre for immoderate profound wildlife encounters. It’s for bully crushed that world-famous oceanographer Jacques Cousteau named this “the world’s aquarium.”

The bosom of Baja’s marine adventures lies successful Loreto, a tranquil municipality and gateway to Bahía de Loreto National Park. Its calm, protected waters and concatenation of uninhabited islands marque it a top-notch oversea kayaking and scuba diving destination. If you’re looking to situation yourself, motion up for the multi-day kayaking expedition, paddling from Isla Danzante to Isla Carmen. You’ll walk your nights camping nether a star-dusted sky, miles from civilization, and your days gliding implicit crystalline waters, spotting dolphins, oversea lions and, successful winter, majestic bluish whales.

Just 2 hours southbound of Loreto lies Magdalena Bay, an fantabulous spot to spot grey whales from January to precocious March. From a tiny panga boat, my household had an unthinkable wildlife experience: a brace of funny mothers and their newborn calves approached our boat, adjacent capable to beryllium touched, lingering for astir 30 minutes. It was a transformative acquisition that genuinely connected america to these gentle giants. Note that these whale interactions are wholly whale-initiated and intimately regulated to guarantee nary harm oregon accent is caused to the animals. 

Pico de Orizaba: For hardcore mountaineers 

This dormant volcano, besides known arsenic Citlaltépetl, offers a superior mountaineering situation for experienced hikers, culminating successful unparalleled views from the “roof of Mexico.” (Nailotl/Shutterstock)

Rising imposingly betwixt the states of Veracruz and Puebla, Pico de Orizaba is Mexico’s highest highest and North America’s 3rd highest. At a breathtaking 18,491 feet (5,636 meters), this dormant volcano offers a serious, non-technical mountaineering situation that rewards climbers with unparalleled views stretching from the cardinal highlands to the Gulf of Mexico.

But this is nary casual time hike. Only experienced hikers with the close instrumentality and skills should effort to ascent this mountain, besides known arsenic Citlaltépetl. Summiting it is simply a two-day matter requiring due acclimatization successful a basal municipality similar Tlachichuca. It’s important to spell with a reputable expedition institution similar 3Summits; they cognize the routes intimately and volition negociate the logistics and show for altitude sickness.

You’ll archetypal commencement with a predawn alpine start, trekking up scree slopes earlier strapping connected crampons and wielding crystal axes to navigate the Jamapa Glacier. The last propulsion to the crater rim is simply a grueling trial of carnal endurance and intelligence fortitude, but the prize — a 360-degree sunrise from the extortion of Mexico — is simply a large accomplishment for immoderate aspiring mountaineer.

What’s close for each benignant of traveler?

We’ve enactment unneurotic a array summarizing which destination would suit travelers based connected their acquisition successful Mexico. 

Beginner travelers are those with constricted planetary experience; possibly this is their archetypal travel to Mexico. Ideal for first-timers who similar margaritas with grooming wheels. These travelers instrumentality to well-trodden paths, mastering “¿Dónde está el baño?” portion clutching a phrasebook. They thrive successful destinations wherever guacamole arrives with optional spice and the edifice unit talk Google Translate.

Intermediate travelers are those with immoderate planetary acquisition who tin grip mean connection barriers and taste differences. Ready to commercialized resorts for real-deal experiences, these travelers navigate cobblestone streets without face-planting. They’ve graduated to ordering “tres tacos al pastor” without pointing and tin haggle for a sombrero successful Oaxaca’s markets… but inactive overpay by 20%.

Advanced travelers are those with extended acquisition navigating analyzable destinations independently. These wanderers dainty Mexico similar a choose-your-own-adventure caller written successful Spanglish. They’ve adopted a thoroughfare canine named Churro, statement the merits of antithetic artisanal mezcals and cognize which mercado stall has the champion tamales oaxaqueños.