Grutas de Bustamante

The Grutas de Bustamante, also called the Grutas del Palmito, open into the Sierra de Gomas about seven kilometers southwest of Bustamante. The story goes that in 1906 a local man out gathering palmito, the palm whose leaves are still woven into crafts in town, noticed a small opening high on the mountain, dug his way in and found a cave full of stalactites and stalagmites.

The limestone that holds the caves is thought to be some 50 to 60 million years old and was once under the sea, which is why you can spot fossil shells and snails in the walls. Inside, a guided route leads through a series of large chambers with colored lighting, where the guides point out formations that locals have named after the shapes they suggest. The temperature stays cool all year, a welcome change from summer in the valley below.

Outside the entrance, a viewpoint looks out over the valley and the plains beyond. Together with the canyon and the town's stone-oven bakeries, the caves are the classic day out from Monterrey, so weekdays are calmer.