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Geographic location

The Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National Park is composed of the Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl National Park and the Zoquiapan National Park, which were merged into one because they are part of the same biological corridor. There's no doubt that the two entities are a single geographical and biotic unit. The Park has a surface area of 45,097 hectares (Izta-Popo 25,679 and Zoquiapan 19, 418) and covers part of the municipalities of Texcoco, Ixtapaluca, Tlalmanalco, Amecameca, Atlautla, and Ecatzingo in the state of Mexico; Tlahuapan, San Salvador el Verde Domingo Arenas, San Nicolás de los Ranchos, and Tochimilco, in the state of Puebla; and Tetela del Volcán in the state of Morelos.

Encompassed in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the Park is located at the point where the states of Puebla, Mexico, and Morelos come together on the eastern edge of the Valley of Mexico. The Sierra Nevada is a landform region known as the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt that includes a number of volcanic mountains, the most outstanding of which are Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl, with maximum altitudes of 5,280 and 5,482 m asl respectively. They are two of the highest peaks in the country, located between the 18º59' and 19º16'25" north latitude parallels and the 98º34'54" and 98º16'25" west longitude meridians. At the northern end of Iztaccíhuatl, in the Zoquiapan area, the highest points are Tláloc (4,120 m), Yoloxóchitl (3,900 m), Telapón (4,060 m), and Papayo (3,600 m).

There are several ways to get to the different areas of the National Park:

From Mexico City, take the Mexico-Puebla Toll Highway, exit at the Chalco turnoff, go just past Amecameca and turn left on the road leading to the Paso de Cortés, a pass with panoramic views located on the borderline between the states of Mexico and Puebla at the foot of Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl. The roads on this route are all paved.

A variation of the Chalco-Amecameca route is to turn off at the town of Tlalmanalco towards San Rafael. From this point on there are unpaved roads in regular condition that take you to the foothills of Iztaccíhuatl.

A third option is to stay on the Mexico-Puebla Highway and turn off at Llano Grande; from there you can climb the Telapon and Tlaloc volcanoes or visit the town of Río Frío.

From the city of Puebla, you approach from the opposite direction. You can take the road to Huejotzingo and go towards Santiago Xalitzintla. From there you continue on unpaved roads in regular conditions to the Paso de Cortes. (See Map)

Requirements for visiting the National Park