Last Updated on: 4th August 2024, 11:29 pm
At some point when researching popular Mexico travel destinations, you’ve likely come across images of a giant monolith towering over a quaint colonial town. Easily accessible from the city of Querétaro, hiking Peña de Bernal is indeed one of the top things to do in this part of the country.
Nearby, meanwhile, is yet another popular town known as Tequisquiapan. But is it worth going out of your way for? Keep reading to find out.
For more information on reaching both towns, as well as where to stay in Querétaro, be sure to check the end of the article.
Hiking Peña de Bernal
Bernal is one of Mexico’s 170 or so Pueblos Mágicos, or ‘Magic Towns,’ a designation intended to boost tourism in remarkable small towns throughout the country.
But in contrast to many other Pueblos Mágicos, the real highlight of Bernal isn’t so much its historic churches or museums, but the monolithic Peña de Bernal which looms over it.
And in addition to viewing it from afar, hiking Peña de Bernal is undoubtedly the main reason to come here. But before visiting, you should be aware that ordinary visitors can’t climb to the very top of the monolith.
It would be much too steep for regular hikers, so both special gear and an authorized guide are required. Normal visitors can, however, hike most of the way up, with the trek ending at a scenic viewpoint.
Even if you’re not much of a hiker, hiking Peña de Bernal is both relatively easy and short, with the ascent lasting about an hour. During my visit, I even saw plenty of children and elderly making the journey.
That’s not to say, however, that the hike won’t leave you out of breath at some points. And given the rocky and sometimes steep terrain, it’s best to wear hiking boots if you have them, though they’re not an absolute must.
Getting off the bus from Querétaro in the morning, I ate a quick breakfast at a local restaurant before heading straight for the trail. After an initial uphill ascent, you’ll encounter a cluster of food stands and souvenir stalls before reaching the ticket gate.
That’s right, hiking Peña de Bernal is not free, and a ticket costs about 50 pesos at the time of writing.
While the smoothness and flatness of the trail continually varies, there’s never any confusion about where to go, so no special maps or phone apps are required.
Throughout the journey, be sure to regularly turn around to catch stunning views of Bernal down below.
At around 430 m high, Peña de Bernal is one of the largest monoliths in the world. Though online lists appear to vary greatly, some place it as high as second or third, right behind monoliths like the Rock of Gibraltar or Brazil’s Sugarloaf Mountain.
And according to geologists, it was formed around 100 million years ago. Much like Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, Peña de Bernal is a volcanic plug.
As with many geological anomalies throughout the world, it’s also been considered sacred by the region’s indigenous peoples. The Otomi and Chichimeca peoples have long made pilgrimages to the summit, while in ancient times they’d take refuge in one of Peña de Bernal’s thirty or so caves.
Interestingly, even before the introduction of Christianity to the region, the natives would carry crosses to the top of the monolith. But rather than the Christian cross, it was a representation of the Mesoamerican Tree of Life.
The pilgrimage continues to take place to this day, with the annual event happening on May 4th. The cross, however, now more closely resembles a Christian one.
Remarkably, Bernal residents are said to have an especially long lifespan, averaging an amazing 94.5 years. And many attribute this to the supposed life-giving energies of Peña de Bernal.
And similar to Tepoztlán in Morelos, the area is said to be a hotbed of paranormal activities and frequent UFO sightings!
Making my way to the final viewpoint, I found myself alone. I relaxed for a while at the edge to take in the gorgeous views in silence before the other hikers arrived.
Once at the viewpoint, it’s another 45 meters or so to the top. While it was tempting to continue hiking just a little bit higher, signs make it clear that going any further is prohibited.
After several more minutes, I decided to make my descent, during which I passed more and more hikers making their way up. I was glad I’d started the journey relatively early in the morning, which is what I recommend everyone hiking Peña de Bernal do as well.
Around Bernal
The town of Bernal was founded in the year 1642. Originally, it served as an outpost to protect Spanish residents from Chichimec attacks, as even well after the defeat of the Aztec Empire, skirmishes with the semi-nomadic Chichimecs were frequent.
But nowadays, Bernal is a tranquil and rather sleepy little town – even in spite of its popularity with tourists.
In the town center, you can find the Church of San Sebastian, Bernal’s prominent church. As far as museums go, Bernal is home to Rosalío Solano Museum of National Cinema as well as the Museum of the Mask.
