Grutas de García

About this place

The Grutas de García are a cave complex inside the Sierra del Fraile mountain, in a protected area 9 km outside the town of García, Nuevo León, Mexico, and about 30 km northwest of Monterrey in a straight line. The caves are thought to have formed 50 to 60 million years ago, when the area lay under the sea, which is why marine fossils such as shells and snails can be seen on the walls. The caves reach 105 metres deep, and two paths lead down from the entrance: one about 2.5 km long through sixteen chambers, the other 1 km long through eleven. The temperature inside stays around 18 °C all year. Grand formations of stalactites and stalagmites fill the large chambers. Among the best known are the Light Chamber, named because the rock of its ceiling lets daylight filter through, the Eighth Wonder, where a stalactite and stalagmite have joined into a single column, and the Air Chamber with its balcony 40 metres up. The easiest way to the cave entrance is a five-minute aerial tramway ride up the mountain, and there is also a steep path for those who prefer to walk. The tramway station has wide views over the valley and mountains. Wear comfortable shoes, as the paths inside are long.