Nature Hikes in Oaxaca, Apoala Oaxaca

Mountains of  Mexico.  Apoala is located in a river valley in the 

Mixtec region of  Northern Oaxaca State 

Nature Hikes in Oaxaca

Apoala, Two Rivers of Paradise   Updated August 2011

     You duck deep into the cavern called the Cave of the Snake and then enter a vaulted room with stalactite ceilings. You hear the gurgling of water. It tells you that you have reached the pool where the underground river bubbles through the rocks. This river will emerge from the cliffs and join the main river in the valley where, according to ancient legends, life first began in the Americas.

    

Apoala Camping  beside the river

     That legend tells how the river bubbling through the grotto gave life to a sacred tree in the valley that in turn gave life to the first humans. The Codex Vindobonensis, now  in the National Library of Vienna, relates the marriage of Lord 1-Flower to Lady 13-Flower, both born of the Great Tree in the valley of the two rivers of Apoala, Paradise in the eyes of some Native Americans.

     From that valley of shading cedars,  the river tumbles over the Tail of the Serpent Cascade, plummeting 400 feet into a green pool and then spilling out into a broad valley, eventually tumbling 5,000 feet and 300 miles to join the Papoloapam River. There it spills into the Gulf of Mexico where Mexico’s first great civilization formed, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, the home of  the Olmecs.

Apoala hiking beside the river 

     In the river valley, lodging rooms serve guests who come to hike and bike in the valley of Apoala.  There are small cabins for singles or doubles, and cabins large enough for families.  
Several hours of dirt road scraped from the high plains northeast of Nochixtlan has kept all but the hardiest traveler out of the Valley of Apoala.  

     To protect the pristine environment, the State tourist agency hopes to lure visitors to Santiago Apoala and spread their dollars among the 260 local residents, easing pressure on the scarce resources of palm fronds, building lumber, exotic birds, and endangered animals. 
Oaxaca Ecotours

     To visit and hike in Apoala you must hire a guide at the village visitors center, otherwise, you could not find the cave where the river bubbles through the rocks, the ancient stone carvings, the cascade, or the canyon cliffs where climbers come to repel.  The fees paid to the guides helps the local people preserve the valley.

Mixtec kitchen, ollas and the comal

  Naturalists find a paradise in Apoala; many species of birds visit the valley including Rufous-Capped Warblers, Western Tanagers, Yellow Grosbeak, Violet-Crowned Hummingbirds, and the White-Throated Towhee. A few years ago a naturalist discovered a new variety of small-eared tree frog that lives below the cascade.

      Villagers will put you up for the night if the tourist cabins are full. (Easter week is the only busy time) The local people will feed you fresh cooked tortillas and memilitas in their simple kitchens.
   

Apoala roads for biking and hiking, Apoala, Oaxaca            

     Apoala is a simple paradise where fruit trees are abundant, water pure, and the air crystal clear. While three hours of dirt road through the plains of the Mixtec Alta’s high divide has kept the valley somewhat isolated, these same dirt roads offer the visitor great mountain biking and hiking.




Next, Road Trip, Pacific Coast

Road Trip Pacific Coast Route 200 Puerto Escondido to San Blas

Driving In Mexico

Great Roads
The roads in Mexico improve at a rapid pace. In the northern parts of the country, roads have scenery much like you might find in Arizona and Utah. The roads are four-lane, high speed, Cuota, (toll) or Libre, (Free). As you go south, you will find the roads narrowing a bit but otherwise well surfaced. Mexico can be an enjoyable place to drive and the scenery is magnificent. There are a few hazards to keep in mind, however.

Topes
     Foremost among the perils are the topes. These are speed bumps meant to slow traffic. Aimed mainly at the locals, who speed at all times and don’t slow for pedestrians, school crossings, posted speed limits, or anything else for that matter; the topes are erected by the towns to slow vehicles passing through the village.
     The town builds a series of hills constructed of pavement or concrete that stretches across the road. These are often indicated with a sign warning of Tope (in the south, Oaxaca) Reductador, or Vibrador (in the north, Mazatlan). The problem with these topes is that about 30 % of them, particularly in the south, are not marked. You must be vigilant to avoid hitting one at full speed. If you drive for any distance in Mexico, you are bound to hit one. You cannot escape hitting a tope; even the locals slam into them.

