Mexico: El Potrero Chico Nov. 17th-24

I'm planning a weeklong trip to El potrero Chico in mid-november. I havent been there yet but am super stoked to finally checkit out. im traveling by car since its 3.5 hours away from my home town-McAllen,tx. You are more than welcome to meet me in McAllen or i would be willing to pick-up someone in the Monterrey AIrport. Btw, I am fluent in Spanish. I can lead up to easy 12. Hit me up!!

Hey Roberto, If you don't find a partner down there and you have the money to hire a guide we are available at El Potrero Chico Guides
Hope you have a good trip.

Also if you are interested in our new area I posted an online guide here:
Cumbia Cave Online Guide

Not interested in a guide, but thanks anyways.

Howdy Robert,

How did your trip to EPC go? I live in Texas too, and am thinking of going from December 20-28. I plan on driving, but I do not speak spanish. Do you think that would be much of a problem?
Also, if I show up at La Posada, do you think I would meet climber?

Thank!
Sam

You don't need to know Spanish to climb at EPC!

But to GET to EPC? I've never been, so the driving beta would all be new. I have climbed/traveled plenty internationally, just not in Mexico. Can I just use a GPS to guide me to La Posada?

reach out to Potreroed...he can help you.

I have always flown to MTY.

Sam, not knowing Spanish will not limit you in EPC. Everyone that goes there practically speaks English. I had such a fantastic time making new friends and climbing beautiful limestone. LA posada is a sweet spot, but is kinda pricey. I paid 90 pesos a night to stay there. If you stay there for more than 10 days ask for the discount. ALso, check out Homeros! They dont charge as much as La Posada, but its definitely not as popular of a spot as La Posada. Let me know if you have any other questions. BTW< traveling by bus is WAY cheaper than driving lol i spent $30 USD to get from MCAllen, TX to Monterrey, NL, to Hidalgo, NL. THen once in Hidalgo i hitched a Taxi with was more expensive that the bus from Mont. to Hidalgo. Hope this helped haha

Thanks for the beta!
I think I will take the bus too. Did you use Greyhound? I will probably go from Austin. Again, my Spanish is my limiting factor. Do you think taking the bus w/o much Spanish would work? Either way, I'm sure Ill get there eventually :p

I've done the bus trip between San Antonio and EPC several times. It's pretty easy, but there are a couple of tricks to it that will be harder to figure out if you don't speak Spanish.

--Immediately after crossing into Mexico, the bus will stop and the driver will say a bunch of stuff in Spanish. At this point you and any other tourists will need to get off the bus and go into the immigration office where they'll have you fill out a tourism card and collect $20 or $25 in American money, no change given. You need to hold onto the tourist card, as it will be required when you leave the country.

--When you get to the Monterrey bus station, find the ticket desk for "La Mina" bus company and get a ticket for Hidalgo. The bus is a little hard to find; you need to go through a tunnel under the first row of gates and up a flight of stairs to a second platform. I speak pretty good Spanish, but still walked back and forth several times before I figured out the word I didn't know was "tunnel". Once you find the platform, ask for "La Mina"and then check with the driver and other passengers to make sure to get on the bus to Hidalgo.

--I've never found a cab in Hidalgo, but it's about 2 miles from the bus station to the camping areas, so not too hard a walk, particularly since you might get a ride from either a local or another climber. If you end up walking, go straight out the bus depot entrance, cross the plaza across the street, and head up and right past the cement factory toward the notch in the big rock formation. There's a strange decorative arch over the sidewalk at the edge of town which tells you you're going the right way. After 10-15 minutes there will be a fork; go to the right and you're almost there.

Hope this helps--I just bought plane tickets to Austin for New Year's Day, so am excited to be making the trip myself in a few weeks!

Hi, question about bus from Monterrey to Hidalgo. What is the price for the ticket, and what is the schedule like? particularly, how late buses are riding? I am flying in to Monterrey at 4:16pm, so I wonder if I will make it before last bus departs. Thanks
Luk
ps. Anyone arriving to Monterrey on Feb 25th btw?