The Huasteca Potosina

The Huasteca Potosina is nature paradise in the state of San Luís Potosí which offers dreamlike landscapes full of green and blue rivers and waterfalls. Furthermore you can find caves full of birds and a surrealistic castle in the middle of the forest. Action-orientated people have the chance to do rafting, rappeling, zip-lining (even on a so-called "Sky Bike"), cross a suspension bridge or jump down into water basins or rivers.

I spent one-and-a-half weeks in the Huasteca Potosina, visiting just a few of the spectacles of nature and trying out only a fraction of the touristic offers. In the following paragraphs I would like to introduce to you some of the places I visited. I tried to arrange them not chronologically but in the order of how much I liked them, although this was pretty hard as nearly all of them were incredible experiences.

1. Cave and River "Puente de Dios 2 (Tamasopo)" (God's Bridge 2)
2. Waterfall "El Meco"
3. Waterfall "Tamul"
4. Waterfalls and Action Activities "Micos"
5. Rafting Tour at the River Tampaón with "Huaxteca"
6. Waterfalls "Minas Viejas"
7. River near the Village KM42
8. River Origin + Cave "El Nacimiento de Taninul"
9. Jardín Surrealista de Edward James
10. La Hoya / El Sótano de las Huahuas
11. Waterfall "El Salto"

Puente de Dios, located near the village and the waterfalls of Tamasopo, is a pool of deep blue water surrounded by waterfalls and connected with a beautiful cavern which is illuminated by rays of sunshine. It is also possible to climb or swim up or down the course of the river.

El Meco is a gorgeous cascade of waterfalls which can either be viewed from a lookout point or reached by approaching the waterfall from the river by little boats. At the mooring point of the canoes you can enjoy yourself some time in the little cascades.

Tamul is the highest waterfall of the Huasteca Potosina, reaching an altitude of 105 meters. I reached it via paddling with a canoe for round about one hour a few kilometers upwards the river Tampaón. On the way back in the canoe we made a stop at "La Cueva del Agua", a transparent blue pit, perfectly fit for floating, swimming or jumping in the water from some rocks. On the way back we jumped out of the boat and let ourselves drift down some rapids. It is also possible to climb up a little path or do rappeling directly at the waterfall.

The waterfalls of Micos are accessible from many directions. You either have the chance to relax in the water or swim a lap in the lower section. You can also take a canoe there to approach the little cascades staying dry. In numerous arms of the river you can be massaged by small cascades.

The upper section of Micos offers a large amount of action activities. I crossed a suspension bridge of a length of 150m and 60m high above the river. Furthermore I was going down a few zip lines with approx. 80 km/h, one of a length of 720m, across the river valley. The most outrageous activity, however, was the "Sky Bike", a zip line which you cross on a bicycle, 225m long and 80m high above the river. On the way there you have to pedal, on the way back you can relax a little bit. I furthermore did some waterfall jumping in many small cascades of Micos. Unfortunately, the river had hardly any water as I visited the Huasteca Potosina towards the end of the dry season. Additionally to the fact that it scarcely rained within the last months, one part of the water is diverted to operate a hydroelectric power plant.

Minas Viejas are two 50m high waterfalls which end up in a pool, surrounded by lush vegetation. You can jump down various small cascades, do rappeling or just enjoy yourself in the water and the nature. In comparison to other rivers and waterfalls in the Huasteca Potosina the water temperature of this place is quite cold.

Thanks to doing some hitchhiking and being very lucky with the people I met I got to know a section of the river which flows down from the little city of "El Naranjo" until Ciudad Valles. Near to the small village Kilometro 42 the river is almost virgin, hardly any tourist ever gets lost here. Nevertheless it is not less magical than all the cascades and rivers which are offered for tourism.

El Nacimiento de Taninul is the source of a river, originated in a cave which can be entered swimming through a portal. The cave has also some holes at its top, the biggest one is crossed directly by the railway line which connects the Gulf of Mexico with the centre of the country. That's why some old and rusty rails can be found in the cave. Inside the cave there are various rocks you can climb up and jump down into the water.

Varietey to the multitude of waterfalls offers the Jardín Surrealista (Surrealistic Garden) de Edward James., built by the Scottish millionaire, poet and sculptor Edward James. Near the village of Xilitla in the Huasteca Potosina he created a fantastic home that includes a sculptural space unique in its kind worldwide. The park is home to columns with capitals of giant flowers, gothic arches and pavilions with indeterminate levels and spiral staircases that end abruptly in the air.

