I Just Can’t Adult This Week – La Huasteca Potosina

Everything good in life makes your hair messy. 

Running on the beach, riding a roller coaster,

making love, dancing, laughing loudly, riding a bike,

kissing the person you love.

It all messes up your hair.

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'Ritual' before rafting the Tampaón River
With Edgar, our earth bound driver for the day

Opting for a milder source of entertainment, I had not paid to go floating down some Class III rapids.  But since no one else was interested in seeing the Tamtoc Ruins, I was offered to go on a rafting trip at no added cost…  Although hesitant, I ‘jumped’ (proof above) at the occasion. 

First and foremost, I must recommend Ruta Huasteca (www.rutahuasteca.com).  They did a truly amazing job with everything.  I traveled with them for seven days and not once was I disappointed.  Even during the downpour in Xilitla, the guide found ways to make it entertaining.

You can also stay at their eco-camp Aldea Huasteca, which is situated along the beautiful Micos River where you can swim daily and listen to its soothing sounds at night.  Excellent breakfasts and dinners included.  I don’t often recommend things on this blog but even if you don’t speak a lot of Spanish, they are worth checking out. They are extremely safety conscious as well, a rarity in countries like Mexico.  Finally, you couldn’t beat their pricing.

Minas Viejas (old mines) waterfalls.  

Two men are on the upper right ready to rappel down. 

La Huasteca Potosina is sometimes referred to as the Costa Rica of Mexico but without the crowd or the inflated cost.  Most of the region is not visited by tourists as their preference is for the better-known nearby beaches.  In a tropical rainforest ecosystem, you are surrounded by amazing waterfalls, colorful rivers, caves, chasms, canyons, sinkholes, lush valleys, and emerald mountains.  Great for swimming, rappelling, rafting, diving, hiking, paddling, etc.  There is enough to see and do within a three-hour drive of the main city (Ciudad Valles) for at least a week, possibly more.  

The best part is that this area is quite authentic.  Unlike Costa Rica, you won’t run into any resorts, pretentious tourists, or gringos.  In fact, I didn’t hear English for the seven days I was there.  All my co-visitors were from Mexico.  The very friendly locals brought a particular richness to this lovely paradise. 

I stayed in the bohio (hut) on the left

I could hear the river at night – it was very peaceful

Intricately interlaced roof support

Where do we go from here?

Tambaque, Xilitla, Micos, Tamúl, etc…

Hoya de las Huahuas (Abyss of the Swifts)

From www.agendasanluis.com

Located in the Barrio de San Isidro Tampaxal (aka, middle of nowhere Téenek village) is one of the largest underground halls (can hold a soccer field+) in the world where thousands upon thousands of birds ritually leave at dawn and return at dusk in spiraling fashion, offering a spectacle not often seen.  They go towards the ocean feeding for the day and every night return to the safety of the pit/cave.  After several circles above the pit, the swifts (Streptoprocne Zonaris) suddenly dive down into this hall at 125 miles/hour (200km/hour).  From the edge of the abyss they call home, you can hear the hissing their high speed creates, like small missiles coming from every direction.  

Some parrots (Araninga Holochlora) also call this place home but are far fewer.  The juxtaposition of their bright green against the black of the swift makes for an interesting ballet.  

Most people have heard of El Sótano de las Golondrinas, a site a bit larger but overrun with tourists.  I opted for the lesser known location.  The evening I was there, I was the SOLE visitor.  I had three guides with me!  It was very quiet, and I didn’t have to fight my way to see anything.  

The birds are so fast that my camera couldn’t capture any of the spectacle, so I’ll just let your imagination do the work.  As darkness came, more and more birds spiraled above my head, obscuring an already dusking sky.  Any movement from us would stop the birds from bombing down the opening of the cave.  We had to sit still and in silence to let the choreography continue unconstrained.  How none of the birds hit each other at this velocity is a complete mystery to me.  Nature is amazing.

Daniel, my Téenek guide to see the Caves of Mantetzulel

The Téeneks descend from the Mayas and date back to 10^th century BCE

They were cut off from their Yucatecan siblings when the

Aztecs expanded their conquest of Central Mexico

Daniel often switched from Téenek to Spanish just so I could hear the differences

As many as 832 steep mossy steps and some walking to get to the first cave

The Cave of the Spirits where every September, the Téeneks still

hold a ceremony honoring their gods,

Two other caves, Cave of the Sunlight and Cave of the Aguacatillo

Are found here as well

To discourage counterfeiting, the green ink that is used on

US bills is not information available to the general public.

Daniel told me this plant (palmetillo – small palm) is where

the famous green comes from

They pick and roll cigar-like packets of 120 leaves each to send to the US

This other plant is what Catholics use as the

Bedding where Jesus sleeps in the manger at Christmas

Look at the type of braiding the edge of this roof is showing

Beautiful work

This is what it looks like from the inside

In La Huasteca Potosina the water is either this clear or bright turquoise

Source of the Tambaque River

Behind the falls are caves – fun to swim in and out, back and forth

Colorful boats on the Tamúl River, awaiting us.

The Tamúl waterfalls, the highest in this area

345 feet (105 meters) tall

Up to 985 feet (300 meters) wide

During the rainy season

Had to paddle 4km upstream to get here

Proof that I was there. 

Current is too strong to get any closer than

the panga (boat) behind me. 

Can rappel next to that waterfall if that is your thing.

Going through small rapids, many decided to float down

I stayed aboard but swam later

Manuel is so relaxed and easy going

Took me 30 minutes to get that photo without people crawling

around everywhere.  Here is to turquoise water.

Puente de Díos.  The current is so strong that they

install these yellow cables to help you ‘swim’ from

one waterfall to another.

Under the strongest waterfall

Hard to keep my balance but awesome massage

Called Puente de Díos (Bridge of God)

You get to slip through a hard to find crack in the rocks

To then swim in a tunnel to reach this other side

From the rock bridge over that tunnel you can see two water lagoons

And then there is the river Tampaón – again turquoise

Great Class III rafting in warm water.

I’m in the middle somewhere – I promise

Told you I was there (in blue)

Small cave for a quick rest before the next rapids.

Two guys (L) are from Tijuana, the couple (R) is from Hermosillo

Our guide Daniel, from Colombia.  I am the token gringa

Good thing the water is warm

I hold the middle

Getting wet can be a lot of fun!

Our guide is an amazing world rafter

Are we really going down there?

Paddles up, ready to get soaked

Made it to the calm end! 

Delicious meal awaiting us along the river.

After so many months of studying Spanish, this was a wonderful place to have fun while discovering a stunning new area of Mexico.  I truly loved every minute of it despite some unfounded fears and worries.  I did not adult for a while and, yes, everyday my hair was messy.