Put on your boots and start walking: America's southern neighbor serves up adventures by the canyonful. What's to discover? How about a canyon that makes the Grand Canyon look like a sand trap? How about tropical forests that are home to wildlife and Mayan ruins? How about vibrant mangroves and islands just waiting to be visited by sea kayak? And how about some of the largest creatures on the planet, who winter along the Baja and Pacific coasts? Top all of this with the fact that Mexico's one of the best adventure-travel bargains in the world.

Okay, but you knew all that. What you might not know is that Mexico's in the midst of a broad change in its approach to the outdoors. While Mexicans have long boasted about their archaeological sites, they now praise in equal measure the country's spectacular national parks and reserves. And some of their secrets are slipping north of the border. There's actually a place to go swimming in the desert. There are dormant volcanoes to hike. There's even some great rock climbing, with Mexico's second-largest city providing the backdrop.

The biggest challenge for the adventure traveler is figuring out how to get to where the wild things are, and how to experience all that Mexico has to offer. Only one thing's for sure: You're not gonna get bored.