If you like Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes, then you will love Huasteca Potosina in Mexico

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Emerald-green waters gracefully cascade implicit earthy limestone, tumbling into a stunning bid of terraced lakes that glow with shades of bluish and green. The aerial is filled with the constant, soothing dependable of waterfalls and the odor of lush foliage. This is the celebrated Plitvice Lakes successful Croatia, a earthy wonderment that draws hordes of visitors each twelvemonth with its exceptional beauty.

Now ideate uncovering specified a wonderland hidden distant successful a distant country of Mexico. For the 3rd installment of our caller series, wherever we spotlight bonzer Mexican destinations that rival immoderate of the world’s biggest wonders, we’re taking you to the genuinely chaotic and refreshingly little-visited portion of Huasteca Potosina successful the authorities of San Luis de Potosí.

Comparable to Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes, Huasteca Potosina is simply a dreamy h2o satellite of pristine rivers, mysterious caves and melodramatic cascades, boasting those aforesaid intolerable shades of turquoise and emerald. A natural playground for outdoor lovers, Huasteca Potosina promises a high-octane itinerary with its hundreds of waterfalls, caverns and crystalline pools.

Plitvice Lakes vs Huasteca Potosina

As 1 of Croatia’s biggest attractions, Plitvice Lakes boasts surreally beauteous terraced waters moving similar a continuous, liquid ballet. Each of the sixteen lakes is connected to different done misty cascades and frothy rapids that shimmer successful antithetic shades of blue, from vibrant azure to the deepest sapphire. Covering astir 30,000 hectares, the highly protected UNESCO World Heritage site sprawls crossed a unsocial karst scenery blanketed by wood and meadows.

Plitvice’s quality is nary concealed – each summer, the nationalist parkland gets flooded with thousands of tourists, each jostling for a glimpse of the modern time paradise. Swimming isn’t allowed here; you tin lone respect the gorgeous lakes from good maintained boardwalks and galore viewpoints.

This is wherever Huasteca Potosina has an borderline implicit Plitvice, offering an arsenic spectacular and acold much immersive alternative. While Huasteca Potosina holds a peculiar spot successful the hearts of Mexican travelers, it mostly remains chartless extracurricular of the country.

Mexico’s untamed h2o world

There’s a crushed wherefore Huasteca Potosina has managed to prevarication nether the tourer radar — it’s not rather casual to entree oregon navigate owed to the deficiency of infrastructure. Don’t expect to find creaseless highways, shiny malls oregon Starbucks java shops. This portion is little developed than galore parts of Mexico. With its swimming holes and misty cascades dispersed retired implicit a ample area, readying a travel done Huasteca Potosina tin beryllium a challenge.

That said, those brave capable to task the unsmooth roads and agrarian areas volition decidedly satiate their thirst for escapade here. Leap implicit a cliff borderline into a spearmint pool, spell rafting connected the thrilling currents of a raging stream oregon rappel down a almighty waterfall. There are truthful galore ways for bold travelers to genuinely immerse and acquisition Huasteca Potosina successful its afloat glory.

Highlights of Huasteca Potosina

I suggest starting your travel astatine the mighty Cascada de Tamul, the prima of the region. Tucked wrong a rugged gorge, the monumental waterfall dramatically plunges implicit 100 meters (340 feet) into a turquoise excavation below. The travel to spot it is champion done aboard a “panga” (traditional canoe), paddling upriver to admit its immense scale.

Next, marque your mode to Puente de Dios, which translates to “Bridge of God.” The spectacular earthy limestone archway gracefully spans a bid of incredible, heavy bluish grottoes and tranquil pools. I spent a fantastic time present with my family, swimming done the cavernous chambers, feeling the chill mist of hidden cascades, and taking exhilarating dives from earthy ledges into waters truthful impeccably wide that we could spot the riverbed acold below.

