SLOW SALLY & CREW

We love getting off the beaten track. Sometimes, we put a lot of effort into finding and researching unique destinations – the hidden gems of travel. Other times, we wander off the beaten track like lost sheep, and the destinations we stumble upon are some of our favourites. And that’s how we found ourselves in the town of Guadalcázar.

In this post, we share how we wound up in Guadalcázar, why we stayed 5 days instead of 1, and the reasons you might want to visit this quirky, magical little place as well.

How We Wound Up in Guadalcázar

When we were climbing in El Potrero Chico (EPC) in January, we mentioned to a fellow climber that our southernmost destination was the city of San Luis Potosi (SLP). As soon as that name left our lips, his eyes lit up. He excitedly told us about a magical little place called Guadalcázar just north of SLP, and insisted we had to stop there to climb in other-worldly caves and eat pizza at the Aventurarte campground. It sounded epic, but we were already behind on our travel schedule and dismissed it without further thought.

Fast forward one month. We had stopped in the city of Matehuala for a night on our way to the city of San Luis Potosi when I checked the weather app. The forecast predicted 3 days in a row of 30+ degree celsius weather in SLP. What? That was unexpected! We (and more importantly, Walter) would bake on the city streets in those temperatures.

The motel parking lot in Matehuala was no place to kill time until the hot weather passed so I started scrolling around on Google maps, desperately looking for a campground in the mountains with cooler temperatures. As I scrolled, the name Guadalcázar jumped off the map, and pizza and cave climbing popped into my memory. Could this be THE Guadalcázar? It was! The promise of slightly cooler temperatures, green pastures, and space to roll out our awning was more than enough to convince us to adjust our itinerary, and we steered Sally toward Guadalcázar.

Why We Stayed

Our plan to spend 1-2 days in Guadalcázar morphed into 5. Every day there seemed to be yet another reason to stay “just 1 more day”. Here’s why…

Camping & Pizza at Aventuarte

The Aventurarte Campground is nestled into the hillside on the edge of town. It’s setting in the rolling hills amongst fields and ranches is idyllic. The campground amenities are rustic and only mostly functional, but this is easily forgiven thanks to the scenery and good vibes. There is graffiti art on the walls, a charming patio for the pizza restaurant, a pack of friendly dogs always ready to join hikers on a walk, and other climbers to hang out with. Upon arriving, we found ourselves a perfect little corner under the partial shade of a gigantic cactus.

After spending an afternoon settling in, we decided we had to spend at least one more day at the campground to sample the famous pizza and visit one of the caves. The pizza did indeed live up to the hype – it was the best pizza we’ve tasted in Mexico. By the next morning, we were already rationalizing extending our stay so that we could enjoy a second pizza night.

Hiking to Grutas De San Cayetano

The caves – it’s what the climbers who know the area rave and dream about. When we arrived at the campground, the other climbers were bedazzled by the San Cayetano cave and insistent that we had to get on some climbs. We were keen until we discovered that the easiest route in the cave is a 5.11b (in other words… hard!). We quickly backpedaled on our plans and decided it would be safer just to hike to the cave and watch other people climb.

The 1-hour hike was pleasant – partially shaded, winding through fields and forest, all the way to the much-anticipated cave. We were hot when we arrived midday and looking forward to cooling off in the depths of the cave… that is until we got to the entrance and discovered a very sketchy metal staircase. It was fine for us, but Walter said “NO!” – or at least that is how we interpreted his dog scream as we tried to drag him onto the staircase. So, Marc and I took turns exploring and cooling off in the cave while our “adventure mutt” waited at the top, panting in the heat. It turns out that most dogs refuse to go down the staircase and must be carried, however most Mexican dogs are more cartable than Walter.

Climbing in Grutas Las Candelas

In chatting with the other climbers, we discovered that a second cave – Grutas Las Candelas – has a handful of easier climbs in our range (5.8 – 5.10a), and is just a short drive from Aventurarte. The climbing in Las Candelas, although not as epic as San Cayetano for strong climbers, was perfect for us. We spent the afternoon playing on the easier climbs and hauling ourselves up routes using the huge stalagmite formations. It was so different from anything we’d climbed before, and we felt like real adventurers. It was awesome. While we climbed, Walter snoozed in a cool damp corner, content to be out of the heat of the day.

We decided to celebrate our epic climbing day with another pizza diner, only to discover that the pizza restaurant isn’t open on Tuesdays. Oops! Oh well, we’d have to stay another couple of days.

Visiting the Town of Guadalcázar

I’m declaring Guadalcázar the quietest town in Mexico. Mexico is a noisy place and even the smallest towns are typically full of music, fireworks, loud speakers announcing random things, and the hustle and bustle of daily life in the central square. Guadalcázar felt comparatively deserted.

I wouldn’t visit the area just to see the town, but if you’re staying at Aventurarte to climb, hike or camp, it’s absolutely worth popping in. It’s a very authentic town, the buildings are colourful, there are 2 nice old churches, and the ubiquitous tourist sign in the old square makes for a great photo op. The town also has everything a visitor or van traveller could need, including small grocery stores (abarrotes), a bank machine, a handful of restaurants, a weekly market, and an ice cream shop that, unfortunately, never opened while we were there. There is also a tortas (sandwich) stand in the central square with the best tortas we’ve had this trip.

Final Thoughts

We wound up staying 5 nights in Guadalcázar, which was 4 more than originally planned. While there, we met a new climber friend, who was the source of all information while were there (thanks Clay!), and Walter met several new dog friends. We tasted some of the best pizza in Mexico and climbed in caves we never even new existed. Our adventure in Guadalcázar was one of the most memorable of our trip so far. And as we didn’t stay long enough to enjoy a second pizza night, we’ll be back.

Our Tips & Recommendations

• If enjoy peaceful camping, visit the Aventurarte during weekdays. On weekends it sometimes gets busy with climbers and visitors from the surrounding area.
• The pizza restaurant is only open Thursdays – Sundays so if you’re visiting for the pizza, keep that in mind!
• Climbing routes in Grutas de San Cayetano are relatively difficult (5.11b and up) and not suited to less experienced climbers. However, the 2-hour round trip hike to the cave is pleasant, whether or not you climb when you get there.
• Grutas Las Candelas is just a 15 minute drive from Aventurarte and has a handful of really interesting easier (5.8 – 5.10a) climbing routes.

Stay Tuned

When we finally tore ourselves away from Guadalcázar, we were ready for a big city adventure and some urban camping in the city of San Luis Potosi. More about that in our next post!