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Visiting the ​Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico

​March 8 2021

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Rarely visited by gringos, The ​17th Century Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones. Definitely worth a visit. 
Ex convento Desierto de los leones
Some of the museums in Mexico city are starting to reopen.

On the afternoon of Friday, March 5 we called the Ex Convento de los Leones and were told that they would most probably be reopening on the following day. We hashed out a plan to get there using public transportation.

We rode the Metro from Centro Médico until Mixcoac. The ticket offices for topping up the metro cards were closed and the only option was to buy the single trip tickets which cost the same as a ride using the metro card, just 5 Pesos:
Mexico metro ticket

How to get to ​​The Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones

From there we had to improvise a bit as the intel was all a bit wrong. The #116 is no longer running from Mixcoac to Santa Rosa.

​Metro stop at Mixcoac:

Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
The bus system here in CDMX is chaotic at best. Routes are changed and cancelled and nothing is updated online. Routes during Covid-19 have been very much altered to cope with less demand.

We walked the 2km to the last metro stop at Barranca del Muerto. The #116 and #118 buses from Mixcoac have been combined to become the #117 from Barranca instead.

Here is the #117 which runs to Cierre de Circuito Santa Rosa which is the last stop:
How to get to the Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Oneway tickets cost just 7 Pesos, no ticket, pay the driver and the journey took 1 hour 10 minutes.
how to get to Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
how to get to Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Then it's a question of improvising with the map on Maps Me. The 'path' that you follow in reality is the part I added in red. Here is a screenshot:
how to get to Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
The walk is about 4km and most definitely not 1 hr 45, through the woods. It is easy to follow.
how to get to Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
how to get to Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
how to get to Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
And you emerge from the woods after about 50 minutes at the small semi-derelict chapel of Ermita San Elis y San José, and from where its another 500m to the convent itself:
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
And we were rewarded with the fact that the convent was open again. First day of business: March 6 2021.

The ​Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones:


The first stone was laid on January 23 1606. The original name was "Desierto de Nuestra Señora del Carmen de los Montes de Santa Fe", but over time it was simplified to Desierto de los Leones.

Desierto de los Leones/Convent of the Desert of the Lions. It was given the name 'desierto' from the faraway location of the park in which the convent was built and the name Leones comes from the surname of the family that helped the religious order acquire legal possession of the property.

The entrance fee is 19 Pesos:
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Enjoy the photos of the Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones and the gardens:
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
There are quite a few restaurants outside of the convent itself. We took a rather delicious Sopa Azteca and ​quesadillas:
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
We returned the same way back to Santa Rosa and CDMX but we got off at San Angel and had a quick look around the cobbled streets and the churches in the rain:
Ex Convento Desierto de los Leones | Mexico
​Tagged under: Mexico
Next Post:

​Visiting the Museo de los Ferrocarrileros in CDMX

Previous Post:

​Going out for a beer in CDMX during the Covid-19 pandemic


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  • HOME
  • About
    • ABOUT Me
    • About the Blog
    • Where I've Been: World Travel Page
    • Notable Experiences
  • SITE INDEX
  • Destinations
  • ADVERTISE
  • BORDER CROSSINGS
  • DONATE
  • Travel Advice
  • ATM fees
  • CONTACT
  • Top 3 Fav Countries
​