Los Dinamos National Park

Los Dinamos is a Natural Protected Area with an area of 2,429 hectares of forest. There is a 26 kilometer network of ecopaths where you can practice various activities such as biking, rock climbing, zip lining, rappelling, camping, trout fishing and horseback riding. This is simply one of the best places in the city to visit with children so they can enjoy nature and spend a nice evening playing outdoors.

It is called Los Dinamos because there are some old textile mill facilities where electricity was generated from the flowing water.

The park is an ecotourism belt with forests, waterfalls and cascades of the Magdalena River, the last river of Mexico City.

In the surrounding area there are businesses where you can eat mushroom soup and quesadillas and buy pulque.

Where the name comes from. The "dinamos" were the installations of old textile mills that generated electricity from the force of the Magdalena River; the name stuck to the area and to the four clearings that organise it. The Magdalena, which runs through the park, is the last living river in Mexico City, and it is the spine of every walk here: waterfalls, cascades and rock walls along the canyon.

What you can do. Beyond walking the 26 kilometres of trails, there is rock climbing, rappelling, zip-lining, mountain biking, camping, horse riding and trout fishing at the hatcheries. Signposted routes serve beginners, with demanding stretches for people used to mountain walking; the most spectacular scenery lies beyond the first trails, so allow time. Guides are available every day.

The wildlife. The forest still holds species that have all but vanished from the valley: axolotl, teporingo —the volcano rabbit— harlequin quail, deer, sparrows, hummingbirds, swifts, hawks and wild rabbit. It is a protected natural area, so plants and animals stay where they are, and rubbish goes back down with you.

Getting there. By car, the approaches are Avenida San Francisco, Avenida San Jerónimo or Camino a Santa Teresa, in La Magdalena Contreras. By public transport, get off at Miguel Ángel de Quevedo or Copilco metro stations and take a bus along San Jerónimo or Avenida Guadalupe: they run roughly every 40 minutes, and from Calle Guadalupe it is about a fifteen-minute walk. Taxis are usually waiting at the bus terminal. The last village before the park is Magdalena Atlitic.

When to go. Weekdays are nearly empty; weekends fill up, and that is when the local trout restaurants open. Bring a sweater even in sunshine: you are above 2,700 metres and the canyon is damp and shaded.