What is this El Potrero Chico Place?

Mexico makes a great destination for your winter getaway.  There are beautiful beach villages with uncrowded swell for surfing, big resort towns where you won't even know your in Mexico.  El Potrero Chico lies in between these two experiences except in the mountains.  You have the comfort of the climbing resort mostly occupied by Americans speaking English, but then you step out the gates or walk down to town and you are surrounded by the life of small town Mexico where the vast majority of residents don't speak any English.  For Americans looking for a rock climbing vacation in Mexico El Potrero Chico is your spot.

With hundreds of routes from 5.6-5.14 and routes as long as 2,000 feet there is something for everyone to climb.  It is often a popular destination for climbers looking to learn multi-pitch techniques.  With nearly every route being bolt protected it makes for a simpler way to work in to multi-pitch climbing.  The style of climbing is mostly pocketed face climbing which comes very natural to most climbers.

Why is El Potrero Chico so popular with American climbers?  It is one the few places in North America where you can rock climb comfortably in the winter.  The temperatures are normally warm enough that it is more comfortable to climb in the shade.  If not many of the routes are in the sun.  The tempuratures, route concentration, it's easy to arrive in El Potrero Chico, and the easy logistics upon arrival all make it a popular climbing area.  When you fly into Monterrey a major airport for the third largest city in Mexico you can get picked up by your climbing guide and dropped off at La Posada the climbers resort where you can camp or rent a room.  Their information is below:

http://www.elpotrerochico.mx/ 

If you are looking for more house options Magic Ed local climbing developer has many options listed here:
http://magicedspotrerochico.com/

On rest days from your climbing there are many great activities to do.  Plan your rest days on Tuesday or Friday to visit the local street market in town.  You can also take a trip to the famous underground hot springs of San Juaquin.  For more info:
San Juaquin Hot Springs


So if you are thinking about coming down to El Potrero Chico for the winter and are looking for a guide feel free to contact us at El Potrero Guides:

Email: markgrundon@yahoo.com

General Mexico Travel Advice

Traveling around Mexico on a budget and still enjoying many luxuries one might not be able to afford in the States is pretty great.  There seem to be a few tricks though I have picked up over the past few years that make this go a lot smoother and cheaper.  I have been living the winter months in Mexico for the last six years and we love to explore different climbing areas and the long beautiful coasts of Mexico.

Surfing in Punta de Mita Nayarit, Mexico

Now we are a family of three.  My wife and six month old baby.  We need some extra comforts for the baby we did not value before.  Things like renting a car, hotel rooms, and airplane tickets.  These things in the States will often be hundreds of dollars, and they can be in Mexico also, but if you know where to look and play your cards right they can be just hundreds of pesos. 

The Family and a Crocodile

I think one of the sneakiest things about renting a car in Mexico is the liability insurance.  Internet search companies will give you the price with out the liability insurance.  This insurance is mandatory by law in Mexico and if you get in an accident with out it you are likely going to jail.  I have rented in the past without naively thinking my credit card covered this.  Apparently the companies are not supposed to rent to you with out this insurance some will and some will not depending on the city.  T|he point is that it increases the price by sometimes six fold.  A surprise for me the other day in Puerto Vallarta when I went to pick up my rental car and the $50 dollar Expedia price jumped up to $300.   I ended up calling all the rental agencies and Alamo had the least expensive insurance per day.  The collision insurance covering the cost of the card was then covered by my credit card.  This saving $25 a day.

As far as flights Viva Aerobus is by far the cheapest inter-Mexico company.  With an open schedule you can get $100 round trip tickets often in Mexico.  Things are always changing with their annoying hidden fees, but at the moment it is usually cheaper to buy on the phone then the internet as you don't have to pay for the expensive line they create while waiting to board the plane.  You might need a Spanish speaker for this, you also seem to need a Mexican credit card at the moment but that has not always been the case. Their website is www.vivaaerobus.com

Taking some boat transportation in San Blas, Mexico

As far as hotels the only thing I have would say is planning ahead can often be more expensive.  If you are trying to schedule everything ahead on the internet you might not be able to find a lot of the cheaper hotels that can't afford to have a large web presence.  Books like Lonely Planet are great way to find the budget hotels and book rooms ahead of time.  One thing to always check is for Mexican holidays.  If you show up at the beach without a room at the beach during Semana Santa, the Mexican spring beak, without a hotel you are probably out of luck.  Also don't cross the borders on holiday weekends or black Friday which I have done and regretted.

Crossing the border is another great topic.  I have tried almost every way now minus swimming, though it would have been faster on black Friday.  The only gem of knowledge I have learned is when going from Laredo (US) to Nuevo Laredo (Mexico) by bus it is easier and there is more availability if you walk across and take a bus in Nuevo Laredo.  When crossing in bus into Mexico it is a big ordeal with the customs.  You have to get you bags scanned, and wait a big bus line.  You also might be waiting hours for this one bus that crosses only to wait more hours for another bus in Nuevo Laredo as you have to change buses after crossing.  The bus that crosses is used for just crossing. 

Cerro Chipinque "M" mountain flying out of Monterrey

If walking across you will have to cross Bridge number 1. It puts you in downtown Nuevo Laredo which is not my favorite place to hangout but there are many taxis waiting right there and it is not too far to the bus station.  It should be around 50 pesos to the bus station.

If you are looking for the cheapest way to get to El Potrero Chico without paying the $50 dollar cab ride you should be able to take a bus now.  From the main terminals there is a shuttle to terminal C which is where Viva Aerobus is located.  From there you can go inside and pay for a ticket to the main bus station of Monterrey.  From there a bus to Hidalgo.  From the Hidalgo bus station you can walk thirty minutes up to Potrero or behind the bus station and to the right near the Kindergarten there is a taxi company. Much more difficult then a taxi but it is possible.

Hopefully this little gems of travel advice can be helpful.  We have often had to learn by making many mistakes.  Travel in Mexico in general is way less stressful then the States because there are buses running everywhere at all times of the day. In general I don't see many other gringos traveling in Mexico accept in clusters in the few places they have deemed "safe" like Puerto Vallarta and Baja.  Get out there and eat some amazing foods you have never heard of and experience the rich cultures Mexico has to offer.