Last updated on .
Crossing the border to spend time in the small village of Boquillas del Carmen in Mexico is one of the highlights of visiting Big Bend National Park in Texas.
Getting There
To get to the village, head to the border crossing near Rio Grande Village. After parking your car, you can cross the Rio Grande on a small rowboat for US$5 round-trip (as of April 2024). It’s also possible to walk across the river when the water level is low. The crossing is open Wednesday to Sunday from 9am to 4pm November through April, and Friday to Monday from 9am to 4pm May through October (as of April 2024).
Once on the Mexican side, you can walk about ½ mile to Boquillas del Carmen or pay for a ride on a burro, horse, or in a car. In town, visitors are required to register with Mexican immigration and pay a US$3 entrance fee (as of April 2024) for the Mexican Protected Area that includes Boquillas.
José Falcon’s
As soon as we finished registering at immigration, we went straight to José Falcon’s for lunch. It’s a local institution that should be included on any visit. They serve excellent authentic home-cooked Mexican food and there are spectacular views from the terrace.
José Falcon’s was founded in 1973 after the owner was bound to a wheelchair due to a pickup truck accident. Falcon was very friendly to visitors and popular on both sides of the border, and his restaurant and store quickly became a favorite for day-trippers.
After his death on October 9, 2000, his wife and daughter, Lilia, took over. They ran the restaurant until the border crossing closed in 2002. Lilia then went to the United States to live and work but returned to run the restaurant once again after the crossing reopened in 2013.
History
After we finished lunch and thanked Lilia for her hospitality and delicious food, we took a short walk through Boquillas del Carmen. The village was founded in the late 19th century when silver, lead, and zinc were discovered in the Sierra del Carmen range. At the height of mining operations, between 2,000 and 4,000 people lived there.
Mining stopped in 1919 and the population quickly plummeted, but it didn’t take long for things to pick up. Big Bend National Park was established in 1935 and tourism became the main industry. Visitors crossing over from the park for day trips or overnights helped sustain the local economy for several years.
When the border crossing closed in May 2002, the town suffered terribly. Half the population left, leaving it with fewer than 100 people. Thankfully, after the crossing reopened in April 2013, the village got a major boost from tourism once again. This allowed for major enhancements to the school and medical facilities in Boquillas del Carmen as well as new solar panels for electricity.
Today, visitors can support the community by eating at the restaurants and purchasing locally-made handicrafts. It’s also possible to take a guided tour of the town or the archaeological and natural sites with a local.
Getting Back to Texas
We spent a fantastic few hours in the village and decided to head back to Texas before the border crossing closed for the night. We walked back down to the Rio Grande and jumped on a rowboat to get back across the river.
Once back on American soil, we went to the Boquillas Port of Entry. It’s unstaffed by US Customs and Border Protection officials, but there’s always at least one National Park Service employee stationed there. For reentry into the United States, travelers communicate with a customs officer using a virtual kiosk and document scanner. It’s quick and easy with a US, Canadian, or EU passport, but it took a bit longer for Gönül with her Turkish passport.
