Flights to Sierra Gorda
A biosphere reserve in Querétaro with five Franciscan missions of wild folk-baroque carving, cloud forest, and a limestone sinkhole you can rappel into.
Tourism hasn't reached it yet. Here is exactly how to, and how long that's likely to last.
Open on the live mapTrack your flight thereGetting to Sierra Gorda
17 airports have scheduled nonstop service to QRO (Querétaro Intercontinental Airport). From there: drive ~110 km from QRO.
All 17 nonstop origins
| From | Airport | Airlines | Flight time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico CityMexico | MEX | Aeroméxico | ~48m |
| GuadalajaraMexico | GDL | Volaris | ~1h |
| Puerto VallartaMexico | PVR | Volaris | ~1h 16m |
| MonterreyMexico | MTY | VivaAerobus, Volaris | ~1h 19m |
| San AntonioUnited States | SAT | VivaAerobus, Volaris | ~1h 52m |
| San Jose Del CaboMexico | SJD | VivaAerobus | ~1h 54m |
| HoustonUnited States | IAH | United Airlines, VivaAerobus, Volaris | ~2h 3m |
| CancunMexico | CUN | VivaAerobus, Volaris | ~2h 21m |
| Dallas-Fort WorthUnited States | DFW | American Airlines, VivaAerobus, Volaris | ~2h 23m |
| OrlandoUnited States | MCO | Volaris | ~3h 16m |
| AtlantaUnited States | ATL | Aeroméxico | ~3h 18m |
| TijuanaMexico | TIJ | VivaAerobus, Volaris | ~3h 19m |
| DenverUnited States | DEN | Volaris | ~3h 23m |
| Los AngelesUnited States | LAX | Volaris | ~3h 34m |
| ChicagoUnited States | ORD | Volaris | ~3h 58m |
| DetroitUnited States | DTW | Aeroméxico | ~4h 16m |
| MadridSpain | MAD | Boston-Maine Airways | ~12h 13m |
Routings from major airports
| From | Stops | Via | Door to door |
|---|---|---|---|
Dallas-Fort WorthDFW
| nonstop | — | ~5h 13m |
New YorkJFK
| 1 stop | ATL | ~8h 17m |
Los AngelesLAX
| nonstop | — | ~6h 24m |
MiamiMIA
| 1 stop | MEX | ~6h 51m |
ChicagoORD
| nonstop | — | ~6h 48m |
LondonLHR
| 1 stop | ATL | ~15h 23m |
TorontoYYZ
| 1 stop | IAH | ~8h 6m |
Why it's still quiet
A biosphere reserve in Querétaro with five Franciscan missions of wild folk-baroque carving, cloud forest, and a limestone sinkhole you can rappel into.
The friction
Three hours from Mexico City and almost no foreign visitors.
Background
The Sierra Gorda is an ecological region centered on the northern third of the Mexican state of Querétaro and extending into the neighboring states of Guanajuato, Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí. Within Querétaro, the ecosystem extends from the center of the state starting in parts of San Joaquín and Cadereyta de Montes municipalities and covering all of the municipalities of Peñamiller, Pinal de Amoles, Jalpan de Serra, Landa de Matamoros and Arroyo Seco, for a total of 250 km2 of territory. The area is extremely rugged with high steep mountains and deep canyons. As part of the Huasteca Karst, it also contains many formations due to erosion of limestone, especially pit caves known locally as sótanos. The area is valued for its very wide diversity of plant and animal life, which is due to the various microenvironments created by the ruggedness of the terrain and wide variation in rainfall. This is due to the mountains' blocking of moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico, which generally makes the east side fairly moist and the west semiarid scrub brush. Most of the region is protected in two biosphere reserves, with the one centered in Querétaro established in 1997 and the one centered in Guanajuato established in 2007. The Sierra Gorda is considered to be the far west of the La Huasteca region culturally and it is home to the Franciscan Missions in the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro World Heritage Site. Sierra Gorda has become the first National Park in Mexico to join the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations program.
Questions
- Is there a nonstop flight to Sierra Gorda?
- Yes — 17 airports fly nonstop to QRO (Querétaro Intercontinental Airport), including Atlanta, Cancun, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit.
- Which airport do you fly into for Sierra Gorda?
- QRO — Querétaro Intercontinental Airport.
- When is the best time to visit Sierra Gorda?
- Oct–May. Three hours from Mexico City and almost no foreign visitors.
- What does Sierra Gorda cost per day?
- Varies by season.
- Why is Sierra Gorda still quiet?
- A biosphere reserve in Querétaro with five Franciscan missions of wild folk-baroque carving, cloud forest, and a limestone sinkhole you can rappel into.