Valle de Bravo
Pueblo MáGico / Lago Y Vuelo Libre · Valle de Bravo, Estado de México
A white-and-red colonial town on a lake in the pine mountains west of Mexico City, and the lake is not natural. It was created in 1947 when the Miguel Aleman dam was built for hydroelectricity, drowning the old village below, and in low-water years the structures reappear. The reservoir also supplies part of the water for Mexico City's drinking system, so its level rises and falls with the rains. What the reservoir gave the town was sailing, and what the mountain above it gave was some of the most reliable thermals on earth: El Penon is a world-class paragliding and hang-gliding site that has hosted world championships. It is also Mexico City's weekend escape, which means excellent restaurants, serious prices and Friday afternoon traffic. Weekdays are a different, calmer and cheaper town. It sits at 1,830 m, so evenings are cool, summer afternoons bring storms, and the cobbled streets are steep. Come for the lake and the flying; the town itself is pretty but small.
Plaza Independencia, Valle de Bravo, Valle de Bravo, Estado de México, 51200, Mexico
An open town - free, no gate. ⚠ THE LAKE IS AN ARTIFICIAL RESERVOIR created in 1947, which drowned the old village; its level moves year to year and affects jetties, boats and swimming. Boats and sailing clubs operate from the lakeside embarcadero through the day. ⚠ EL PEÑÓN IS A WORLD-CLASS PARAGLIDING AND HANG-GLIDING SITE with daily tandem flights - morning and late afternoon are the flying windows, as midday thermals can be too strong for beginners. ⚠ PIEDRA HERRADA MONARCH SANCTUARY IS 30 MINUTES AWAY AND IS OPEN ROUGHLY NOVEMBER TO MARCH ONLY - see the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve row in this database. ⚠ THIS IS MEXICO CITY'S WEEKEND TOWN: Friday traffic is notorious, weekend rates are far higher, and midweek is a quieter and cheaper place. ⚠ LAKE WATER QUALITY HAS BEEN UNDER PRESSURE AND ALGAL BLOOMS HAVE OCCURRED - ask before swimming. ⚠ HOURS AND PRICES NOT VERIFIED FOR THIS FILE.