La Huasteca Potosina

Puente del Dios

This giant sinkhole lives up to the grandeur of its name, ‘God’s Bridge’, with gushing waterfalls and luminescent blue water. There’s even a secret tunnel and cave you can pass through where the sunlight makes the water look like it’s glowing from below. You can easily spend half a day swimming, jumping off various rocks, hiking up and down the river, or getting massaged by the waterfalls. On either side of the sinkhole you can following the river streams to find the spring’s source, mini waterfalls and private pozas (swimming holes). Heading downstream will take you to other, calmer swimming areas known as Paso Ancho (wide pass) and Playita Amor (Love beach), which are part of the camping area of Cabanas Adventuras. Life jackets are mandatory in the main cenote, and it fills up quickly on weekends and holidays. In rainy season, they generally prohibit swimming in the cenote.

Cascada Tamasopo

As one of the more developed and accessible sites, it has a touristic touch and higher prices but it’s still stunning. Tamasopo comes from a Huastecan word meaning the “place that drips,” and you’ll quickly see why. Along this section of the river, you can find several cascades which create the ideal jumping spots.

The main waterfall runs down a 20-meter calcified cascade, filling a shallow pool with crisp, blue water. You can swim under the petrified calcium structures which take you behind the waterfall.

The shallow water makes it a family favorite, so it’s busy on weekends and holidays. Nearby, you can also find the calm swimming pools of El Trampolín, which has grills and rustic tables, and Ciénaga de Cabezas/Tampasquín, which also has diverse animal and plant life. Hikers can head to the Cañón del Espinazo del Diablo, where a 600-meter rock wall resembles a vertebrae. On March 19, Day of Saint Joseph, there’s a town fair.

Cascadas de Micos

Adventure tourism is the highlight of these waterfalls – you can jump down seven waterfalls (from 2–8 meters high), hide in a cave behind a cascade, take a boat ride, cycle over the canon, go ziplining or walk on a suspension bridge. There is a lake underneath the main waterfalls, which dribbles down into numerous cascades and pools to sit and enjoy a natural spa. It’s also one of the more visited sites. Camping is allowed inside the natural site, although on holidays it gets full of tents, especially at Easter. Down the road, another option is to camp in the grounds of Aldea Huaxteca; they offer cabins, but also allow camping if you book in advance. In the drier months, the waterfalls aren’t as spectacular for jumping, while in wet season the blue-green color is harder to see. Life jackets are mandatory to swim in the main lake area.

Cascada de Minas Viejas

Even in dry season, these 55-meter waterfalls still show power. The bonus is a small camping area right next to the waterfalls, immersing you in a sound and visual show all day long. There are also plenty of turquoise swimming holes to hang in, and you can follow the river downstream by jumping down several mini cascades.

In dry season, you can rappel down one part of the waterfall into a swimming hole. It is mandatory to wear life jackets if you want to swim near the waterfalls. If you’re not camping, you can base yourself in El Naranjo, which doesn’t offer a lot but is in the middle of Minas Viejas, El Salto and El Meco waterfalls.

Cascada de Golandrinas

This is an off-the-beaten-track adventure where you might even find yourself alone. Family members take you on a guided tour through their property, where you can swim behind a waterfall… and emerge in a calcified cave. Besides being home to hundreds of sparrows, you can also admire the stalactites and climb the calcified formations behind the waterfall.

Being a relatively new discovery, it’s bare-bones tourism at its best. It’s like wandering with a friend that is showing you their favorite hidey holes. If you give them notice, you can arrive early to see the sparrow exodus, or come around dusk to see them settle for the night. You can also walk up the river to find the water source bubbling up from the groud. There is also camping on the grounds.

Cascada El Salto

Just 20 minutes from El Naranjo, and next to El Meco, you can find yourself in this turquoise paradise with the backdrop of a 70-meter towering waterfall. Its various swimming pools underneath are naturally formed with rocks and calcium, and there is a 10-meter rock jump for the daring. You’ll have a better chance of seeing the waterfalls in the wet season (June to September), plus a better water flow through the pozas. There’s a hydroelectric plant above the waterfall, which means that out of high season (Semana Santa and rainy season), access may be restricted or the water gets blocked making the pools below stagnant. The access road is a little rough for small cars, but it’s worth the drive.

Cascada Meco

This is a pocket of paradise, with some of the best swimming spots and adventure tourism in Huasteca. You can swim (or go tubing!) down the glowing river stretch, pocketed with private swimming holes, where you can jump off rocks or get massaged by mini cascades. The highlight is taking a boat tour to admire the pounding 35-meter waterfall from below as it spills over petrified calcium cascades.

