Valle de Bravo
Valle de Bravo is a lively lakeside town in Mexico State, Mexico, about 150 km west of Mexico City. Set on the shores of Lake Avándaro, it is a popular weekend retreat with marinas, sailing clubs, exciting adventure activities like paragliding, and beautiful natural resources, including one of Mexico's famous monarch butterfly sanctuaries.
Understand
Valle de Bravo has a population of just over 61,000 (2020) but the villages of the surrounding municipality (county) bring the regional population up to about 200,000. The town's name acknowledges its respect for Nicolas Bravo, a general during the Mexican War of Independence and a politician and vice-president of Mexico during the tumultous post-independence era.
The city was known in the 20th century for having hosted the world-famous Circuito Avandaro auto racing event, which in 1971, got hijacked by the Festival de Rock y Ruedas, a rock music festival whose massive crowds made it impossible to conduct an auto race. The Festival de Rock y Ruedes is often compared to the Woodstock festival in the United States, complete with rain and logistical problems. Xxact estimates of its crowds are impossible to know, but estimates range as high as 500,000 youthful music fans inundating the small lakeside town.
History
Valle de Bravo was originally settled by the Matlatzinca indigenous people, who were conquered by the Aztec in the 1470s. The first Spanish conquerors arrived in 1530. Dominicans, Augustinians and Franciscan all had a hand in evangelizing the indigenous populations and establishing churches in town and in nearby villages throughout the municipality (county).
During the Mexican War of Independence, royalist troops occupied the city and cracked down on sympathizers of the independence movement.
The lake was formed by a dam built between 1938 and 1947. Built to generate hydroelectric power, it is today a popular recreational area drawing up to a million visitors annually to the town. Tourism is the town's largest economic activity.
Get in
By bus
From Mexico City, take the metro line 1 to Observatorio, which is the city's western bus terminal. Multiple companies run an hourly service to Valle for M$100. From Toluca, the second-class Toluca-Valle de Bravo buses run hourly, though the trip takes almost twice as long as driving or taxi.
From Toluca airport TLC IATA, you can take a taxi direct to Valle (a bit over an hour), or rent a car and drive yourself.
By car
From downtown Toluca, take highway MEX 55 to the north side of Toluca, then turn west on to the Carraterra Valle de Bravo - Toluca, which you will stay on for about 60 km until you reach Valle de Bravo.
Get around
Taxis are one of the only ways of transportation in Valle de Bravo. Fares range from M$20 to M$150 for destinations in town, more to get to parks or outlying villages. There are also water taxis that take you across the lake.
See
- 🌍 Embarcadero Municipal (City Waterfront), Fray Gregorio Jiménez de La Cuenca s/n, La Estrella. Center of town life in Valle de Bravo. There are tour boats that will take you for a sightseeing cruise on the lake, you can walk around and take selfies at the town's letters, or you can stop in one of the many waterfront restaurants for a drink and some local cuisine. There are sometimes craft fairs or local festivals here.
- 🌍 Santuario de Santa María Ahuacatlán (Black Christ Chapel), Ameyal 101. Daily 10:00 - 19:00. This 17th century colonial era church is famed for its Cristo Negro (Black Christ) statue that is revered as a holy symbol. Religious faithful come from miles around to pray to the iconic Christ figure. Local tales say that the statue survived a fire but emerged in its blackened form. A side chapel contains testimonials and notes of thanks from worshippers whose prayers have been answered after praying to the Black Christ.
- 🌍 Parroquia San Francisco de Asis (Parish of Saint Francis of Asisi). 17th century church constructed with separate naves for indigenous and spanish people. A third (main) nave was added in the 20th century. The church features a number of religious artworks including a series of Italian oil paintings.
- 🌍 Cascada Velo de Novia (Bridal Veil Falls), Avandaro. Forested park area with a beautiful waterfall where the San Juan Creek drops 35 meters just before feeding into Lake Avandaro.
Do
Valle de Bravo has a huge range of activities and providers of all sorts of sporting equipment, lessons, and activities. The lake is the hub of water activities though backcountry treks in the nearby hills are a good way for landlubbers to experience the region.
- 🌍 Valle Aventura, Atardecer 121A, Sta. Maria Ahuacatlan, ☏ +52 726 262 7446. Daily 09:00 - 18:00. Adventure activity guides who can set you up with just about any activity that's done in the valley: they do 4WD treks, rent horses, can set you up with hang gliding lessons, or can arrange a day of sailing on the lake. Zip lines, off road motorcycles, kayaks and more. Prices are sometimes higher than individual providers, but you don't have to find individual providers on your own.
Water sports
Many visitors come to Valle de Bravo to sail, kayak, water ski or stand-up paddleboard on the lake.
