The beauty of Real de Catorce is that it is fully pedestrian friendly! This means that the beauty, peace, tranquility and uniqueness of the village are preserved by eliminating all of the automotive traffic that is not vital to the comfort and enjoyment of the village. Most people wearing comfortable rubber-soled closed-toed athletic shoes can easily and leisurely walk from one end of the village center to the other in half an hour's time. Cars within the village are at best a nuisance and at worst dangerous for all involved. Leave your car in Matehuala and enjoy Real de Catorce to the fullest! Now we must warn you of the dangers and inconvenience of driving your car into the village of Real de Catorce.
The narrow cobblestoned streets of Real were built for foot traffic and small horse drawn wagons, long before the automobile was invented. Horses have become experienced at traversing the inclines and they calmly sidestep the people pausing to admire beautiful buildings or shop the windows of the fascinating boutiques. Cars were not designed for villages like this and the stewards of Real have chosen to protect the beauty and uniqueness of the area by restricting their presence.
If you drive to the area, you are best served by leaving your car in the protected parking lot of the bus station in Matehuala and take the comfortable and safe bus to Real de Catorce. The price of the bus ticket is ony about $6, which you can be sure to far less than the damage to your shocks and other car parts made driving over the long rough cobblestone road to Real. Be sure to purchase seating on the right side of the bus as you face forward to get the best view as you ascend the steep mountain to Real. Photos can be taken from the bus windows quite comfortably.
If you are foolish enough to drive past Matehuala (remember we warned you) be sure to have a four wheel drive vehicle with a standard transmission, narrow wheel base and extra cash. There is very little room on excessively narrow streets with the subsequent likely car damage of dents, scrapes, and missing side mirrors caused by inexperienced drivers slipping and sliding on the smooth cobblestones and sharply angles curves and inclines of the road.
In the chance that you do hit another car, you must settle the cost of the damage on the spot. A friend who lives in Real de Catorce had parked her truck on the street outside her shop this past Sunday. A family from Texas driving a pickup truck through the narrow streets, ran into her parked car and broke out the rear taillight. The police assessed the damages on the spot and the poor fellow was out $300 on the spot. That took a good chunk out of the family budget for the trip. Of course, this did not include the cost to the family truck, which was extensive. Expect to pay for the street use. Damage to the streets in Real made by vehicles is expensive for the village to absorb, so they appropriately pass it on to the people who drive the cars. You will pay $2.00 to drive through the tunnel, $2.00 per day for each day of daylight parking, and $5.00 for each night of overnight parking. Expect to park (if there is room) only in the new parking lot just inside the tunnel or at the cemetery on the far side of town (remember that the bus would have dropped you off right in town with your luggage). Be aware that it will take a long time to drive to the cemetery for parking when the tunnel lot is full as the cars are limited to entering the town on Calle Ramon Corona and then must take the very narrow Calle Zaragosa to the second lot.
Oh! And did we mention that someone will likely drive too large of a car or a car not able to make the inclines and turns and thus you will be stuck for hours because someone was even more foolish than you? Because of the narrowness of Zaragosa street and the ever present foolish people of the world, you should expect to be miserable because you did not realize the consequences of not leaving your car in Matehuala. Real is an excellent place to explore during an extended car trip through Mexico. Just park the car in Matehuala's secure bus station parking lot for your days in Real de Catorce to avoid all the car hassles and expenses.
If you are not yet convinced to take the bus from Matehuala to Real de Catorce then read on...
Driving down Highway 57, a few miles northeast of Matehuala you will notice a small sign on the right which leads you down a small road to an intersection just east of Cedral. This road is not well traveled but will cut a few miles off of your drive. The road will intersect with Highway 62 where you will make a right turn. You will notice the Desert Hotel and the last Pemex gas station before arriving at Real. It would be a good idea to fill up your tank at this point, just in case you must leave late at night when there are no gas stations open. If you arrive here late at night, you can elect to spend the night at this motel before traversing the mountain, which can be tricky at night. Also, the tunnel is not manned at night.
The better road is another mile or so down the highway, where you will turn to the right on Highway 62. This road is well traveled and if you have car trouble, it will only be a few minutes before another traveler will arrive to help. You will pass through the village of Cedral before continuing another 25 kilometers to the cobblestone road to Real de Catorce.
Turning left on the cobblestone road you will notice that the roughness of the road will shake your car until you think that every bolt must surely be working it's way loose. As difficult as this is to believe the faster you go, the smoother the ride will become. Experienced travelers will find that a speed of 50 miles an hour will be much smoother than driving at 20 miles an hour. The word smooth is a relative term, as there will be nothing smooth about traversing over a cobblestone road, but you can certainly make the ride more comfortable. If you choose to drive at speeds of less than 50 miles an hour, keep an eye on the rear view mirror for approaching drivers who do not expect you to be in their way.
As you drive down this road, you will see many Joshua trees, various Agave plants, and Century plants. Be aware that while you may pull off of the road to take photos, you may not take any vegatation or rocks from the desert. The Mexican government has recently began posting signs (in Spanish) warning of heavy fines for the taking of any natural resources from the desert.
You will pass through the old towns of Potrero and La Luz before rising steeply up the mountain side. Keep to the right and keep your eyes on the road ahead. It is not uncommon for other drivers to come flying around the corners and be on the wrong side of the road as they are watching the view instead of the road. When a large delivery truck or bus is coming down the slope and you are on the outside edge with no railing to keep you from falling up to a mile down the side of the mountain, it is best to stop and allow the bus to manuever past your parked car. Do not get too close to the edge of the road as the dirt may give way and you car will spill over the side of the mountain.
Near the top of the mountain you will arrive at the Ogarrio Tunnel. The tunnel is 7,546 feet (2,300 meters) long. The tunnel is narrow, allowing only one way in and out of the city. At each end of the tunnel a guard uses a call box to alert the guard at the other end of the tunnel to hold traffic. The guard will collect a $2 fee from visitors to drive through the tunnel.
Just inside the tunnel you will find the Cathedral de Dolores (Our Lady of Sorrows) which was constructed into the right side of the tunnel to honor those miners who lost their lives in building the tunnel. The tunnel is lit with bare light bulbs overhead, but still require the use of headlights. Drive carefully, as there may be people walking through the tunnel on foot or riding horses. The narrow tunnel has been widened in places, however occasionally someone will lose a side mirror against the wall of the tunnel.
About half way through you will notice that the tunnel makes a sharp turn to the right. Driving slow with your lights on will help you notice the turn and keep you from crashing in the tunnel wall. At the north end of the tunnel is the town of Real de Catorce.
You will find a secure parking lot just to the left after leaving the tunnel. The town is so small that it is an easy walk from one end to the other. You should consider parking your car here if you drive up to Real de Catorce. You will find young people who for a dollar will wash the dirt from your car and watch the car for you while you enjoy a leasurely visit in Real de Catorce.
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