One of the things that we are very grateful for at Sukha is the number of amazing volunteers we have welcomed over the years! Travelers from all over the world have helped us run the hostels, bringing in the best energy and travel stories.

One of them is Barbara from Germany. Whereas she only booked for one night, she ended up staying for 5 weeks! Because, in her own words, “there is so much to see and I really felt at home like in a big family at the hostel.” 

´During my time at Sukha, I had some special encounters with the other volunteers and hostel staff, but also with guests from all over the world and of all ages. One day I met a Mexican music teacher from Monterrey, who practiced oboe in her room while I was sitting at the terrace. As I am a classical music lover too, we ended up chatting a lot about music and went to a symphony concert together at the University of San Luis.

On one of my last days I met Ximena, a Peruvian girl studying fine arts in Berlin – such a  great coincidence to meet her again a month later at the airport in Mexico City when we both flew back to Germany because of the Corona pandemic.´

We asked Barbara about her ultimate insider tip for a day trip in San Luis Potosí. She came up with a story right away. And we certainly can´t keep such a hidden gem from you!

Barbara´s tip for a day trip in San Luis Potosí: La Joya crater

´When Caleb, one of the other volunteers at Sukha, asked me if I wanted to join him for a day trip to explore the surroundings of San Luis Potosí, I didn´t have to think twice, since it´s always fun to be in his company. We took his car and drove up to San Pedro, a historical old mining town around half an hour from the hostel. We took a little stroll through the town, but since we went during the week and siesta time, all bars, restaurants, churches and museums were closed. We decided to change our plans and went to ‘La Joya’ crater. In my opinion, a real hidden gem -absolutely stunning- especially because you don’t really know what to expect as it is hard to find some reliable information about the place.

´There was nobody there but us, so we had this very special feeling that the crater for that day was ´ours´! It was a bit tricky to get there, so we trusted Google Maps. Which didn’t work out that well. After losing our way several times, we finally made it to a little gravel road that led us to the crater. Little did we know that we were up for a bumpy ride! The road got worse every couple of meters and when we passed a gate to a piece of private land, Maps told us that this was the road we should take to get to the crater. After some hesitation, we decided to open the unlocked gate and pass. After all, we didn’t come all this way to back out now.

After some challenging driving uphill and right at the moment we were both convinced this ´road´ was leading nowhere, we suddenly passed the hilltop and the crater appeared right in front of us. We couldn´t believe our eyes: it was stunningly beautiful! We walked to a nearby viewpoint and just enjoyed the breathtaking views for a few minutes. We then started walking around the La Joya crater. Except for the dead cow we found on the way –a bit scary but at the same time fascinating like in a John Wayne Western movie- it was an amazing loop. There are a lot of nice wooden viewpoint constructions where you can rest in the shade and look into the crater. A path connects all of them –only the last part of the route back to our unofficial parking spot was unmarked. Tip: wear long pants since you might have to make your way through a spiky cactus wilderness. And make sure you take enough water with you, as it can get hot on sunny days. There are some stairs leading down into the crater for those who are up for some more exploration.

During our hike, we passed a big parking and official entrance to the crater. So if you are planning to visit, our dirt road adventure isn´t the only way to reach this place. But be prepared for some serious detective work finding the right route.

We had our last adrenaline rush when we reached the gate again and found it locked at first glance. Luckily it was only locked by a knotted rope so we could easily open it and found our way home without any problems. Back in San Luis, we felt like we deserved a really good meal and had some delicious “enchiladas potosinas” in one of the nearby restaurants. I hope you enjoy your day trip to the La Joya crater as much as we did!´