Volcán Xitle
Tlalpan, 14760 Mexico City, CDMX
The national park in the Ajusco mountain range is a favorite location of those travelers and tourists looking for a good dose of ecotourism and adventure, there are several activities to do within this massive natural area located at the southern edge of Mexico City, and hiking inside the crater of a volcano is surely an alluring experience that excites the senses even just hearing about it. It’s the Volcán Xitle that is gracious enough to allow you to walk its prehistoric interior and it sits at 12,894 feet above sea level. This volcano in the Ajusco is a good option for maintaining social distancing in this post-pandemic world, while still going out and exploring new adventures with your friends and/or family, or just by yourself if you like to be left alone with your thoughts on your hiking adventures.
The view is indeed one that inspires meditation and a quiet commune with nature, once you’re at the Xitle Volcano you’ll be able to observe its good friend and neighbor the Ajusco volcano (and maybe even the Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl volcanoes on a good clear day), as well as farmlands and the small villages at the foothills of the mountainous range. Xitle means navel in Nahuatl, the ancient language spoken by the Aztecs, and it’s recommended you hike the volcano with respect and at a steady pace, allowing your body to adjust to the increasing altitude; the volcano itself is around 300 meters in height. You should estimate about an hour and a half of hiking till you get to the top of the volcano and appreciate the best views of Mexico City, and the best part: the inside of the volcano’s crater which is about the size of 3 stadiums.
The Xitle Volcano last erupted in around 245-315 AD so it’s safe to say you and your entourage are safe and sound while chilling inside this dormant beast, a picnic inside the crater is recommended if you can find a good spot, by the way. The remnants of that eruption long ago can be found in the black jagged rocky debris that is found in the south of the city, from the campus of UNAM to the Pedregal neighborhoods and further south; Cuicuilco, a great city in its own right was destroyed by the explosion and covered in lava.
The Xitle Volcano is located about an hour from downtown Mexico City on an early weekend with no traffic by car or Uber, but there are professional tours to the volcano and your best option is to probably take one of these tours and have an experimented guide take you to the heart of this majestic volcano.
