Discover Matacanes Canyon: A Full-Day Adventure from Monterrey, Nuevo León for You

Summary: Great experience, a challenge certainly, but totally worth it. Our guides Jerry and Tavo of the best!! (Great people with experience, information and good coexistence) The mix of abseiling, hiking, slides, waterfalls and jumps make the tour a unique experience. Something else worth doing.

Summary: The full day excursion to Matacanes Canyon with Luum Adventures was one of the most thrilling and memorable excursions I’ve ever experienced. Our guides, Salvador, Chime and Adrea, were energetic, encouraging and made my girlfriend and I feel safe the whole way through. **Activity Review** 5/5 There is so much about this day that I loved, starting with our arrival at the trailhead. We enjoyed a delicious homemade breakfast (included in your tour) of tortillas, eggs, beans, and habanero salsa cooked over a wood-burning stove in a a picturesque mountain pueblo. It was a refreshing and authentic start to the day, offering a glimpse into rural Mexican life — a beautiful contrast to the industrialized resort experience. After a short hike to the top of the Matacanes canyon, the real adventure begins with the first cliff jump and the largest rappel of the day (29 meters!). Neither my girlfriend nor I had ever rappelled, but Salvador’s calm and clear instructions made us feel confident and we navigated to the bottom without incident. Over the next few hours, we swam through striking blue waters, navigated narrow canyon jumps, slid down natural rock formations, and tackled another smaller rappel directly into a cave. We had taquitos for an included snack on the trail, though we were definitely happy to have brought granola bars. By the way, the landscape views are gorgeous and there is wildlife. We saw lizards, snakes, frogs, and tadpoles — don’t miss out on those small, wonderful details. More jumps and slides followed including the largest jump of the day (12 meters!), but you can skip it if it is too high for you. The cave swim-throughs were an unforgettable experience as well. After the last jump, the tour concludes with a short hike out of the canyon to the pick-up point where there is homemade lunch (bring small-denomination cash). **Guide Review** 5/5 Our guides were great! Salvador reached out the night before with clear instructions on our pickup time and helpful reminders on what to wear and bring. His communication set the tone for what would be an extremely well-organized tour. While I can speak a little Spanish, it was helpful that all of the guides spoke at least a little English. I liked that our group was smaller than some of the other groups we saw on the trail as it made the experience feel more wild. **What to Know:** - This tour is physically demanding. Almost 8 hours of fairly continuous activity, it is best suited for adults and teens (16+) who have hiking experience and are comfortable with high-adrenaline activities. - Both rappels are required. You don’t need prior rappelling experience, but watching a YouTube tutorial beforehand would be helpful - The highest required jump is 4 meters. Most of the time jumping is easier than climbing around the canyon sides though. - In addition to gear recommended by the tour, if you have thin gloves bring them to make the rappel more comfortable. - Consider leaving your phone in the truck — the guides did an excellent job capturing photos and videos for us and we felt safe the whole way through - Request an early start if possible to avoid delays. Our group started just ahead of one of the other companies; if we had been behind them we may have had to wait for 20-30 minutes before starting the first rappel. - The drive is 40 min on road, 40 minutes to the pickup point, and 40 minutes to the trailhead (2:00 from pickup to get to the mountain pueblo, only 1:20 from the pick-up point to get back) - Bring snacks, water, sunscreen in a ziplock, cash in pesos **Summary** Overall, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I’d highly recommend to any adventure-seeker. A massive thank you to Salvador, Chime, Andrea and the rest of our group for their expertise, guidance, and enthusiasm. You made this journey truly unforgettable!

Summary: This was a VERY INTENSE hike. But very much well worth it. It is something that you can check off your list and say “I did the Matacanes hike”. The views are breathtaking. The water was so clear and blue. Plus, we got to swim through caves that were stunning. Our tour guide Salvador brought us to the Pueblo Mágico and we ate a delicious breakfast (included in price) before the start of the hike. The hike goes from about 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Our guide through the canyon, Victor, was super patient with us. He allowed us time to rest and recuperate. He took pictures for us and then gave us the pictures at the end. SUGGESTIONS: hydrate the day before. East well the day before. Use high top hiking boots (that can get wet. You will be swimming), a water bottle you can clip to yourself (even better if it’s collapsible … there will be clean water to access throughout the hike. Just ask the guides where to get the water), clothing you don’t mind if it tears, preferably with sleeves. Do not bring anything else, as it will be broken or ruined throughout the hike. I had never done anything like this and I made it through. It makes you tougher, it’s a once in a lifetime experience, and I have no regrets.