The adventurous can take a tour upstream from the main waterfall. After a short hike, you’ll make your way back by jumping down several cascades, up to 5 meters high, and swimming through crystalline waterholes. If the torrent isn’t too strong, your guide will even take you to sit on the lip of the 35-meter waterfall to watch it from above. The tour starts at the entrance of the most known restaurant in the area, which is a great place for a beer and guacamole snack with spectacular views.

When the weather allows, you can raft all the way to El Naranjo. Downstream is a riverside camping site, with direct water access in front of your tent and decent amenities.

Sotano de las Golodrinas

This 500m sinkhole, almost perfectly circular, is one of the deepest in the world and home to thousands of sparrows. At sunrise, they perform a mass exodus, flying in circles to create enough aerodynamic uplift to fly out – a feature that keeps bigger birds out who can’t get enough speed to exit. At sundown, they re-enter by nose-diving straight down. Brave visitors can crawl to the edge and peek into the dark depths. There’s 500+ steps to reach it, but it’s doable with medium fitness. The viewing area is small and rocky and fills up quickly if tour buses arrive, so people head down at about 5–6am. But the birds don’t usually exit until around 8–10am (up to midday), so it can be a long uncomfortable wait. You will see more birds exit from July to February, especially in August when babies hatch. Less sparrows leave during mating season (March to May), and they won’t exit if it’s raining, cold or cloudy. It’s easy to find without a tour. Nearby you can hike 45 minutes to the Caves of Mantezulel, or visit the natural spring Balenario de Tambaque, which is short detour from the road to Aquismón.

Sotano de las Huahuas

Equally impressive as the Swallows’ Cave, this 478-meter sinkhole offers much the same experience, although usually with less tourists and amenities.

Getting there is a little trickier – a 1km walk through the jungle – but it’s nice to see tall cedars, local tree and bird species on the way. Similar to the Swallow’s Cave, it’s possible to rappel to the bottom, although during nesting season it’s usually banned.

Edward James Gardens

If you’re short on time, you’ll get a bit of everything in this surrealist garden by eccentric British poet and artist Edward James. There’s art history, huge sculptures to climb over, jungle walks, swimming pools and waterfalls.

As you move between fantasy and reality, you get a glimpse into the artist’s mind, described by Salvador Dali as ‘crazier than all the Surrealists together.’ Some sculptures reach four-stories high, with stairs that lead nowhere and arches and giant columns with no purpose. It has stood unfinished since the artist died in 1984, even after some 40 years of construction and millions of dollars.

Arriving by car is the easiest, although you can walk from the nearby town Xilitla. Public transport will drop you a few kilometers from the entrance. There are also two waterfalls outside the entrance (Cascada Cebolla and Comales).

Nearby you can hike the Sierra Madre (ask the tourism office), or visit the birthplace of Xilitla’s natural springs – Nacimiento de Huehuetlan – on the road to Ciudad Valles.

Tamtoc Archaeological Site

For something to do other than waterfalls, visit Tamtoc (Mon–Sun, 9am–5pm), located 20km south of Tamuín. It’s not the most preserved site but it holds an interesting place in Mexican history. Tamtoc is the only pre-Hispanic settlement found in the Huasteca region, with some 70 structures characterized by rounded corners.

Interestingly, an Olmec-esque monolith was found at the site, prompting scholars to reconsider their views of Mesoamerican history. The Olmecs – considered the origin culture of pre-Hispanic Mexico dating back to 1200BC – were previously not thought to have traveled and mingled so far north.

Media Luna Lagoon

This thermal spring keeps an average 28 degrees (82F) year-round. Its six springs fill a deep lagoon – shaped like a half moon (“media luna”) – and several shallow channels. With up to 20m (60 feet) of visibility, it is popular for divers (a dive school is on site). Even snorkelers can see underwater lilies, petrified trees, and several fish. Divers can see fossils and the spring source, although the lagoon’s popularity has degraded the fish species, turtles and plant life that once thrived. Swimmers quickly stir up the water so dive early.

This is a popular family camping spot, with waterfront camping for a few dollars; there are also cabins, plus hotels nearby. It fills up with hundreds of people on weekends and holidays but with luck, you can almost have the place to yourself on week days or in colder and rainy months (October is a good balance). You may even find fossilized shells or coral in the riverbed. There’s also a local fair in November.

Nearby in San José de las Flores are the caves of Grutas de la Catedral (along with Grutas del Angel and de Los Cristales). There are other termal springs, such as Los Anteojitos, El Presidio and Charco Azul. Around 40 minutos from Río Verde sits the Manantial de Los Peroles for a local experience.

Get directions here, or put ‘laguna’ or ‘manantial’ in front of the name to arrive at the actual entrance. From San Luis Potosi, you can pitstop at ‘Ghost Valley’, a park of rock formations.