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Mama turtle and her child lie comfortably in the sun.
The reptiles in the Rio Grande on the Texas-Mexico border are the size of the palm of your hand.
Then there is the long, thin head that boaters sometimes see sticking out of the river.
"It can also be a snake, you don't see it at first glance," says Jason Lee, the guide on this paddling tour on the border river between the USA and Mexico in Big Bend National Park.
Big Bend Sliders are called the turtles.
When the sun is shining, as it is almost every day here in the southern USA, they look for a cozy spot on a warm rock that protrudes from the water.
In some places you can see them by the dozen.
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Finding a spot like this is not too difficult most of the year because the river lies between two deserts and has little water.
"The Rio Grande has its source in Colorado, but the mountain water never arrives in Texas," says Lee.
It is already being used by other states on the way there.
450 species of birds and lots of reptiles
The only chance to fill up the water levels is in midsummer.
“This is our rainy season,” explains ranger Bernie Sapp to visitors to the park at Chisos Basin.
On the other side of the border, Mexico has also designated a national park.
Anyone paddling in the middle of the Rio Grande is in no man's land, the border in the river cannot be precisely made out.
Big Bend is neither the largest nor the oldest park in the United States, but it is one of the most impressive.
“The ecosystems here are diverse, and they are worth protecting,” says Sapp.
Due to the different heights - from 600 meters in the Rio Grande Valley to the highest elevation, Emory Peak at almost 2400 meters - there are many different plants and animals.
Fantastic panorama: the Windows Trail in the Big Bend Park
Source: dpa-tmn
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Tom Vandenberg, Head of the Visitor Centers, has the numbers ready: In total, animals from 75 mammal species, 450 bird species, 3600 reptile species and eleven different amphibian species live in Big Bend - more than in any other national park in the USA.
You can see the road runner, which many people know from cartoons, as well as skunks and bobcats - and spiders, bats, scorpions and various types of rattlesnakes.
But they usually hide well and announce themselves when you get too close to them.
Most come from January to March
When the rain comes in August and September, there are usually few visitors.
In midsummer it can get up to 50 degrees in southwest Texas.
That is too much even for the greatest outdoor fanatics - especially since there is hardly any shade in the huge area lined with mountain ranges.
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Only those who take either the Windows Trail or the Lost Mine Trail in the Chisos Mountains will hike a bit through coniferous forests, because the area is a little higher and therefore cooler.
“Pumas and Mexican black bears also live here,” says Bernie Sapp.
But do not worry: "If you make a little noise, you will scare them away."
Big Bend National Park is hot and dry - so travelers should avoid the park in summer
Source: dpa-tmn
Most cars and RVs are on the road at the beginning of the year.
January, February and March are the most popular months to travel.
“March is the spring break, the spring break at American schools and universities.
Then it is very full, ”says Vandenberg.
But even in the rest of the year, visitors should reserve their accommodation in good time - including the campsites if they are traveling with the mobile home.
Because there aren't many of them.
And it's a long way to the places around the park.
Hiking trails and city of ghosts
Terlingua is the largest village in the national park, around 2000 people are said to live in the place where mercury was once mined.
However, it is difficult for the visitor to find out where these people are.
It seems strange that the largest quarter of the town is the cemetery, which is right at the entrance to the town.
This is where the name “Ghost Town” comes from, as you can find out in the local Tex-Mex restaurant, which in normal times is bursting at the seams every evening.
If you don't stay overnight in Terlingua or the surrounding area, you should always have enough provisions with you.
There are few shops in the area.
Paddle guide Jason Lee knows that you can easily survive without shopping - if you know your way around the plants.
Many are edible or have nutritious berries.
In addition, many medicinal plants grow in the dry earth.
The Terlingua cemetery looks a bit like a western movie
Source: dpa-tmn
And how do visitors pass the time in the park when they are not driving from one end to the other, bird watching or on the Rio Grande?
“There are plenty of signposted hiking trails of various lengths and degrees of difficulty,” says Ranger Sapp.
