AMISTAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

On the border between Mexico and the United States, Lake Amistad (Spanish for "Friendship") is an ideal spot for water sports enthusiasts, hikers and campers. The park is home to the Amistad Dam, completed in 1969, at the junction of the Rio Grande, Pecos and Devils rivers. Superb scenery awaits anyone lucky enough to navigate the lake. An information center (or visitor center) is located on Route 90 as you leave Del Rio heading north, at the point where it bends slightly to the left. It's about 5 miles from the town exit. Here you'll find all the information you need for camping or organizing a boat trip on the lake. This is the best way to admire the cliffs and canyons that border the lake.

At two wharves (the Diablo East wharf is located along Highway 90, 10 miles northwest of Del Rio; the second is at Rough Canyon, 23 miles north of Del Rio), you'll usually find guides ready to take visitors for a ride on the lake. Small boats are also available for hire.

Prehistoric Amerindian paintings abound in the Amistad region. Visitors can view these 4,000-year-old pictographs by boat or on foot. Panther Cave, located on the Rio Grande near the Pecos River, is only accessible by boat. Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site is 40 minutes west of the Amistad Visitor Information Center. Guided walking tours of the caves featuring Native American art are available from Wednesday to Sunday.

Here's a nice little itinerary for a detour in Mexico. At the end of Route 90, which runs along the southern part of the lake, a small beach is open to the public: Tlaloc Beach. On the way there, you pass over the impressive Amitié dam, which marks the border with Mexico. Surprisingly, there are no controls here. It's worth parking to admire the landscape and the canyons on the horizon. Without really realizing it, the border with Mexico has just been crossed. To return to Del Rio, and therefore to Texas, you'll need to show your passport. Don't forget to take it with you, along with your vehicle documents, before taking this route.