Mante travel guide

do you like Mante?

After crossing the Tropic of Cancer the road enters the solid green jungle of the tropical lowlands. Mante (Route 85), 141 km south of Ciudad Victoria, is almost exactly the mid-way point between Matamoros and Mexico City and makes a convenient stopover despite being a grubby city.

Most of Mante’s attractions lie outside the city itself. Amongst them are El Nacimiento (The Birthplace), 11 km to the south. This magnificent spring in the Sierra de Cucharas is a fantastic place to break the journey and picnic, swim, or take a boat ride. At the mouth of the cave the view of the light entering above the waters colours them with an emerald tint. La Aguja (The Needle) is another popular swimming spot, approximately 7 km from town. It was formed as a result of the construction of a nearby dam on the Mante River in 1927, then used to irrigate the large sugar cane plantations of the region. From here one can navigate upstream by kayak or small boat, arriving at El Nacimiento. The riverine beaches of El Limón are 12 km to the north. The crystalline Guayalejo river here is navigable as well, and two other rivers, the Sabinas and Frío, join it near the beach. The caves at El Abra, 10 km south of Mante, and another at Quintero closer to town, are popular draws as well. Neither have been fully explored. At the entrance to the Quintero cave, thousands of bats emerge every evening in search of food.

Some 45 km north of Mante is the village of Gómez Farías, the jumping-off point for visits to Reserva de la Biósfera El Cielo and an important centre for ornithological research: the highlands above the village represent the northernmost extent of several tropical vegetation formations. Many tropical bird species reach the northern limit of their range. Gómez Farías is reached by turning west off the main highway, 14 km over a paved road to the town plaza. From there, an easy 2-km walk provides excellent views of bird habitats.

Some 31 km south of Mante, at Km 548 from Mexico City, is Antiguo Morelos where Route 80 turns off west to San Luis Potosí and Guadalajara . Continuing south as Route 85, it passes into the state of San Luis Potosí and Ciudad Valles, 53 km across the border....