Parque Nacional Desierto de los Leones

Mexico City


Cool, fragrant pine and oak forests dominate this 20-sq-km national park in the hills surrounding the Valle de México. Around 23km southwest of Mexico City and 800m higher, it makes a fine escape from the carbon monoxide and concrete. Public transport here is unreliable; most people arrive by taxi from central Mexico City or the nearby Ex-Convento Santo Desierto del Carmen.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Mexico City attractions

1. Ex-Convento Santo Desierto del Carmen

0.7 MILES

This weathered 17th-century former Carmelite monastery within the Parque Nacional Desierto de Los Leones provides an interesting glimpse of what it would…

4. Plaza San Jacinto

7.67 MILES

Every Saturday the Bazaar Sábado brings masses of color and crowds of people to this San Ángel square, 500m west of Avenida Insurgentes. Museo Casa del…

5. MUAC

7.69 MILES

Designed by veteran architect Teodoro González de León, the contemporary art museum's sloping, minimalist-style glass facade stands in stark contrast to…

6. Museo Casa del Risco

7.69 MILES

Inside the courtyard of this museum, midway along Plaza San Jacinto’s north side, is an elaborate fountain, a mad mosaic of Talavera tile and Chinese…

7. Zona Arqueológica Cuicuilco

7.8 MILES

The principal structure here is a huge circular platform of four levels, faced with volcanic stone blocks, which probably functioned as a ceremonial…

8. Museo de El Carmen

7.85 MILES

A storehouse of magnificent sacred art in a former school run by the Carmelite order. The collection includes oils by Mexican master Cristóbal de…