Zapotitlán de Méndez

The valley

3 hours from Cuetzalan. Nestled in the bottom of a valley deep in the Sierra Norte, this town is worth visiting just for the scenery. A river divides the town and green mountains rise above it, providing striking views. The town itself is small and not particularly remarkable, but it’s famous for the Grutas Karmidas. These caves can be accessed with the help of a tourism company run by the local indigenous inhabitants. You can find the company across the river. They’ll set you up with a guide who will take you (and several lanterns) to the caves. You should bring flip-flops or sandals, because getting into the cave involves wading through a knee-deep stream until you get high enough to bypass it. The cave is full of dripping stalactites and strangely shaped stalgmites, whose forms the guides have christened with whimsical names in order to liven up the tour with a little imagination.

Grutas Karmidas