Adventures Along The U.S.-Mexican Border

by Kraig Becker on

The Sierra Madre mountains and the Chihuahua Desert, which fall along the border between the U.S. and Mexico, not only offer up stunning scenery, but plenty of opportunities for outdoor adventure as well. Backpackers and hikers will find plenty to enjoy, as they walk the same path as Pancho Villa, the famed Mexican outlaw who once roamed this region as well.

British newspaper The Guardian recently sent writer Hugh Thompson to the border to explore these badlands and report back on this hidden gem for trekkers. Starting off in El Paso, Texas, and heading south, Thompason found an outdoor paradise that included a hike through Copper Canyon, a place that rivals the Grand Canyon in beauty, without the crowds.

Thompson and the rest of his group spent more than a week exploring the region, which they found to be surprisingly lush. He came to the area expecting an arrid, empty desert, but found that it was green with flora, including a variety of trees and other small plants. While descending into some of the deeper canyons, the team would pass through a different climate zone every 1000 feet, once again bringing a very unique experience from the Grand Canyon, which is mostly devoid of any type of green plants altogether.

Over the course of that week, the trekkers followed the footsteps of Pancho Villa and his band of rebels. They traveled up and down the Sierra Madre and across the desert, chasing the legend, and in the process had a unique adventure of their own. The best part is, this is one adventure that is easy to go on yourself. The region is still off the radar for most backpacker, which tanslates into open trails and miles of solitude.

Narco-tours in Mexico

by Jamie Rhein on

Yesterday Brenda wrote a post about the safety of traveling in Mexico. Here’s another travel option for Mexico if you like to flirt with danger just a tad. See if your taxi driver is a narco-tour guide. A narco-tour is when a taxi driver in places like the beach resort town Mazatlán drives you past the homes and hang outs of the famous drug cartel folks. You know, to see how people with drug money wealth live. Some of the places are of the drug big shots of days gone by since they’ve been killed. Hey, it’s not easy being a drug lord.

According to the New York Times article, there are more than one narco-tour destination. Taxi drivers in Matamoros and Culiacán have also jumped into narco-tour action. So far mostly Mexican citizens have taken these tours that the Mexican government isn’t too fond of–not because of the danger, per se, but because it puts Mexico in not the best light.

Reading about the narco-tours reminded me of the taxi driver led Anna Nicole Smith tours in the Bahamas. With a taxi, a person can come up with all sorts of ways to entertain a country’s visitors.

One of the taxi drivers interviewed for the narco-tour article sees the tours as similar to the ones you take in the United States to see sites such as Al Capone’s hangouts. Think of all the Wild West gangster types who draw tourists to places in the U.S. like the Billy the Kid Museum in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. He has a point.

Mexico: Too dangerous?

by Brenda Yun on

Just as my Budget Travel piece on Mexico was released, news from Mexico came pouring in that shed unfavorable light on the travel situation south of the border. Within this week alone, Mexico’s been getting some important attention for being one of the most dangerous and travel-unfriendly places in the world to visit right now. Therefore, it seems necessary for us here at Gadling to catalog the recent headlines and stories as an extra precaution for those of you considering travel to Mexico in the coming months.

According to AZFamily.com, a local news station in Phoenix, university kids anticipating spring break in Mexico have been warned of the potential dangers of excessive partying in such hot spots as Puerto Vallarta: “The State Department says violence, especially on the U.S. Mexico border, has reached alarming levels with shoot-outs and kidnappings taking place in broad daylight.”

Some students who had been eagerly awaiting their spring break festivities on a Mexican beach have already cancelled their trips and have decided to wait until the situation gets better, which may be a long time coming. According to the Associate Press, the drug crisis in Mexico continues to escalate, and The Week reports that even Obama is trying to turn the tide by actively taking part in the clamp-down of drug-related crime at the border.

All of the major newspapers, including the Washington Post, which typically focuses on business and political news and tends not to report on travel-related topics, are suggesting heavy caution for travelers to Mexico. This leads me to believe that it might be best to avoid travel in Mexico at this time. This isn’t to say that you can’t or shouldn’t travel anywhere in Mexico. I imagine there are indeed places that are perfectly safe. However, getting to these destinations while avoiding the dangerous ones could prove difficult even for the most savvy of travelers.

US gov’t: Americans should avoid Mexican hookers

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The travel advisory is back. An increase in violence has led the U.S.-Mexico border has led the U.S. State Department to renew its warning to Americans heading south of the border. But, this doesn’t mean you should scratch Mexico from your list (I’m even heading down in a few weeks). You should just be careful.

The announcement suggests that American tourists stick only to legitimate business and tourist areas. Areas with lots of prostitution and drug dealing are best left off your itinerary, according to the State Department. This is pretty good advice anywhere, but it makes even more sense along a border where the bad guys have used weapons and grenades.

So, go to Mexico. Have fun. Just don’t pay for sex.

[Via MSNBC]

Budget Travel: Mexico

by Brenda Yun on

Spring Break is upon us, and for most college kids, March means two things: basketball and getting your color back on some tropical beach. When I think Mexico, I think drugs and girls gone wild, but there’s something about Mexico that really draws a crowd in March and continues through the summer until late October. As Mexico continues to rank among the top spring break hot spots (this year being no different), what is a Gadling guide to budget travel without a little love the country across our southern border?

According to an MSNBC Travel article published earlier this month, Cancun is the most popular party place, followed closely by . Cancun, oft coined as the “Party Capital of the World,” has long had a reputation of being a hot party-all-night atmosphere, so it’s natural that this year the city is seeing no change in the flock of tourists to its beaches.
The same goes for Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cabos. In fact, according to L.A. Times travel blogger, Jen Leo, roundtrip flights between Los Angeles and Cabo San Lucas are a mere $220 each.

A typically fun Mazatlán is now drawing a record number of spring breakers because it’s now the final destination of the “Maz Party Bus” that leaves from various college campuses in California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. For just $299, StudentCity.com is providing an unbeatable package that includes roundtrip transportation to Mazatlán on a luxury motor coach complete with bathrooms, reclining seats, TV’s and DVD players (two nights are spent on the bus), a five-night stay at a resort in Mazatlán, and two free meals per day at participating restaurants. The price is pretty tough to beat.

But Mexico is not just fun and games, you know. Budget Travel and the L.A. Times both love Mexico’s cultural cities like Oaxaca, which rarely see the likes of Cancun partiers, and traveling to this shopping and chocolate haven can be just as cheap as getting to the Mexico’s beaches. Even the neighboring towns of Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta see low numbers of tourists and have some pretty awesome, high-quality silver jewelry for pennies. If you want to escape the rowdy ruckus of Mexican parties and tequila shots, just hop on a local bus, travel along the coast, and you’ll find an untouched beach that you could very well experience all for yourself.

Let’s face it though: Mexico is the type of travel destination best experienced with others. It’s not for the solo traveler, nor for the early to bed, early to rise types. Traveling with friends is both the key to happiness in Mexico as well as the key to saving money, too — lots of it.