Don’t miss Salto del Agua (also known arsenic El Naranjo), my idiosyncratic favourite spot successful the area! Esconsed successful a secluded location, this awesome tract is simply a bid of dreamy cascades tumbling from a tallness of 60 meters into a symphony of travertine pools. It’s acold much pristine and little commercialised than different falls similar Cascada Tamasopo oregon Micos. You won’t find Tarzan swings, jumping boards and ziplines here. But you volition person the spot to yourself.

You can’t travel to Huasteca Potosina and not sojourn the Sótano de las Golondrinas (Cave of Swallows). This colossal, open-air pit cave is world-renowned for the mesmerizing regular ritual wherever thousands upon thousands of swallows and greenish parakeets spiral dramatically successful and retired of its immense depths each greeting and evening. Make definite to travel astatine dawn to witnesser the dawn departure, a profoundly moving sight.

Navigating Mexico’s greenish heart

While you tin typically sojourn the Plitvice Lakes successful conscionable 1 afloat day, Huasteca Potosina spans a immense country filled with hundreds of stunning waterfalls. So expect to walk astatine slightest a week successful the region. Driving distances are long; hole to timepiece successful immoderate mileage successful betwixt attractions.

To get here, alert into either the San Luis Potosí oregon the Tampico airports. Both airports service large cities successful Mexico. Then prime up your rental car to commencement your roadworthy trip. Let maine stress this: having your ain conveyance is important for experiencing each the sights of Huasteca Potosina, arsenic the portion is agrarian and dispersed out. While immoderate section proscription exists, getting betwixt the galore sites tin beryllium highly challenging and time-consuming connected the colectivo.

The bustling municipality of Ciudad Valles serves arsenic a convenient base, providing a wide scope of accommodations and restaurants. For those who privation to immerse themselves successful the wilderness, I suggest staying astatine the chill rustic cabins astatine Selva Teenek Eco Park. There, you tin slumber successful the mediate of the jungle surrounded by animals. We besides based ourselves successful El Naranjo, wherever a fewer nights successful a river-facing glamping structure astatine Hotel Salto del Meco gave america immoderate downtime to bask the leafy gardens and infinity excavation successful betwixt our adventures.

Making the astir of your chaotic h2o adventure

To acquisition Huasteca Potosina astatine its best, sojourn during the adust season, which typically runs from November to March. During these months, the upwind is pleasantly lukewarm and the rivers are astatine their astir spectacular, displaying their astir intensely vibrant colors. During the rainy play (June-October), swollen rivers tin go murky and unsafe owed to almighty currents, perchance restricting galore water-based activities.

Make definite to battalion waterproof bags to safeguard your electronics, quick-drying clothing, h2o shoes (an implicit indispensable for navigating slippery rocks and riverbeds), reef-safe sunscreen and a generous proviso of Mexican pesos. Many section vendors and eateries present bash not judge recognition cards.

Finally, travel with an unfastened mind! Huasteca Potosina delivers a much earthy and immersive acquisition than tourer areas. While Ciudad Valles offers comfy edifice options, don’t expect to find luxury resorts oregon edifice chains. Similarly, you whitethorn not perceive English spoken often extracurricular of the larger circuit operations, truthful learning immoderate basal Spanish phrases oregon utilizing a reliable translation app volition decidedly help.

Connecting with the wilderness

For travelers who emotion a bully water-based adventure, beryllium definite to adhd Huasteca Potosina to your Mexico bucket list. It offers the aforesaid spectacular quality of Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes, but a much hands-on, little crowded and distinctly wilder experience. Although Huasteca Potosina isn’t rather arsenic casual to get to arsenic Plitvice Lakes and requires overmuch much clip than a time trip, you’ll marque a deeper transportation to Mexico’s chaotic soul.

Nellie Huang is simply a self-proclaimed Mexico-holic and features writer for Mexico News Daily. She’s the co-author of Lonely Planet’s Mexico guidebook and has written hundreds of articles connected Mexico for assorted publications. Read astir her adventures worldwide connected wildjunket.com and travel her updates connected Instagram @wildjunket.

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