This rock climbing guide service is awesome and so is the climbing in Aculco and in the surrounding area. Aculco has some of the best single-pitch trad crack climbing in the world. Every pitch has incredible variety, corner cracks, face cracks, short roofs, chimney, etc. and it’s all super splitter! I honestly think it’s one of the best places in the world to learn to crack climb. 10 days here and you’ll be ready for both Yosemite and Indian Creek! The rock here is super solid, making gear placements bomber. You can either lead or build top rope anchors from the top. Even if you have your own climbing gear, it’s good to hire a guide for at least a day to show you where everything is. Also, there is a world-class sport climbing area in Jilotepic, about an hour from Aculco!!! Southern Xposure is easily the best rock climbing guide service in this region of Mexico. Simeon, an American, is amazing. He has been climbing in the area for more than a decade and knows it really well. When we weren’t climbing, Simeon helped us have a cool cultural experience by taking us to all the most interesting places. Simeon also offers dirt-bike motorcycle tours around the mountains in this region. Southern Xposure has other excellent guides, like Carlos, a local with tremendous climbing experience. We traveled there during COVID and felt very safe. Mexicans take mask-wearing very seriously and they mandate that you use their hand sanitizer before you enter any business. There are far fewer COVID cases in Mexico than the US and now I know why! To return to the US, we had to get a COVID test within 3 days of our flight. I was concerned that we wouldn’t find a test with fast enough turn-around time, but it was easy! We got a free rapid test (results in 15 minutes) in Aculco!!! (Now I’m thinking that Mexico is better than the US, in general!) Many Americans think that Mexico is dangerous but that’s only some places in Mexico, usually close to the border with the US (the US’s fault?). Aculco and the surrounding area is extremely safe.

Says Dave Gates of Woodstock, NY