An Oasis in the Desert

Set within one of Monterrey’s most emblematic spaces, the first day serves as an introduction to the city and its industrial legacy, with time to explore at your own pace one of its most important urban parks.

Activities

Upon arrival at Aeropuerto Internacional de Monterrey, the group is welcomed and transferred to the Holiday Inn Express Monterrey Fundidora. The hotel is located beside Parque Fundidora, a free-access, inclusive, and multifunctional urban park considered one of the city’s main green lungs.

Parque Fundidora holds the designation of Industrial Archaeology Site Museum granted by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), preserving 27 macrostructures, 127 pieces of steel machinery and tools, and 16 former industrial warehouses—now part of a key heritage complex that explains Nuevo León’s industrial development.

The remainder of the day is at leisure, with cultural venues, recreational areas, and green spaces just steps from the hotel.

This day unfolds between relaxation, wellness, and historical heritage across two contrasting settings: the desert landscape of Icamole and the traditional urban fabric of García.

Activities

After breakfast, we meet in the hotel lobby and depart toward the Icamole Desert. Our first stop is Termas de San Joaquín, natural hot springs emerging from underground at approximately 42°C (107°F). Beneath Roman-inspired vaults, we enjoy a wellness-focused experience that includes guided meditation in the thermal waters and a sound therapy session with singing bowls, making the most of the site’s mineral properties.

Following the thermal experience, lunch is provided before continuing to the municipality of García. There, a guided visit of the church and historic center is led by the local chronicler, who shares the town’s historical and cultural context.

At the end of the visit, we return to Monterrey for rest at the hotel.

This day is dedicated to understanding the landscape that visually and geologically defines Monterrey, through a specialized exploration of one of northeastern Mexico’s most emblematic canyons and a historical review of the city’s development.

Activities

After breakfast, we depart toward the municipality of Santa Catarina to enter De la Huasteca Canyon. Guided by specialists, we explore this mountain range of dramatic vertical walls, considered a world-class site for studying the geological processes that give rise to mountains.

Strategic stops allow for fossil observation, explanation of geological materials that compose the mountains, and identification of rocks and minerals. The tour includes the central valley—where geological deformation and erosion processes are analyzed—as well as the vertical walls along the southern flank of the Sierra de los Muertos.

Afterward, we visit the Museo del Blanqueo, providing context on the relationship between industry, territory, and the surrounding mountains. Lunch is included, followed by a guided visit to the Museo de Historia Mexicana.

At the conclusion of the day’s activities, we return to the hotel for rest.

After breakfast at the hotel, free time is available to relax, organize luggage, or enjoy a personal activity according to departure schedules. At the designated time, transfer to Monterrey International Airport is provided for the return flight, concluding the tour.