Uncover the South

Información

On this trip you’ll blaze a trail into parts of the Sierra Madre Mountains that have swerved tourism. You’ll travel on a Unimog – a 4x4 vehicle with elite off-road abilities – so you can reach places where you’re more likely to see iguana tracks than tyre marks. Your first stop will be the Botanical Gardens. This conservation area is both pantry and medicine cabinet. You’ll find endemic leaves here, like hoja santa, which locals use to cook fish en papillote, and aloe vera, which can be used in sunburn remedies. From here, you’ll move on to the village of El Tuito. The name translates as The Place of the Gods, but you’re more likely to find artisans here than deities. You’ll visit one, a local cheese-maker, who produces panella and requeson cheese. You’ll also see a tortilleria, a family-run business where 100 tortillas are made every minute. Turning further off the beaten track, you’ll start to make your way to a hacienda. En route, you’ll stop to see some ancient petroglyphs that were carved into the rock hundreds of years ago. Etched dots point to water and ‘s’ shapes stand for infinity. At the hacienda, you’ll see how raicilla is made. This firewater is created in a similar way to tequila. There’ll be time for a traditional Mexican lunch of tacos and salad before your return to the coast.