Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism

Adventure tourism and ecotourism in Mexico are booming, and that is that as far as sites of incomparable natural beauty is concerned, this country has to give and distribute. The most generous manifestations of landscapes with sea, mountains, deserts, forests, lakes, volcanoes and a multiple variety of ecosystems that overflow with fauna and flora have presence in the extensive Mexican territory.

Without a doubt, one of the best ways to get to know this country is to let yourself be tempted by the beautiful ecological sceneries offered for tourism, as well as by those places where geography provides its best characteristics for the practice, more and more common, of adventure sports and tourism.

For those who like to admire nature in a calm and peaceful way, as well as for all those who are even more pleased to live it to the fullest with rapturous adrenaline rush, in Mexico there are options for all its extension and for all budgets.

Rafting, or river rafting, is more and more to the taste of daring people who enjoy incredible explosions of energy. In the town of Jalcomulco, very close to Xalapa and the Port of Veracruz, the Pescados, Antigua and Filobobos rivers satisfy beginners and experts of this sport with their currents, eddies, waves and descents. But this is just one of many excellent rafting sites in Mexico.

Surfing is another aquatic activity that fascinates because of the intense emotions that it generates for those who practice it, and it can also be practiced in Mexico. The best waves are in the Pacific, especially in the Surfing Capital of Mexico: Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca.

Athletes from all over the world recognize that the waves that break there, as well as the depth and temperature of its waters, are a spectacularly attractive set for the advanced practice of this sport.

Some beaches in Los Cabos, as well as some in Mazatlan, Manzanillo and Costalegre, are places where in certain seasons of the year, the wind and the sea are generous enough to become excellent places to surf.

Diving is like disconnecting from the world and having the opportunity to observe a completely different universe underwater. Mexico was favored by Mother Nature with several diving paradises, such as the Caribbean Sea and the Sea of Cortez.

Here you can dive for fun, or take it a little more seriously with an international certification course. The crown jewel for divers from Mexico and many countries around the world is Cozumel in the Mexican Caribbean.

Also in the waters of Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Huatulco and Puerto Escondido are offered diving excursions that provide unforgettable experiences to divers. To experience something different you can dive at night in the Half Moon Lagoon in San Luis Potosi, which offers incredible routes and there is no danger.

For those intrepid people who prefer to imitate the sublime power of birds and enjoy the unsurpassed sensation of seeing the earth from above in Mexico, parachuting, ballooning and gliding can also be practiced in paragliders or gliders.

Skydiving is only suitable for those who wish to feel a sudden and exponential increase in heart palpitations, as well as an overdose of adrenaline due to the tremendous nervousness generated by jumping into the void from thousands of feet high and then enjoy a quiet descent with a panoramic image as wide as the view can reach.

Playa del Carmen offers as an additional gift the spectacular view of the Caribbean Sea. Other impressive sceneries are the fabulous lake of Tequesquitengo in Morelos, as well as the dense green mountains north of Monterrey.

In Valle de Bravo, in the State of Mexico, you can observe the continuous traffic of colorful hang gliders and paragliders. The view during the descent is to the imposing immensity of a dam, which is surrounded by a dense pine forest.

Also in the Bajío and in the plains of the center of the country it is possible to live the fabulous adventure of flying in hot air balloon for the benevolence of the winds and for its impressive landscapes. Other famous places to fly by balloon are Teotihuacan, San Juan del Rio, Tequisquiapan and the city of Queretaro, Leon and Guanajuato.

On land, hiking, camping and mountain biking are possible in most Mexican states that benefit from a mountain range, which certainly are not few, as Mexico is crossed by the Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental.

The Basaltic Prisms Natural Park and El Chico National Park stand out, two natural wonders located very close to Pachuca, surrounded by dense forests.

In Nuevo Leon, the Cumbres de Monterrey National Park and the Huasteca Ecological Park offer incomparable mountain landscapes, and in their rugged cliffs and slopes the possibility of making fabulous trips to abseil, climbing and canyoning.

There is also the fantastic zip line and bungee jumping, neither of which is suitable for the heart or for those who suffer from vertigo or fear of heights.

For wildlife watchers, the seasonal migrations of huge whales from the northern beaches of Tijuana and Rosarito to Los Cabos or Puerto Vallarta are excellent opportunities to witness scenes that literally leave their mouths open.

In the Caribbean, for its part, it is possible to take swimming tours with the world’s largest fish: the whale shark, which is an incredible experience.

It is also a unique spectacle to be surrounded by thousands of monarch butterflies in the sanctuaries of Michoacan and the State of Mexico.

Mexico is an excellent birdwatching destination with 1,096 species! For bird watching you will find paradisiacal sites on the islands of Holbox and Isla Contoy, easily accessible from Cancun, as well as in Celestun, very close to Merida.

All three are protected sanctuaries, inhabited by multiple species of birds such as pink flamingos and herons, as well as by reptiles, many of them endangered, such as sea turtles that come to these coasts to spawn.