Viewpoint 8 km west of Córdoba
A deep, misty ravine with 19th-century railway tunnels, an old track you can walk, and some of Mexico's tallest bridges.
The Barranca de Metlac is the gorge the Metlac River has cut between Fortín de las Flores and Ixtaczoquitlán, on the way from Córdoba to Orizaba. Its walls are covered in humid mountain forest, and mist often fills it in the morning, which gives the place an eerie, half-hidden feel.
Getting the railway across it was one of the great engineering problems of the Ferrocarril Mexicano, the line between Veracruz and Mexico City that opened in 1873. Engineers dug a string of tunnels along the ravine wall and built a curved iron bridge high over the river; the painter José María Velasco made it famous in the 1880s. The old bridge was later replaced, and today modern railway and highway bridges span the ravine at dizzying heights.
In 2023 the federal government declared the stretch of railway between Sumidero and Fortín, with its seven tunnels and old stations, a zone of historic monuments. Part of the old track bed is now walked and biked by visitors, and a lookout on the Fortín side gives a view down into the forest.
What to see and do
Look down into the ravine from the lookout on the Fortín side, best early before the mist rises or late in the afternoon.
Walk the old railway line through the tunnels with a local guide.
Mountain bike along the former track bed.
Spot the tall modern bridges of the railway and the Córdoba–Orizaba highway.
Getting there
The ravine is about 20 minutes from Córdoba: drive or take a bus to Fortín de las Flores and follow the road toward Ixtaczoquitlán to the lookout. Trails into the ravine are rough and the railway is still in use, so going with a local guide is strongly recommended; avoid walking on active tracks.
8 km west of Córdoba
Directions from Córdoba on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Weather mild
Barranca de Metlac shares the climate of Córdoba, 8 km away. The best months to visit are Feb, Mar, Apr, Dec.
Make Córdoba your base
Barranca de Metlac is an easy trip from Córdoba, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Orizaba · 12 km away
More around Córdoba
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Fortín de las Flores
· Town · 7 km away
Córdoba's flower-growing neighbor: gardenia and orchid nurseries, a bonsai museum, and the edge of the Metlac ravine. -
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A national park since 1938 around Orizaba, with pine-covered peaks, waterfalls on the Río Blanco, and trails above the valley. -
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A spring-fed lake in the town of Nogales, clear and cold, where locals swim, row, and stroll under the trees. -
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Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.