La Huasteca is a region of Mexico that encompasses parts of the states of Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Veracruz and Hidalgo, and its name stems from the area populated by speakers of the Huastec language, a dialect of Nahuatl, the native language of the ancient inhabitants of Mexico. The Huasteca Potosina refers to that part of the Huasteca that is within the borders of the state of San Luis Potosi.
The Huasteca, lying along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental and running down to the Gulf Coast along the basin of the Rio Panuco (Panuco River), is incredibly rich in water resources, and the landscape and vegetation testify to that richness. Because of this it is becoming a favorite destination for visitors seeking extreme sports activities such as rafting and kayaking on its many water courses and rappelling or BASE jumping (with a parachute) into the gaping maw of the Sotano de las Golondrinas, or Cave of Swallows, a gigantic pit cave with a depth of well over 300 meters.
One of the great attractions of the Huasteca are its numerous and spectacular waterfalls, many of which are easily accessible to the regular visitor, and this past year we had the opportunity to take a tour of a few of them at the tail end of the rainy season.
Cascada de Micos
The first stop on our journey of waterfalls was the Cascada de Micos, also called Salto Micos or the Cascadas de Pago Pago. The falls are located on a secondary road north of Cd. Valles on Rio El Salto. This waterfall is really a series of seven cascades measuring up to 8 meters in height. At the end of the rainy season the river was swollen and muddy and the volume of water much too powerful for anyone but experts to be out on the water except to paddle around the waterlogged tree trunks near the shore, with the more adventurous paddling up closer up under the nearest falls. We were told that during the winter season, when the waters are calmer and clearer, the favorite pastime here was “el Salto de Cascadas” or “jumping the falls”, in which, protected by helmet and life vest, one leaps over each and every one of the seven falls.
With the impossibility of getting up close to the falls because of the condition of the river, this was not a spectacular set of falls to see at this time of year. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our walk around the pathways that snaked alongside the river, where the high waters were overrunning the banks in several areas, and also enjoyed stopping for a taco snack at one of the many food stalls whose grills and open fires spouted fragrant smoke that mimicked the mist from the waterfall. Our best view of Salto Micos was from above as we drove off along the narrow road in the direction of our next waterfall quest, Tamasopo.
Cascadas de Tamasopo
Rather than returning to the larger Highway 70 running between Cd. Valles and Tamasopo, we decided to take the back roads from Salto Micos to Tamasopo, and ended up driving through hills and valleys and villages such as Rascon and Tambaca. It was no quick shot as the secondary road was well pitted with surprise potholes and riddled with rainy-season washboards, but the terrain itself wasn’t difficult and the drive simply took a bit more steering muscle and ocular diligence than a more transited route would have. The landscapes, in fact, wreathed in green, were quite spectacular.
If you do arrive by the highway, take the Tamasopo turnoff at kilometer 55 out of Cd. Valles. The falls are located about 7 kilometers from the junction.
The Tamasopo falls are located in a well-developed park-like area just outside the town of Tamasopo, on a river of the same name. The waterfalls are not tremendously high but they form a very picturesque setting. The water sprays down over a wide area into a series of pools and streams that can be enjoyed by bathers and waders (if you like crisp, cold water!). There are bridges and walkways and cool stretches of grass shaded by trees. The remains of an aqueduct that carried water to power a sugar mill waterwheel and dating from around the turn of the 20th C are still standing on the property.
Despite it being rainy season, Tamasopo’s streams were quite clear with waters of an only slightly milky green-turquoise hue.
Puente de Dios
Not far from the Tamasopo Falls but a bit harder to find is Puente de Dios, or the Bridge of God. It is located next to the small community of El Cafetal, also on the Tamasopo river above the Tamasopo Falls. There are camping spots in El Cafetal for tenters if that’s your method of travel. The road in from the town of Tamasopo is largely gravel, yet even with the rains we were able to access it with no problem in our low-slung Jetta.
Here the tremendous force of the Tamasopo river has carved its way between and under huge boulders creating a spectacular bridge-like formation. The sound of the water coming from the depths of the chasm as you walk down the steep path is like thunder. Spray rising from the spewing cascades showers you even on a dry day as the water tumbles into great, rounded natural pools below. You need to be somewhat sure of foot in order to make your way down to the bridge, and you do need a bit of stamina to make your way slowly back up to the town level, but it is definitely worth the effort. When we were there, water was seeping through the ground in many areas as well as being hurled over the precipices of the falls. There was a lush undergrowth everywhere and in certain areas bright orange butterflies amassed on the rich, moist earth.
Cascada de Tamul
Certainly one of the most incredible of Mexico’s waterfalls has to be the Cascada de Tamul, located at the confluence of the Gallinas and Santa Maria rivers, after which point the joined waters are called the Rio Tampaón. These falls can measure up to 300 meters in width, depending on the season, and plummet a total of 105 meters from the level of the Gallinas River to that of the Rio Santa Maria, or Tampaon.
Image via Wikipedia
We approached this marvel from the direction of Aquismón, San Luis Potosi, hoping to gain access by boat via the Tampaon River. We were warned in Aquismon that that it wasn’t recommendable to try approaching the falls at this time of year because of the height of the raging waters, nevertheless, we were sufficiently close, we figured, to give it a try and see what could be done.
After slowly traveling an almost deserted highway, much of which was under construction, being widened from a narrow, secondary road into something more easily navigable, we found ourselves in a small community near the river where we were offered a boat to take us to the falls. The men there told us that the waterfall was, indeed, approachable and that they could take us, but because of the high water levels and force of the torrent, the normally 1-hour boat ride (each way) would take at least 2, and also that, because of the strong current from those high water levels, the cost for the boat would be double the normal, since they’d have to contract extra rowers to propel us in the small, wooden craft (which obviously did not carry a motor) up-river. Well, that clinched it for us. We looked at each other, shook our heads, and told our friendly would-be guides thank you for their help, and returned to the car and to the road. Though we were sorry to get so close and not see the falls, we decided that we’d just have to wait until some trip we took through the Huasteca in the drier winter season to make that journey to see the spectacular Cascada de Tamul!
Sources and further info:
La Huasteca. (2010, May 20). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Retrieved 17:27, July 1, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=La_Huasteca&oldid=363258450
Cave of Swallows. (2010, June 10). In Wikipedia, The Free
Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:31, July 1, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cave_of_Swallows&oldid=367112326
