We visited the Biosphere Reserve of the Sierra Gorda on a 4 day excursion operated by PromoTur, March 12 - 15, 2010. The reserve occupies all of the northern part of Querétaro state. Designated a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2001, it occupies over 380,000 hectares of very diverse eco-regions. It also is the home of the 5 wonderful missions built in the 18th century by the Franciscans. We traveled in a van driven by our guide, Ezequiel, and accompanied by a delightful family from Mexico City - along with a young man from Tennessee who was visiting the family. 

Photos of our first day's travels from Querétaro, visiting the Gruta Herrerra and the archeological site "Las Ranas". That's Lois at an overlook of the magnificent Sierra Gorda near the site of the "Media Luna" battle.

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We spent much of the second day visiting "Las Pozas" (see the separate page on that amazing place. We also got to explore an area with lots of marine fossils. We finished up a long day watching the clouds of swifts returning to the "Sotano de las Huahuas":

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On the third day, we visited three of the 5 missions, as well as taking a dip (well, some of us did) in the Rio Santa Maria,

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On the final day, we visited the Mission of Jalpan, and the Chuveje waterfall, before our return to Querétaro.

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