El Cielo Biosphere Reserve

El Cielo Biosphere Reserve is the southern part of the state of Tamaulipas in northeast Mexico. It is a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Understand

Cloud forest in El Cielo Biosphere Reserve

This protected biosphere reserve is in a mountainous area of southern Tamaulipas in the Sierra de Cucharas, part of the Sierra Madre Oriental range. It is an ecologically diverse area with 14 vegetation types (mostly tropical forest), though the most important goal is to preserve the mountainous cloud forest because it is a rarer ecology in Mexico and is the furthest north example of this environment. The reserve provides habitat for a number of endemic and threatened plant and animal species. Large mammals who make their home in the reserve include black bears, tigrillos (leapardus wiedii), jaguars, and ocelots. 255 bird species have been cataloged in the reserve, along with dozens of reptile species.

The reserve covers an area of 144,530 hectares. El Cielo is a designated UNESCO biosphere reserve.

History

The reserve was founded in 1935 by a Canadian horticulturist named John Harrison.

Climate

Conditions vary greatly between the lower elevations and the higher elevations. Temperatures are considerably warmer at lower elevations and are quite hot (over 30 degrees Celsius) during summer months. The driest periods of the year are late fall to early spring with December through February having the least rainfall and having the most temperate conditions. From June through August, monthly rainfall can be quite heavy and the area receives more than 300 mm of rain per month during the wettest part of the rainy season. Freezing conditions can exist at upper elevations during the winter months.

See

• Centro Interpretivo Ecologico (open 10ː00-17ː00, closed Monday and Tuesday, phone +528342887166) - El Cielo's visitor center is a large, inviting, very modern facility with exhibits showcasing the biodiversity of the reserve and the need to preserve the earth's wild spaces. It's circular design and floor to ceiling windows provide visitors with panoramic vistas of the tropical forest.

Buy

• Centro Local De Artesanias Tradicionales is a gift shop on state highway 58 just before the turnoff into the biosphere reserve. Odd hoursː open 24 hours Saturday and Sunday but closed Tuesday-Friday.

Sleep

Several cabins and basic hotels are on state highway 58 as it passes through the town of Gomez Farias adjacent to the biosphere reserve.

Go next

• Ciudad Valles
• Tampico
• Ciudad Victoria