Hiking Mexico City: Desierto de los Leones - Convento

This is a relatively easy hike around the Desierto de los Leones National Park, in the south of Mexico City. It follows forest trails with gentle gradients around the park and is mostly on soft surfaces, making it suitable for trail running or mountain biking as well.

The walk begins from the 16th century former Carmelite convent which dominates the lower slopes of the park. I highly recommend including a visit to the convent on this itinerary. The building and gardens are exceptionally beautiful and well worth exploring.

If you would prefer a more challenging hike in the area, you may also want to check out our route to Cerro San Miguel.

Route Description

Start	Distance	Elevation Gain	Difficulty	Rating
Mexico City	15.0km	400m	Easy	***

This route begins at the ex-convent in the Desierto de los Leones National Park. You could also start from La Venta, where the route finishes, which is more easily accessible by public transport (see below), this would add another 4km on to the walk, but with no significant elevation gain.

The climb begins in shaded forest making for pleasant temperatures

From the ex-convent you head south, crossing over some cobbles before joining the trail on the edge of the forest. There are some information boards explaining some of the wildlife in the region. There are no jaguars or pumas here, but it is also worth keeping an eye out for rattlesnakes ('viboras cascabeles' in Spanish), which do inhabit the park.

The walk begins at an elevation of around 3,000m. At this altitude, breathing can become slightly more challenging, although it is not significantly higher than Mexico City itself, and with the cleaner mountain air, you might even be breathing more easily!

The first part of the route is uphill, following the main forest trail south from the convent.

A Lightly cobbled path

At the first crossroads, continue straight ahead until you reach a junction next to a fallen tree barrier. Turn left here and descend lightly for around 500m.

Join the lightly cobbled trail heading right and continue as this goes uphill and turns sharply right, becoming a charming single track.

The wall route

The trail is partially destroyed by falling trees in this section, but bypass routes have been made and are easy to follow. Continue on the trail until you reach the remains of an old wall running down the hill.

Here you join the Muro trail (wall trail) heading downhill as far as a larger gravel road. Turn right on the road, passing some cabanas and small buildings, and continue until you arrive back at the junction with the fallen tree.

The surface on this route is alslo good for trail running

Turn left here and continue down to the convent. We recommend visiting the convent, and there are also plenty of restaurants where you can try tlayudas and other mountain dishes.

If you parked at the convent then your route finishes here. If you need to return to the city by bus, continue following the trail to La Venta, this is gently downhill and is a nice forested trail, crossing a couple of streams. Turn left in La Venta, following the road towards the Mexico-Toluca motorway, where you will find the bus stop.

Flowers in the convent garden

How to Get To Desierto de los Leones

The Desierto de los Leones National Park is relatively easy to reach from the city. By car you can simply take the highway to Toluca via Santa Fe, exiting at the junction to La Venta. Here you can either park at La Venta to begin the hike, or drive up to the former convent, where there is also plenty of parking available.

The National Park can also be reached by Uber, and depending on the time and the day it can cost anywhere from around $220 - $400 pesos. Some drivers may not know the area very well, so it is worth being clear exactly where you need to be dropped off. On the return it can be trickier (and sometimes almost impossible) to find an Uber driver willing to come and pick you up, so it's worth having a back plan just in case.

By Metro and Bus

By far the cheapest way is by public transport. Depending on where you are leaving from, this doesn't necessarily take significantly longer than by car.

The first step is to take the metro to Tacubaya. Now, if you haven't been to Tacubaya before, it can be a bit overwhelming. Regardless of which metro line you arrive on, it is easiest to take the main exit for Line 9. Then take a left and you will be greeted with rows of combis and buses. You need to find bus 110b or 110c going towards Acopilco - it is probably best to just ask someone for Acopilco and they will point you in the right direction.

Stay on the bus until the stop closest to the park - Autopista Constituyentes Y La Venta. Depending on traffic this can take as little as 30 minutes and as much as 90 minutes.

After leaving the bus you will see a footbridge in front. Take this to cross the motorway and follow the road around into La Venta. You can then either start the hike from La Venta or take a local taxi or combi to the former convent, to begin walking from there.

To return to Mexico City, after the hike, you just have to do the opposite, taking the bus from La Venta to Tacubaya metro. The hiking route here finishes at the bus stop.

Desierto de los Leones National Park

This is one of our favourite hiking areas close to Mexico City. It is generally quiet during the week, making for very pleasant walks. At the weekend it is busier, but it's still easy to get away from the crowds if you are happy to do a bit of climbing - such as on this route.

Desierto de los Leones is perhaps best known for the large Carmelite former convent, which is well worth a visit. The convent dates to the early 17th century, not too long after the Spanish conquest of the region. It was secularized in the late 19th century following Reform Laws.

You can explore the interior of the convent visiting churches, cloisters, monks cells and even a hairdressing room. The gardens are also very beautiful to explore, with attractive flowers, fountains and brickwork.

The former convent at Desierto de los Leones

Nearby Routes