Few rivers in Jalisco give you a choice of a cool refreshing swim, a warm, relaxing soak or a natural shower featuring drinkable, coconut-flavored water.
Believe it or not, the Ferreria River offers all three choices and completely free of charge. On top of that, chances are good you and your friends will be the only ones there, even on a weekend.
We last visited this very special river – located 50 kilometers west of Lake Chapala – 11 years ago, so we wondered whether we’d find the humble home of our old friend Don Andres Robles still perched above the river or perhaps replaced by a luxury hotel or balneario.
To our relief, the old house was still there, hidden among great clouds of gorgeous bugambilias (so much easier to spell than bougainvilleas). Don Andres’ wife Monica stood at the gate as we pulled up. “Hola, do you remember us?” I shouted out the window of the car.
“Si, si, you are John and Susy and we have been waiting for you for years.”
During a warm reunion, we were offered ripe papaya right off the tree and reminded of our past adventures together.
“Monica, do you remember the time you were following us on the mule and suddenly we found you dangling from a tree branch?”
“How about the day we visited la Cueva de los Bandoleros, Don Andres? All of us ended up covered in mud and guano but you walked out of that cave with your big white sombrero perfectly spotless ... just how did you pull that off?”
Soon we were hiking down the dusty trail to the Rio Ferreria. Happily, it still had plenty of water even though it was the top of the dry season. On this day we were able to hop from stone to stone to cross this shallow stream, but I recommend wearing shoes which you don’t mind getting wet.
A trail took us 500 meters along the river to a hot spring surrounded by a low wall built by the local people. A layer of old leaves covered most of the surface of the pool, but there were nine of us in our group and with each one cooperating, we quickly cleared away the debris and jumped into the water, which is the perfect temperature to make you feel delightfully drowsy.
As we sank into a state of utter relaxation, I recalled feeling the very same way in this pool 11 years earlier, right before disaster struck.
I had taken two Mexican geologists to visit Bandoleros Cave and afterwards we had jumped into the hot pool to wash away the grime. Now, the level of this pool is about a meter above the river, but on that day it looked a bit less. Were the soothing vapors giving me delusions? The three of us took a good look and could actually see the river rising right before our eyes. Obviously it had rained somewhere upstream, but above us the sky was perfectly clear.
“Fuera de la pila!” I shouted, “Get out of the pool – we have to run for it!”
We could have earned a medal for how fast we got dressed, but the river was rising even faster and within a few minutes the walls of the hot pool simply disappeared. And there we were, halfway up the steep slope, hanging onto trees as our bubbling brook turned into a turbulent torrent. I would love to say we were not scared, but the fact that we were separated from our car by a raging river ominously suggested we were in for a long, miserable, cold, wet night.
Lucky for us, just before sunset the water level dropped enough that we could attempt a crossing. We had a 15-meter-long piece of nylon webbing along and the plan was to tie it around the waist of one of us who would then attempt to reach a big rock in the middle of the river without getting swept away. Alas, I quickly discovered that I was the least lousy swimmer among us and I would have the honor of attempting the crossing. Fortunately, the geologist belaying me was heavyset, so at least I had a good anchor. Very carefully, I edged my way to the big rock, fighting a current that wanted to lift me up and sweep me over the edge of a small waterfall a few meters away. Once I got to the middle, we stretched the webbing tight and told the other geologist to go join me. She was simply scared out of her wits and it took truly heroic skills of persuasion and cajoling to talk her into holding on tight to the taut nylon line and walking to the middle of that roaring, chocolate-colored river. But she did it and once all three of us were halfway across, we just repeated the same procedure, and soon we were back in our car, on our way to Guadalajara, dripping wet but glad to be alive.
After relaxing and reminiscing in the hot pool, our group of nine walked 200 meters upriver to the Coco-Cola Falls, so named because the water tastes like coconut and seems carbonated like Cola. Sad to say, we found that the output of this natural shower (which hangs above the river, decorated with cave-like stalactites), has been reduced to a dribble since someone decided to tap its source up on the river bank and pipe the spring water to an unknown destination downstream. Hopefully this room-temperature natural shower will come back to life in the winter.
We now headed en masse downstream to the swimming hole, which also features a large shady area perfect for picnicking. While swimming, we could watch three rock climbers from Guadalajara practicing tricky maneuvers in the huge entrance to Paso Real Cave, just above us. By the way, let me pass on to you the same advice we gave the climbers. Don’t go inside this cave because a fungus growing in the guano has given histoplasmosis to many visitors and supposedly killed a certain number of them.
Late in the afternoon, when some of us finally decided to leave, half the group simply couldn’t tear themselves away. For all I know, they may still be there, laughing and splashing in the deliciously cool water between the rocky banks of the sometimes unpredictable, but never dull Ferreria River.
How to get there
From Guadalajara, take Highway 80 toward Colima and then follow the signs for Barra de Navidad. From Lake Chapala just go to Jocotepec and head north on Highway 15. About two minutes after the turnoff to Barra de Navidad, the road suddenly forks with no sign telling you what’s what. Bear left at this frustrating fork. You’ll now go past Villa Corona and Cocula. About 21 kilometers past Cocula keep your eyes open for the Colotepec Restaurant on the left side of the highway, right next to a turnoff marked “Chiquilistlán.” Turn left here and drive for 16 kilometers, at which point you will cross the bridge over the River Ferreria. Keep driving one kilometer more and turn left into a parking area just on the side of a house belonging to Don Andres Robles. It’s sitting on a little hill, all by itself. If anyone is home, introduce yourself and ask permission to park there and visit the river. Next to the parking area you’ll find a trail heading downhill. A five minute walk will bring you to the river’s edge. You can get to the swimming area and the hot pool by crossing the river and walking upstream. Driving time from Guadalajara or the lake: about one hour and a half.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
