The park’s namesake land bridge leads to another entry point upstream in the river. Plop in and float through a cathedral-like cave, spotting silvery fish below and dark tunnels in the limestone walls. Follow the current and slip between a small opening in the rocks to enter the vast main pool.
Safety lines in the water help stabilize swimmers against the current. You can swim your way from one torrent of water to the next, feeling the energy of countless gallons of water surge through rocky channels and the surrounding forest.
The crystal-clear pool exceeds 60 feet (18 meters) of depth in spots. Brave visitors step onto the ledges of the rocky perimeter for cliff jumping. Life jackets are mandatory for all swimmers and are available to rent.
An hour’s drive south of Ciudad Valles and less than an hour north of Xilitla (one of Mexico’s lauded Pueblos Magicos), you can hike to the crater-like spectacle of Sótano de las Huahuas.
Words, photos and video all fail to capture the daily phenomenon of thousands upon thousands of birds descending sheer cliffs into the massive circular hole in the forest.
Primarily white-breasted swifts along with green parakeets put on the daily show at dusk and a similar spectacle each morning with an epic ascent from the sótano (basement).
Witnessing this ritual from the rocky rim is a full-body experience that floods the senses with awe – and a bit of vertigo for those sensitive to heights.
You can book the experience with a Teenek guide at the entryway to the site. A moderate hike of about 30 minutes leads you to the dizzyingly large cavern.
“At the bottom of the cave, it’s the size of a soccer field,” says Estela Martínez Santiago, a Teneek guide from the local San Isidro community in the municipality of Aquismón.
For context, that “bottom” is some 1,500 feet (about 460 meters) below when you’re standing at the rim. With extra planning, you can pay to repel down the side. The rugged cliff walls between the top and bottom offer secure nooks for the countless swifts, parakeets and other critters.
“It’s an ocean of birds,” said Elena Nilova, a first-time visitor from Chicago. This sea-like sensation speaks to the sound of their wings as they pass overhead at dusk. Cutting through the air like lightning, they generate the sound of waves washing across a distant shore.
If you want more, you can access a similar, more developed site, Sótano de las Golondrinas, less than 30 minutes by car from Sótano de las Huahuas.
If the idea of crawling inside a Salvador Dali painting sounds fun to you, you just might fall in love with the Edward James Sculpture Garden, Las Pozas. It’s located in Xilitla, just under two hour’s drive south of Ciudad Valles and arguably the most magical town in the region.
The merger of wild jungle and sculpted material was the brainchild of English poet and surrealist artist Edward James in the mid 1900s. The garden is now touted as one of the most important surrealist monuments in the world.
Fittingly, James was a friend and financial backer of Dali while sculpting his secret garden in this “magic town.” He designed and crafted his surrealist buildings and structures on-site for many years, between the 1960s and 1980s, with the help of local workers.
Las Pozas is a surrealistic garden tucked into the jungle in the city of Xilitla. fitopardo/Moment RF/Getty Images
“He studied literature, not architecture. But he was an architect of the imagination,” says tour guide Obed Zumaya Márquez
A guided visit – which should be booked in advance – leads you up and down massive stone staircases, below walls of concrete bamboo imitating the forest vegetation and through other fantastical indoor-outdoor creations. Of course, those include more Instagram-perfect waterfalls.
As a testament to just how photogenic this place is: Actress Tilda Swinton once visited for a mesmerizing photo shoot, published by W Magazine in 2013.
Within a two-hour drive of Ciudad Valles, there’s a whole other buffet of adrenaline-fueled adventure options: whitewater rafting, zip-lining and rock climbing or rappelling. Even the more relaxing paddling trip up the turquoise Tampaón River offers a stop at a gorgeous cenote (sinkhole-like cave) for swimming inside a mountain. It’s well worth the excursion even when Tamul waterfall is dry.
Most visitors will set out for La Huasteca, or return from it, via the bustling capital of San Luis Potosí, where the international airport offers frequent flights to Mexico City and beyond.
While the edge of La Huasteca starts nearly three hours drive-time to the east, the charming capital is worth exploring at the start or end of a trip.
The historic downtown is packed with ornate plazas, stone streets and Old-World architecture.
The city of San Luis Potosi is worth exploring and is a jumping-off point for a trip to La Huasteca to the east. Glow Images/Glowimages RF/Getty Images/Glowimages RF
Elements of the deep religious roots and the city’s long history of mining gold, silver and other materials sprinkle the urban center with wow-factor, starting with the baroque towers of the opulent municipal cathedral.
Next door, the historical municipal building from 1602 is open for free weekly tours. One room features five ornate ceiling murals that are framed with hundreds of pure gold eggs, each worth more than $5,000.
Down the street, Mexico’s National Mask Museum is a hidden golden egg in its own right, featuring bedazzled and historical creations from the ancient and modern world.
The city touts an evolving culinary palette, starting with numerous artisanal chocolate shops, such as Costanza, selling irresistible travel gifts.
The budding craft beer scene includes Callejon 7 Barrios, serving up the citrusy José Gosé and summer ales. And at El Rincón Huasteco, dishes include 10 varieties of the regional enchiladas Huastecas and the famously gigantic zacahuil, aka the biggest tamale that you ever did see.
The flavors offer a small tease of all that awaits in the mountains to the east.