Arco del Tiempo

The Arco del Tiempo is a giant natural arch of limestone deep inside the Río La Venta canyon, in the Selva El Ocote reserve west of Ocozocoautla. It is usually described as about 180 meters high, which would place it among the largest natural arches in the world, and the river runs right beneath it between canyon walls covered in forest.

The arch was documented by Italian cave explorers in 1989 and remained known mostly to expeditions for years. Today community guides lead trips to it, but it is still a real adventure: the La Venta canyon runs for some 80 kilometers, with walls up to 400 meters high and stretches only a few meters wide, and getting to the arch means hiking through the forest and dropping into the canyon on a rope.

The usual route starts in the community of General Cárdenas, in the neighboring municipality of Cintalapa. From there a rough track leads into the forest, followed by a walk of around 8 kilometers, several hours long and partly on steep, slippery ground, and a rappel of about 20 meters into the canyon. Most trips camp overnight.