As we were planning a road trip through the Yucatan, we read about the Arbol Milenario in Solferino, Mexico. This tree is over 750 years old, and is about 15 minutes from Chiquila, which is where you can take a ferry to Isla Holbox. It took us about 1.5 hours to get to the small town of Solferino from Cancun. This tree’s proximity to the ferry has made it an attraction for national and international tourists on their way through.

The tree is not far from the main road (about a block), and we used Google Maps to find it.

Keep in mind that this is a small town, not much more than about 10 blocks long.

We also saw a sign for the tree as well as orchids (sorry for the poor quality photo through the windshield as it was a long day of traveling with lots of rain!).

With Google Maps guiding us, we could see the tree once we turned onto Calle Margarita Maza, but the road quickly became muddy and rutted. We were not sure where to park, as the tree is located within a square. We stopped to ask some men sitting along the road about the tree, and one of them guided us to park on the side of the dirt road and walk into the garden area. They did not speak any English, but we managed with our minimal Spanish.

We were guided through a small opening, and later I saw what seems like more of an entrance.

The guide walked us over to see the tree.

The tree is absolutely massive and very impressive, and pictures just don’t do it justice!

In addition to the main tree, there were other large, old trees, but we had difficultly understanding what the guide said about them, so I do not know the specifics.

This site mostly consists of a small courtyard area with the tree as well as other plants. I believe they have made this into a plant nursery as well, and heard that they sell orchids there.

The guide picked up some fruit for us to try, known as mamey, Pouteria sapota, or mamey sapote.

There were so many wonderful and interesting plants in the courtyard.

We visited the Arbol Milenario in the end of June. It had just rained and it is bug season, so it was very buggy. We got devoured by bugs in the short amount of time that we were there, so I would recommend being prepared. I travel with a natural bug repellent (affiliate link).

We gave a donation to the man who showed us the tree, as we had read that it was a recommended donation and we like to tip for services while in Mexico.

I wasn’t able to find any official information online, other than some articles and reviews online. I enjoyed this as a quick stop and to be able to see such a magnificent tree.

Check out our other Mexico blog posts here.

Marysa

About the Author: Marysa

Busy blogger and mom of two girls. We love traveling and the great outdoors, and are always looking for our next adventure!