There exist two famous holes in the Huasteca Potosina, created in the earth as a result of the collapse of calcareous soil, which are home to millions of birds. The most famous one is the Sótano de las Golondrinas (Basement of the Swallows), which is inhabited by swifts, the naming of the cave is therefore wrong. The second large hole is La Hoya / El Sótano de las Huahuas. It is home to millions of white-collared swifts which spend every night in the depths of the 478 meter deep hole. Only half of the crater can be seen from above as it exists of two chambers. The swifts are leaving their home every morning when the sun rises and they can be driven upwards in circles by the thermal winds. During the day they travel up to hundreds of kilometers to find food before they return during sunset. In contrast to leaving their home they speed up shooting with maximum speed into the depth. The Hoya de las Huahuas is furthermore home to a lot of green parakeets, medium-sized parrots native to Central America.

I arrived there in the afternoon to see the birds returning into their hole and decided spontaneously to rent a tent and spend the night camping near the Sótano de las Huahuas to see them also leaving their home in the morning. I've had a bit of bad luck that exactly this night was pretty rainy (almost 4 months in Mexico and the 3rd time it rained). Maybe that's why also the swifts didn't want to leave their home the next morning. I climbed up the hill early in the morning to be there before sunrise and waited until 9 o'clock, and still most of them stayed in their hole.

El Salto is another waterfall close to the little city "El Naranjo". Unfortunately the cascade was nearly completely dried out when I went there, only a small trickle went down on the right side.

In the following paragraphs I will give you some more information about my experiences in the Huasteca Potosina apart from the natural spectacles I visited.

Selva Teenek is an ecopark with strong focus on environmental education. Its name refers to the Mayan language Teenek which is spoken by the Huastecos living in rural areas of San Luís Potosí and northern Veracruz. Next to overnight accommodations Selva Teenek is home to a variety of wild cats like e.g. a jaguarundi, lynx, jaguar and a cougar. These animals have been rescued from various places like homes where they were held as domestic animals.

My starting point for exploring the region was Ciudad Valles, the third largest city of San Luís Potosí, which is located in the center of the Huasteca Potosina and is therefore called the gateway to the Huasteca Potosina. During my stay in Ciudad Valles the fair FENAHUAP started, the biggest festival of the city which takes place every year before Easter week. I had the honour to stay with two hosts in Ciudad Valles, my first host was Viri, my second one Arturo. Both of them helped me a lot during my stay giving me the best recommendations where to go and showing me around the spectacular nature and giving me a culinaric impression of the Huasteca Potosina.

Mexicans love dogs. Both Arturo and Viri have various dogs, one of Viris dogs had six little puppies which were just month old when I was visiting her. As a result, one morning I discovered that my backpack and a load of freshly washed clothes had been used as the dog toilet. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to watch the puppies every day getting to know life.

The fair FENAHUAP started with a parade through the city. Then followed eleven days of fair with concerts every night. I went there the first three nights and on the 7th day of the fair with my hosts Viri and Arturo and their friends, listening to bands like Duelo (Norteño), Mi Banda el Mexicano (Tecnocumbia) or Matute (Rock covers of the 80s). The fair is first and foremost a celebration for the people of Ciudad Valles and the whole Huasteca Potosina and doesn't claim much (inter)national attention.

Two of the so-called Pueblos Mágicos are situated in the Huasteca Potosina, Xilitla and Aquismón. Actually, the two little cities are not that special but just declared as "Magical Villages" due to their surroundings. Nevertheless they are a good starting point if you want to visit one of the natural spectacles in the Huasteca Potosina or also to get to know the Huastecan cuisine.

In the Huasteca Potosina I moved almost exclusively via hitchhiking. That's how I made a lot of adventurous and extraordinary experiences as well as new friends. Talking to people in the touristic places I additionally got to know two families from Puebla who also gave me a ride and so we enjoyed visiting a lot of waterfalls together.

The biggest employer of the Huasteca Potosina is the sugarcane industry, followed by the cultivation of citrus fruits, animal husbandry and the tourism. That's why I had some exciting hitchhikes with sugarcane trailers. A maximum velocity of 20 km/h and every 30 min a stop to cool the engine made it a long journey for a short distance, but it was worth it.

The most adorable hitchhiking experience I made when I wanted to return to Ciudad Valles after visiting several waterfalls about two hours to the north of the city. Since the sun had already set and there was no chance to find any public transport back at this time anymore I tried my luck but I couldn't find anybody driving that far anymore this day. It was Fernando who stopped and offered me to take me with him until his little village "Kilometro 42" where he lives with his family. I hesitated for a moment, because I've never done hitchhiking at night before and my destination was a lot further away than his village. Nevertheless I accepted his offer and after having a delicious dinner prepared by his wife they took me to the other side of the village where they do have another little cottage where I could spend the night. We even packed a fan and moved it to the little cottage so that I didn't have to sweat and above all so that the mosquitoes didn't bite me.