Unfortunately, despite visiting in the middle of the week, the museums were closed on the day of my visit. And other than catching different vantage points of Peña de Bernal in the distance, the town doesn’t have a whole lot to offer.
Many visitors to Bernal visit the nearby Pueblo Mágico of Tequisquiapan on the same day, with the two towns being just 45 minutes apart by car. But if you’re getting around by public transport, you’ll have to transfer in the town of Ezequiel Montes.
I thought I’d give it a shot and waited by a bus stop marked on Maps.me. But after fifteen minutes or so of waiting, and with no signage indicating that I was in the right place, I lost patience and gave up.
I returned to the main road to the east of town, where I did indeed see an Ezequiel Montes-bound bus pass by. But by this point, I’d already made up my mind to return to Querétaro and save Tequisquiapan for another day. But this would turn out to be a mistake.
Tequisquiapan: Mexico's Most Boring Magic Town?
If you’re wondering what Tequisquiapan is like, imagine Bernal without its monolith. And after exploring Tequisquiapan for a couple of hours, I found myself wondering why I went through the trouble to come.
Oddly enough, I see Tequisquiapan hyped up a lot online, both by Mexicans and older expats. And it is indeed a pleasant and tranquil town, mainly known for its high-quality wine and cheese.
But if you’re not interested in blowing money on a wine tasting tour, Tequisquiapan has very little else to offer.
In the main square, you’ll find the town’s main church, Iglesia de Santa Maria Asuncion. Originally built in the 16th century, it received a makeover in the 19th century when it received its current pink appearance.
While it is indeed an interesting church, there are dozens of more impressive ones to be found throughout the country.
The other main landmark in Tequisquiapan is the monument which declares the town as Mexico’s precise geographical center. But it was declared as far back as 1917 when precise measurement tools were lacking.
Given Mexico’s shape, determining the exact center is tricky even now. But towns in the states of Guanajuato, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas all make similar claims. None of them, however, have a monument like this one, which was placed here in 1978.
The only other attraction in town, as far as I could tell, was the Miniature Museum. But upon arrival, I found it closed, with a sign stating that it’s only open from Thursday to Sunday!
I gave it my best shot and wandered around some more, looking for anything remotely unique or interesting. But I eventually gave up, and headed back to the bus stop to return to Querétaro.
Additional Info
Getting to Bernal from Querétaro is pretty straightforward. First, take an Uber to the main bus station. The layout of the station is a little confusing, as it contains multiple terminals – almost like an airport. But tell your driver you want to use the Flecha Amarilla company and he should know where to drop you off.
At the time of writing, Flecha Amarilla runs buses to Bernal at 7:35, 9:00, 11:35, 13:35 and 15:35, with the journey lasting about an hour. When arriving in Bernal, not that many other passengers will be getting off, and the town also lacks a bus station. So just ask the driver to let you off at one of the bus stops along the highway.
As mentioned above, getting from Bernal to Tequisquiapan requires transferring in the town of Ezequiel Montes. Your best bet is to wait at one of the bus stops on the main highway.
If you’re interested in heading to Tequisquiapan directly from Querétaro, I personally don’t feel the trip is worth it. But if you still want to go, you can use the Flecha Azul company. It’s a sister company of Flecha Amarilla and the ticket counters are right next to one another.
While I didn’t capture a shot of the timetable and it doesn’t seem to be posted online, buses seem to leave fairly regularly.
As mentioned above, reaching the top of the monolith requires a guide and special gear. Fortunately, these excursions can easily be booked online, such as this highly-rated rock climbing and rappelling tour.
If you’re interested in visiting both Bernal and Tequisquiapan, but are more interested in wine tasting than hiking, consider this tour.
Querétaro is a fast-growing city of over a million residents, with a charming, albeit small, historical center at its core. And as is the case with many Mexican cities of its size, the main bus terminal is quite far from the city center.
Wanting to experience the city while also using it as a base for day trips, I was debating whether to stay in the historical center or closer to the bus terminal. But in Querétaro’s case, the main bus terminal is surrounded by highway overpasses and simply cannot be walked to (at least as far as I could tell).
That leaves the historical center area as the only logical option if you’re visiting Querétaro as a tourist.
One of the top-rated hotels in the center is Hotel Hidalgo (around $40 USD per night plus tax). Those looking for something slightly cheaper may want to consider Hi Hotel Impala Queretaro, while there are also plenty of options on Airbnb.