Gassing Up
     Mexico has a National provider of Gasoline and diesel, the Pemex station. They are a welcome sight on a long road trip.
Regardless of your destination: Chiapas or Morelia, Merida or Veracruz, you will gas up at Pemex. On a long mountain road such as the one from Mazatlan to Durango and on to Zacatecas and the ruin of Alta Vista, you might need to buy gas from an independent (a restaurant or convenience store that dispenses it form a plastic jug) Otherwise you will buy from Pemex and it is all at the same price.
     While the gas is dispensed at the same price throughout the country, there is one hazard to keep in mind: the attendants often make mistakes when pumping that gas.
You ask for two hundred pesos of Magma, the regular gas, and the attendant pumps one hundred. You ask for four hundred, and they pump three hundred or even two hundred. You must get out of the car and check the amount on the gas pump before you pay; otherwise, you might receive less than you paid for.

Rest Areas
If you are traveling by RV, watch for the Pemex stations outside of the congested cities, they will have a wide paved or gravel area where you can park for an extended rest. The roads will not have rest areas. Otherwise, you can park overnight where you see 18-wheelers park, alongside restaurants and villages. The safest place, however, is the 24- hour Pemex; they are well lit and will often have a security person on duty.


Next: Road Trip Coastal, Oaxaca City to Nogales

Road Trip Pacific Coast, Oaxaca to Nogales Mexico

Road Trip Coastal, Oaxaca City to Nogales

Driving through Oaxaca City (link)  is no delight. Traffic and topes are not the only concern; political demonstrators could close the streets at any time.
     Once out of the city, on the road towards the airport and eventually the Pacific Coast, you have two choices, Route 175 to Puerto Angel or Route 135 to Puerto Escondido (link). The crossroads comes up shortly after the airport (OAX) turnoff.

Route 175 is a better choice for several reason. The road is better maintained for one, and at times Route 135 could be congested with religious pilgrims traveling by bicycle to the mountain town of Santa Catarina Juquila. The pilgrims are most active during the months of November and December.
On route 175, you will go through Ocotlan a town with market day on Friday (link)  then into a broad valley towards Ejutla, and eventually Miahuatlan. Once you pass Mihuatlan, you start up into the mountains. The road narrows and the hairpin turns come at you rapidly. These mountains will test your brakes and patience. Although the distance by road between Miahuatlan and the coast is a short 90 miles, you will twist through untold peaks and valleys of the Sierra Madre Del Sur for five or more hours.
If darkness comes upon you before you clear the mountains it is best to park for a while until the heavy traffic subsides. The dangers are the buses and vans that shuttle to and from the coast. The drivers push the limits and often hog what little road is available.
There are hotels at a few of the mountaintop towns and you can pull off the road for a nap at the cleared spaces in front of the few roadside restaurants. Otherwise, there are no amenities on this stretch of mountain road. One interesting village at the three quarter point of the mountain trip is the coffee producing town of Pluma Hidalgo. The turnoff is 121 miles out of Oaxaca City. Pluma Hidalgo has a small hotel run by a former coffee broker. Find the hotel at the end of the one street village. The coffee coop roasts its coffee near the main street. You can visit and watch the process.

The mountain road will eventually flatten out as you approach the town of Pochutla where you will find the crossroads for Route 200. If you continue on 175 and cross the main highway, you will come to the coast and the fishing village of Puerto Angel. Route 175 ends in Puerto Angel, having gone about 320 miles and crossing Mexico over two mountain ranges while going from Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico to Puerto Angel on the Pacific Coast

Three interesting coastal villages might tempt you for a visit: Puerto Angel, Zipolite(link), and Mazunte.





Next: Puerto Escondido