Discovering yet another beautiful, wild, and exotic hiking route through the local jungles is always a thrill; and when you follow that trail in the company of an experienced ecologist-guide, it’s even better. Recently Donna and I (and our little dog Ziggy) joined Sayulita-based guide Steven Pomeroy, who calls his company MexiTreks, on an inspired hike up the river from the next town north of Sayulita, San Pancho. A two hour hike up this river—we probably zig-zagged across it a dozen times, following the trail, so if you go wear water shoes—took us deep into the local forest, where eventually we arrived at the sublime little waterfall you see here. Like our recent hikes with Sayulita’s other jungle-savvy guide, Chilly Willy, this hike in the company of Steve Pomeroy was more than a strenuous, visually thrilling walk through a beautiful jungle, for Steve knows his way around these Nayarit jungles, and was able to share plenty of plant and animal lore with us.
This hike commences a few miles north of Sayulita, at the junction of Highway 200 and the San Pancho River, which runs through the north side of San Pancho. Here, you park near a couple of funky ranchos, and head under a highway bridge and then upstream. The open valley and its wide, rocky stream eventually gives way to more forested terrain, the creek grows more rapid, and you begin to climb, slowly, into the hills. Along the way, we passed a couple of ranchos, including one where a guy sells an amazing array of medicinal herbs. We also passed one hombre on a burro headed down into town. Steve told us this hombre lives in the very last house up the river, before the jungle gets too dense for habitation. We passed his house moments later. Talk about living in the wild!! This guy is waaaaay off the grid, to say the least.
Steve pointed out some pretty cool stuff along the way. The black mass visible on the tree trunks, which looks very much like a fungal growth of some kind, is actually a seething conglomeration of caterpillars, clustering together, driven by their gene code to camouflage themselves as something other than what they are, so that the birds don’t eat them. Steve says kids at the Costa Verde School here in town, where he taught for a couple of years, used to find similar clusters of these caterpillars at the school. They call them “burning worms”, because they sting to the touch. Kind of creepy, definitely fascinating.
We watched a noisy flock of lilac-crowned parakeets fly past—a large flock, which made Steve happy as they are an endangered, protected species and he doesn’t see so many so often—and roost in the trees nearby. We saw orange-fronted parakeets, black-throated magpie jays, and kiskadees. Steve showed us how the local people make rock dams for the river shrimp to hide under, and then harvest them with nets. We strolled through a forest of Capomo trees, whose bark is used for making a medicinal tea, and whose seeds, when they appear every couple of years, are more caffeinated than coffee beans. We checked out a rubber tree, a variety of ficus, and Steve described how the Mayans used the sap to make balls for their games, handles for their tools, and rain-proof finishes for their clothing. We strolled past a huge old Parota tree, also known as the Huanacaxtle—La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, the nearby town, was named after a grand old specimen of this tree that was blown down in a hurricane a few years back—and learned that along with its great shade-making properties, it has incredibly hard, termite-resistant wood and so is heavily harvested for lumber; and because its leaves are full of protein, when the branches grow low to the ground, the ranchers let their cattle feed on them. We saw small planted orchards of teak trees and lime trees, blue sky vines with their gorgeous flowers, butterflies too numerous to count, orchids on the verge of blooming, myriad bromeliads; and then we arrived at the waterfall, stuck our heads in under the spray, chilled for a little while, and headed back. The experience was illuminating and refreshing and a whole lot of good, inspiring fun. That’s what the natural world can do for you: inspire!!
There is another waterfall 15 minutes farther up the trail. From there, the hike continues all the way to San Ignacio, and takes from 3 to 5 hours, depending on how fast you walk and where you stop to shoot your photos and immerse yourself in the environment around you. We chose to double back halfway. The entire walk is an extended u-shape, so you can park a car at one end and taxi back at the other. Better yet, do it with Steve Pomeroy, and learn your way through the jungle.
Steve calls his business MexiTreks. He can be reached at 322-108-8436, and you’ll find him on Facebook as well. A half-day hike is $40 a person, minimum 2 persons, maximum 10, 20 per cent discount for 4 or more. Along with this hike, Steve offers a Monkey Mountain half-day hike for the same price, and an all-day hike to Alta Vista—an hour by car each way being part of the Alta Vista hike—for $60 a head. With its tumbling river rapids (not so much in the dry season) and dozens of ancient petroglyphs, Alta Vista is simply amazing. Don’t miss a trip up there if you have a chance.
Bring your own food, to avoid allergy issues. Steve will help you plan on what to bring, and he is fully geared up for all medical emergencies, allergic reactions, and the like. There are some strange bugs and plants out there, with who knows what kinds of odd and venomous chemicals in their systems, so the allergy stuff is good to have onboard for the hike. What there are not, out there, are dangerous people, armed people, scary people, or any kind of people with anything other than peaceful intentions. We saw one person on our hike. A man on a burro, heading to town, unarmed and entirely at peace. This part of Mexico, on the Pacific Coast, is entirely pacific. Hiking through the forests around here is a magical mystery tour.
Chilly Willy and Steve Pomeroy are both involved in the Environmental Vigilantes, a local group organized to “police” the forest, bust poachers, help keep things clean, and generally manage or at least help maintain the health of the wonderful lands and waters that surround Sayulita. If you’d like to see how you might pitch in or volunteer, you can find out more about them from Steve Pomeroy, Chilly Willy, or Pro Sayulita.
We can’t emphasize enough how utterly beautiful are the jungles and hills of Nayarit. If the waves are too small, or you’re tired of the beach, get in touch with Steve Pomeroy and discover another version of Mexico—the wild jungle, our local wilderness, and all that it contains. There are boa constrictors and jaguars up there as well, and if you’re lucky you might spot one. That would be a major thrill.
