By now, if you've followed along on this road trip you are probably tired and thinking how in the world did they do all of this!
We got early and had our best meal in Terlingua at a hole in the wall cafe inside the one gas station here! We were sad we didn't visit here before.
Then, we proceeded to the side of Big Bend National Park that we had not explored yet! We headed to the park entry to Boquillas Del Carmen, Mexico. At the current time of this trip, travel advisories were against travel to Mexico due to some kidnappings. So many people urged us not to do this! Boy, am I glad I followed my gut instincts and went for it!
Boquillas is a very, rural and remote town in Mexico with a population a little over 200. It's over 100 miles from other towns in Mexico. Everyone here has lived their entire life in this town. It solely relies on tourism and is a poorer community with the nicest people. At our time of visiting, it was incredibly safe! I never felt otherwise and would hope to encourage others to visit.
You go to the park station within Big Bend and show your passport and walk down to the river. Here you are greeted by a Mexican resident that you can pay $5 per person to row you across the river. Then, there are guides lined up and you can select riding the mile into town by truck, donkey, or horse. You pay per person and your guide is included. We chose to ride horses. NOTE - the entrance is only open certain days of the week and certain months so check into this before traveling.
Once into town, our guide showed us around. The local people are selling crafts and handmade items. There was a school, police station, medical hospital, church, small store, and 2 Mexican restaurants. Children approach you in the streets selling their handmade drawings and bracelets. We met our guide's children along the way. We tried to purchase from as many as we could. We had lunch at one of the restaurants. We spent a couple of hours here and then returned to wrap up our Big Bend adventure.
We entered back into the country from the BIg Bend National Park service. They checked the items we were bringing back, checked passports, and we had a brief interview via an iPad with customs in El Paso. Such a fun addition to our trip and so glad we got to experience this.
We then headed to the hot springs to soak! It was a short drive from the park entrance to the springs. We parked and saw more vendors with things to purchase on the honor system and walked a short distance to the springs. The natural springs are on the Rio Grande and thought to have healing properties. The warm springs felt so nice after that horseback ride. We soaked for a little while and then headed to our next destination.
Big Bend National Park was such a wonderful experience! It's one of the least traveled national parks! We felt safe during out entire drive and visit and I recommend everyone to venture to see this area! On to the next and final stop of this road trip!
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