Track 7, Tacana Volcano to Las Guacamayas (scarlet macaws)

 

RideMex, Track 7, Tacana Volcano to Las Guacamayas (scarlet macaws)

 

General Information:

 

Track 7 begins at Casa Morayma in Union Juarez on the slopes of the Tacana Volcano at about 1120 meters (3674 feet) right on the border of Mexico and Guatemala. Casa Morayma is a wonderful hotel with great rooms and views. From the rooftop terrace you can see down to the Pacific Ocean or up to the top of the volcano that rises up to 4,060 meters (13,320 feet). This height looks particularly impressive because it is so close to the ocean and you can see how the continent jutted up into the sky all the way from sea level. The weather is very pleasant at 1,281 meters (4,203 feet) and the surrounding landscape is quite lush. This entire region grows coffee and cacao. There is a hiking trail that you can take to the summit of the volcano and no special mountaineer climbing gear is needed. You will however need cold weather and rain gear as well as food and water as it is a good 15 hour hike up and back down. From the head of the trail to the top you will hike up just under 3,000 meters (9800 feet), so the hike is no joke. Despite being quite far south the high elevation makes it quite cold at night. When we went we built a roaring fire to keep warm and slept bundled up inside our bags rated to below freezing. You will cross the Mexico-Guatemala border multiple times as you climb, but you won’t need your passport or have to do any paperwork as you can pass freely. If you don’t want to hike up the volcano to its summit you can take a much shorter hike into Guatemala. Down at a lower elevation on the same road that Casa Morayma is on there is the town of Santo Domingo, an old German coffee-growing settlement that preserves some of their original German-like architecture. It is well worth exploring the area and spending a few days at the most southernly part of the RideMex route. The route will wind itself northwesterly around the volcano to a thermal waterfall called Agua Caliente (Hot Water), that you can take the tangent track off the main track to at kilometer 68 (mile 42). The scenery is quite lush and rugged as there are many folds on the slopes the volcano. From the thermal fall onwards the route will rise up to just over 2700 meters (8858 feet) over about 45 kilometers (28 miles). Here is a graph of what to expect with elevation over the course of the 541 kilometer (336 mile) track:

The first third of the track goes through pretty extreme topography, but the last two-thirds is pretty chill. The highlands of Chiapas (Mexico’s most southern state) are quite beautiful with many different attractions. Much of the state has sub tropical vegetation so it tends to be greener than many of Mexico’s other 31 states. 

 

Recommendations:

1. Stay at Casa Morayma in Union Juarez unless you plan to camp. The Hotel has nice rooms and a great rooftop terrace. Morayma is a wonderful person who treats her guests very well. You can eat at Donde Morayma, her restaurant, just two blocks away from the hotel. Morayma’s daughter is a photographer and her photographs, taken from around the world, grace the walls of the hotel and restaurant. Union Juarez has great weather and the surrounding landscape is lush. You can hike up the volcano on a well-worn trail or just walk into neighboring Guatemala on one of various trails. It is well worth hiking in the area as the views are spectacular and the vegetations is quite varied as the topography is so rough and there are different ecosystems within a very small area. There are indigenous Mam communities right outside of Union Juarez that the hiking trails go through. It is well worth spending a day or two here. 
2. Visit the thermal waterfall at Agua Caliente. There is a tangent that goes off the main track at kilometer 68 (mile 42). 
3. Spend a day at the Lagos de Colon, right on the Guatemala border. The water is pristine, turquoise, refreshing and the lakes have beautiful Montezuma Cypress trees along their edges. It is a great place to camp or you get get lodging along the lake’s edge.  There is a Mayan archeological site right in the middle of the lake called El Lagarto. This literally means The Crocodile, however there are no crocodiles in the lake. Perhaps there were when the site took its name and they are now extinct. The site has a small pyramidal religious structure and the hike to get there meanders along the lake and river. 
4. The Cascadas el Chiflon waterfalls are a must see! They are one of the most beautiful set of waterfalls in the world. The water is a perfect turquoise that flows over multiple falls, the largest of which is called the Velo de Novia, the Bride’s Vail, rising to a height of 120 meters (394 feet) and it is all set in a green forest with a well designed hiking trail to access it all. The cabins are quite nice and set into the forest along the river. You can also camp close to the river. The water is cool and during the warmest hours the day it feels quite good to swim in the pristine natural pools. There is a restaurant on site and just a kilometer down the road there are a few small stores where you can buy basic food and other items. 
5. The Lagos de Monte Bello (lakes) are deep blue bowls of water sitting among the pines. They are great places for hiking and enjoying the cooler high country. 
6. Las Nubes is a wonderful waterfall with really nice lawned area for camping. It is a good place to spend the afternoon or evening and set up your tent for the night. 
7. The Guacamayas is a reserve and means macaws and is situated beside one of Mexico’s largest forests. It is one of the very few places in Mexico where you can see wild scarlet macaws. Here is where Track 7 ends. You can stay at the lodging on the reserve or camp. If you can stay at the cabins as they provide income for the community. If the locals know people are coming to see the macaws and they can profit off of their conservation, they are more likely to keep them safe as they are often trafficked in the pet trade.

 

Fill up on gasoline/petrol at the following places to avoid any range anxiety: 

1. Just 19.6 kilometers (12.2 miles) after you leave the Casa Morayma Hotel is the Faja de Oro gas station.
2. Get gas in Motozintla at kilometer 123 (mile 77)
3. In Comitan at kilometer 334 (mile 207) or at kilometer 345 (mile 214) in La Trinitaria. 
4. You can also get gasoline in Santo Domingo las Palmas at kilometer 450 (mile 280). 

 

Recommended places to stay:

1. Stay at Casa Morayma in Union Juarez unless you plan to camp. The Hotel has nice rooms and a great rooftop terrace. Morayma is a wonderful person who treats her guests very well. You can eat at Donde Morayma, her restaurant, just two blocks away from the hotel. Morayma’s daughter is a photographer and her photographs, taken from around the world, grace the walls of the hotel and restaurant. Union Juarez has great weather and the surrounding landscape is lush.
2. The Lagos de Colon are a relaxing and beautiful place to camp or get accommodations along the lake front. The setting is ideal as the weather is almost always perfect and the water is perfect for long swims. Having swum in many places in Chiapas over the course of 15 years, it is the best of them all! 
3. The ecotourism cabins at the Cascadas de Chilflon (waterfalls) are perfectly situated among the trees close to the river, with nice stone paths, hammocks and swimming holes in close proximity yet they are very fairly priced. The valley is beautiful and and the cabins are at the trail head that lead up to the series of falls. There is a safe parking lot for your bike.
4. At kilometer 321 (mile 199.5) there is a short tangent that leaves the main track. This leads to a beautiful grove of Montezuma Cypress trees with a stream flowing through them where you can camp. 
5. At kilometer 384 (mile 238.6) there is a turn off to the left where you can camp at the Laguna de Monte Bello. You can camp right on the shore of the beautiful blue lake among the mountain pines. 
6. At kilometer 443 (mile 275) there is a turn of to the left where you can ride into Las Nubes, another great place to camp with a large waterfall and nice place with green grass to camp close to the river. It ranks high on the list of nice places to set up your tent.