From short walks to day-long hikes, everything is possible.
Horse rides in the sometimes bizarre landscape are also a real highlight for many.
In order to get to all parking spaces, it is advisable to rent at least one small SUV.
The paths to the parking lots are partly littered with deep potholes.
Big Bend is instagramable
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Of course, there are also the famous Instagram spots: shorter circular routes that can be hiked in one to two hours and offer first-class photo opportunities.
Example: the trip to Balance Rock, three sandstone rocks that seem to be piled up.
How the upper rock got on the other two, nobody really knows.
The formation looks impressive, as does the view of the rocky landscape in the background.
Another spectacular route that doesn't take all day is the trail to Santa Elena Canyon.
At first you can only see two steep rock faces, between which the Rio Grande flows.
The trail leads a bit into the gorge and directly to the river - only there you can see how rugged the 500 meter high rock walls actually are.
Canoeists set off from here on multi-day tours in the most remote part of the park.
"Sometimes nobody comes across for days," says Jason Lee.
The Chinati Foundation is located in the former barracks of a US army base
Source: dpa-tmn
Big Bend National Park borders a state park of the same name, and after around 100 miles of winding roads, travelers land in a small town called Marfa.
This road trip is regularly named one of the most beautiful routes in the USA.
However, this is not for the faint of heart, because there are many sharp bends and crests where you cannot initially see where the road will continue.
Marfa is little more than a crossroads in the desert - but a village that has made it onto many a hipster bucket list in recent years - a stark contradiction to the partially moon-like landscape in the national park.
The US Army used to be stationed here, today the Chinati Foundation is located in the 30 barracks in the middle of nowhere.
She is the reason for the fascination for this place.
"Giants" was filmed here
The museum here, which has a world-class reputation in the art world, is dedicated to the works of its founder, Donald Judd, who died in 1994.
The American minimalist founded the foundation in 1987 with the help of the New York Dia Art Foundation.
Judd had already moved to Marfa in the early 1970s to realize his ideas of art and architecture at the foot of the Chinati Mountains.
In addition to his extensive works, the museum exhibits large-scale installations by selected other artists.
The Instagram crowd is not the first wave of very young, very pretty people to find their way into this desert.
After the Second World War, Hollywood came, James Dean and Elisabeth Taylor stood here in front of the camera for the outdoor shots of the classic "Giants".
No, not luxury fashion.
This is an art installation in the park
Source: dpa-tmn / Verena Wolff
In the “Hotel Paisano”, where the stars stayed, there are still devotional objects from those times.
A few miles north of the village, in the direction of civilization, huge cardboard backdrops in the open field remind of the filming.
Again and again in Marfa you see not only the selfie hunters but also conventional tourists with dusty hiking boots.
You walk through the few streets, between the concrete blocks on the outside area of the Chinati Foundation and into the pleasantly air-conditioned barracks.
It's the Big Bend campers who are taking a break from the wild beauty of the park.
Source: dpa;
Infographic WORLD
Tips and information
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Getting there
From Germany, various airlines usually fly directly to Dallas / Fort Worth Airport.
From there it takes around eight hours to drive to one of the park entrances.
Alternatively, there is the regional Midland / Odessa airport.
From there it is also around four hours by car to the national park.
Overnight stay
Directly in the national park, visitors can only sleep in a mobile home.
Some hotels and holiday apartments are outside the park boundaries.
It is advisable to book your accommodation or parking space in good time - especially for spring.
Climate and travel
season Spring and autumn are the best times of the year to visit the national park on the border with Mexico.
Then the temperatures are warm, but not as unbearably high as in summer.
There is hardly any shade in the park.
Not only are summers in southern Texas extremely hot, but it also rains a lot.
Entry and Corona situation
German vacationers do not need a visa, but must obtain an entry permit at esta.cbp.dhs.gov.
It costs $ 14 and is valid for two years.
Tourist entries are currently not possible due to the pandemic.
Information
traveltexas.com