RECREATION

If all that city living has got you in need of some sport, fear not, there’s a myriad of ways to sate the craving. The outdoor-adventure enthusiast has really an embarrassment of possibilities, ranging from climbing glacier-covered 5,000-meter peaks, rock climbing up six pitches of 5.11 sport climbing, mountain biking for literally hours or days through endless pine-forested countryside, paragliding and hang gliding, and heart-stopping white-water river rafting through jungle-clad canyons. Those less addicted to adrenaline will find endless destinations for more relaxed hikes through picturesque countryside, with Aztec ruins, colonial-era monasteries, or even monarch butterfly sanctuaries among the many destinations to choose from.

Guides for specific adventure sports are discussed throughout this chapter, but for general outdoor excursions, readers can look to www.amtave.org, the website of the Mexican Association of Adventure Tourism and Ecotourism, with links to many different adventure travel guide companies and lots of other good information besides. Mochilazo (tel. 5239-5485, www.mochilazo.com.mx) is one company geared toward younger adventure travelers, with all sorts of trips available, including rock climbing, paragliding, caving, and white-water rafting.

Those more inclined toward spectator sports will find plenty to keep them entertained, too. Soccer, or futból, as it’s called here, is the ruling passion in Mexico, and Mexico City has three stadiums where you can watch local league games and the national team. Baseball also has a following in D.F., as does bullfighting (not for the squeamish!), horseracing, and lucha libre, as the colorful professional wrestling is known here.

Best Hiking and Mountain Biking: On the flanks of El Ajusco, outdoor enthusiasts will be happy to find San Nicolás Totolapan, a community-managed forest reserve. For a nominal fee, hikers and bikers can roam over 150 kilometers of well-maintained and guarded trails, or take guided naturalist walks for a bit more. (read more)

Strangest Place to Go Rock Climbing: You have to drive through the industrial neighborhoods of northern Mexico City, but when you arrive to Parque Ecológico El Cantil, you’ll see that although the surroundings are less than bucolic, the wall of 25-meter cliffs offers dozens of great top-rope and even a few trad routes ranging in difficulty from 5.8–5.12. (read more)

Best Place to Go for a Jog: The Primera Sección (First Section) of Chapultepec Park is criss-crossed with paths through grassy meadows and groves of trees and around a couple of small lakes—an ideal and safe place for a run away from all the traffic. Better to come during the week, though, as the park fills up on weekends. (read more)

Best Public Golf Course: The golf courses within the city itself are all private, but one good public course just south of Mexico City is the reasonably-priced Campestre Cocoyoc. (read more)

Best Fútbol Stadium: The 120,000 seat Estadio Azteca is quite a spectacle if you can grab a seat for a national team match, but for most regular league games, the better bet is the lively Estadio Universitario in the national university. (read more)

Best Place to Lay a Wager: For a lazy afternoon of sipping drinks and betting on the ponies, head out to Hipódromo de las Américas. With bets allowed as low as a dime, you don’t need to be a big spender to participate. (read more)

Least P.C. Way to Spend the Afternoon: Foxhunting may be a thing of the past in Britain, but bullfighting is alive and well here in Mexico. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it is certainly a most unusual, ritualistic spectacle. The big shows are held at the Monumental Plaza de Toros México. (read more)