- 🌍 Alahua, Av. del Carmen #19, Avandaro, ☏ +52 722 444 4033. M, Th 10:00 - 16:00, F-Sa 10:00 - 20:00, closed Tu-W. Center for wakeboarding and water skiing. Operates a store and several modern performance ski boats at the marina. Lessons cost M$2800 per hour (Feb 2024) using alahua's boats (less if you have your own boat on the lake with driver).
- 🌍 Mougly's and Bros., Paseo de Los Abetos Manzana 022, San Lorenzo, ☏ +527224065854. Daily 07:00 - 20:00. Wakeboarding and waterski instruction specializing in advanced skill training for the experienced aquatics practioner.
Paragliding
There are two spots in Valle de Bravo that are used for paragliding (parapente) and hang gliding: El Penon is the main site and is located several kilometers south of town while La Torre is close to town but is mostly used for demo tandem launches. Tandem demo flights are offered by several local paragliding clubs, though the course to get certified to pilot your own paraglider or hang-glider takes at least a week.
Nature watching
- Santuario Piedra Herrada (Monarch butterfly sanctuary), T.C. (Carr. Toluca - Ciudad Altamirano), ☏ +52 55 6180 9744. Daily 09:00 - 16:00. If you're in the area in late December to early January, you should go see one end of the massive monarch butterfly migration. If you want to hike up the mountain (at least 1 hour each way) to see them gathering in their tree sanctuary, this can be a half-day excursion. You can also rent horses to go up the mountain.
Buy
"Tianguis"(in Valle it is held on Mondays, from 7 or 8 in the morning, til late in the afternoon) is like an outdoor flea market, with many different booths. A lot of the clothing and shoes being sold are used items that have been brought back from trips to the U.S. to sell. There are various booths that sell C.D.s and DVDs, at very low prices but decent quality. There are many booths that sell fresh foods, such as fruits and vegetables, fresh meat, and tortillas. This is also a great place to grab a bite to eat. There are a lot of different booths where you can sit down and eat, but plan on getting there early to get a table. And don't worry about getting wet because all the booths are covered with tents. It is really a great place to go in Valle, you can find almost anything. From the guy who does a very good job cleaning and fixing jewelry for a really low price to the best "carnitas" you will ever have. The people in Valle are very nice! Downtown Valle is very, very beautiful.
- 🌍 Mercado de Artesanias, Avenida Benito Juarez Manzana 032, San Antonio, Centro. M-F 10:30 - 19:00, Sa-Su 10:00 - 20:00. Spacious and inviting folkart marketplace featuring Mexican artesanias, mostly from the Central Mexico region. Shops are set around an attractive central courtyard with a fountain and most shops specialize in one type of craft, such as woven goods, pottery, decorative arts, etc.
Eat
Street food
- Doña Petra, City square (Zocalo). There is an old lady who has a little portable kitchen that makes the most delicious pambasos ever. If you've never had one, this is the place. Just ask for the pambasos lady. If she's not there, there are other street vendors who make delicious food.
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Sweet
In Valle there are tons of different ice cream shops, that have a very wide variety of different flavors. Also there are ice cream carts in the town square. In the author's opinion the best kind to try is mamey (a type of fruit, that tastes like a mix of cantaloupe and almonds. The actual fruit is about the size of a mango, but is dark brown in color when ripe.) Tip: If you buy a "mamey" that is not quite ripe, wrap it in newspaper and let it sit a day or two. (Also, U.S customs will not allow this fruit to be brought into the United States even if you remove the pit).
Drink
There are plenty of nightclubs in Valle de Bravo that are geared towards tourists and weekend locals.
Sleep
There is a wide variety of lodging available in Valle de Bravo with a huge number of smaller posadas rented through web sites like airbnb. Marinas, golf courses and spas frequently have rooms available.
- 🌍 Meson de Leyendas, C. Francisco González Bocanegra 405, ☏ +55 726 262 4414. Doubles $1600-2000 MXN if booked in advance.
- 🌍 Hotel Misión Grand Valle de Bravo, Avenida, Fontana Brava s/n, Avandaro, ☏ +52 726 266 2773. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Comfortable mid-range hotel with waterfall views. Highlights are the buffet breakfast, the swimming pool and spa. Rooms are spacious but lack air conditioning and can get hot during the summer. M$3500.
- 🌍 El Santuario Resort, Carretera a Colorines Km. 4.5 San Gaspar del Lago, ☏ +52 726 262 9100. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Upscale holistic spa hotel with comfortable, well-furnished rooms, a restaurant serving vegan dishes, yoga classes, and easy access to the butterfly sanctuaries. M$4000.
- 🌍 Loto Azul & Spa, Tizates S / N, Col, Otumba, ☏ +52 726 262 0157. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate hotel with small, simply furnished rooms. Temazcal spa and swimming pool on-site. M$2200 (Feb 2024).