La Huasteca Potosina

Where the eastern sierra drops toward the Gulf, the rivers run over limestone and pick up dissolved calcium that gives them a turquoise colour and builds travertine ledges and dams, so the whole region is a sequence of waterfalls, terraces and blue pools. Tamul is the big one, around a hundred and five metres, reached by punting a boat upriver for two hours against the current or by walking to a clifftop viewpoint. Puente de Dios is a collapsed cave with a river running through it and a swimmable chamber. Micos is a staircase of falls people jump down with a guide, and Minas Viejas and Tamasopo are further links in the chain. The Xilitla surrealist garden is on the same circuit.

What you actually see

• Tamul - a hundred-metre fall reached by boat or clifftop path.
• Puente de Dios - a river running through a collapsed cave chamber.
• Micos - a staircase of falls descended by guided jumps.
• Las Pozas at Xilitla - the surrealist concrete garden in the jungle.

When to go

October to April is drier and the water is at its most vivid blue; heavy rain turns the rivers brown and closes the boat trips for days. Tamul flows most strongly in and after the wet season but the colour is best in the dry. Holy Week and Mexican school holidays are extremely busy.

Honest expectations

The sites are spread over a wide area on slow roads and a car or an organised circuit is essential; doing it by bus is impractical. Water levels dictate everything, and Tamul boat trips are cancelled whenever the river runs high. Life jackets are compulsory at most sites and jumping activities carry real injury risk. Facilities at the smaller falls are basic.

Nearby

Sótano de las Golondrinas is an hour away; Xilitla is at the southern end of the circuit.