SLOW SALLY & CREW

La Huasteca Potosina, located in the state of San Luis Potosi, is a little slice of paradise in Mexico. Milky blue rivers flow through the tropical landscape, waterfalls cascade over canyon walls, colourful birds flit between lush green trees, scenic roads wind through the country side, and of course, Mexican music blasts from every car stereo. Mexican music is hard to escape in Mexico 😉.

We briefly visited la Huasteca Potosina on a previous trip through Mexico, but only scratched the surface of what the area had to offer. Upon learning that we had missed most of the region’s most famous rivers and waterfalls (cascadas), we committed to returning another year. And guess what, this was the year! During the planning phase of our trip, we pinned it on Google maps as our southernmost destination. Our mission: to find and explore some of the area’s most epic waterfalls!

There are so many famous waterfalls (10-11 according to our research) that we couldn’t possibly see them all, and choosing amongst them was painstaking. After much deliberating, we chose to visit the village of El Meco as it has an excellent campground, sits at the doorstep of 2 of the 10 famous waterfalls, and is less busy and developed than some of the other areas. Our choice was solidified when we discovered that our new friend Jelte and his dog Papaya, who are on a Pan-American bicycle journey, would be there.

In this post, we share 7 things we loved most about our adventure in La Huasteca Potosina… and 1 thing we didn’t!

7 Things We Loved

#1: Camping & Chilling at Paraje y Camping San Efren

The Paraje y Camping San Efren is a tiny family-run campground in the pueblo El Meco. We arrived (unannounced, of course) on a Monday evening in the middle of big family BBQ. Our host David welcomed us in and helped us park while the kids came by to ask us questions and settle their bet about whether we were indeed Canadians.

Once parked, Sally’s rear door opened to a view of the cute communal palapa and the river; it was the epitome of #vanlife goals. The days slipped by as we lazed by and swam in the river, sipped coffees, chatted about travel and life plans, admired the colourful flowers, and cooked meals at the palapa. After 5 days in the campground (2 more than originally planned), it was hard to tear ourselves away.

#2: Swimming & SUPing in the Sparkling Blue River

The river was just cold enough to cool us off on hot afternoons but warm enough to make playing in the water fun. Several times each day we would dip, jump, or launch ourselves into the river from the rope swing to momentarily escape the sweltering temperatures, which varied from 34 to 40 degrees Celsius when we were there. Walter hates swimming and we usually let him watch us from the safety of the shore, but it was so hot that we decided a daily dip would be for his own good. We would paddle him out into the river on the stand up paddle board (SUP) and give him a helpful nudge into the water so that he’d get a good soak. We’re not sure, but we think he’s forgiven us.

#3: Admiring Cascada El Meco From Above & Below

The mirador (look off) for Cascada El Meco is just a short 15-minute walk from the San Efren campground. El Meco is the smaller of the 2 nearby waterfalls, so we were in awe when we approached the mirador and witnessed the water plunging 40 metres into the pool below, thundering as it landed. We had arrived early in the morning, before the other tourists, and shared the mirador with just one other couple. I took the opportunity to take SO many photos and videos; I just couldn’t help myself.

On our walk back to the campground, local guides were persistent that we should visit the base of El Meco on one of their boats. We were tempted, but we had already hatched a plan for a different type of adventure: paddling to the waterfall from our campground on the SUP! When our campground host confirmed that it was achievable, we jumped into action.

I set off late in the afternoon once Marc had taken his turn. Many awkward portages later, I found myself bobbing at the base of the thundering waterfall. The guided tours were over for the day, and I had the entire basin to myself. It was surreal and an experience that I will not soon forget.

#4: Discovering the Flora & Fauna

Colourful flowers burst out of flower beds and grow happily along the river’s edge. The river is home to many species of turtles, ducks and other birds, who spend their days sunning, swimming, and relaxing in the shade, just like us. Little geckos skittered up and down the posts of the communal palapa, providing visual entertainment for Walter, who was much too hot to bother chasing them. The only unwelcome critters were the cockroaches and water snakes. I did NOT enjoy discovering them!

#5: Exploring Cascada El Salto

Unfortunately, the El Salto waterfall does not flow on weekdays during winter because the river is diverted to the nearby hydro-electricity plant. We learned this during the planning stage of our trip but were still keen to visit the aqua-coloured pools and soaring cliffs based on the glowing description in our online guide, Sally Sees.

Fortunately, and likely because the waterfall wasn’t flowing, we had the entire area to ourselves. Even the vendor stalls were closed. Our little crew took turns jumping into the pools, swimming beneath the cliffs, exploring caves, and taking photos, trying desperately to capture the beauty of the area. All the while, Perrigin falcons swooped and screamed in the sky, making us feel like we were in a scene of Jurassic Park, which is exactly how one blogger described it.

#6: Scoring Food & Supplies in El Meco Village

For such a tiny village, El Meco has a surprising number of little stores and restaurants. Every day we’d walk down the street to stock up on groceries, or grab some pizza and ice cream. On our last night in El Meco (a Friday), our host David explained to us that he and his wife operate the Los Comales taco stand in the village centre on weekends, and that we should pop-in. We obliged and the tacos were delicious. What a fantastic surprise! They even make their own homemade salsas.

#7: Bringing Walter the Adventure Mutt With Us… Everywhere!

Everything we did and wanted to do in La Huasteca Potosina was dog friendly. Walter and Papaya were allowed to join us on every adventure, including swimming at the waterfalls, dipping into the river, sitting in the shade at the communal palapa, and eating tacos in the village. Even the local guides advertising boat rides to the waterfall offered to let us bring Walter on board.

1 Thing We Didn’t Love

Being Harassed by Resident Dogs

There are A LOT of resident dogs in El Meco. Most of them are loose and free to wander in the streets. Every time we’d walk outside the campground with Walter, we were chased and harassed by other dogs. This was exacerbated when Walter and Papaya were out together. Most of the dogs were all bark but I found it made for very stressful outings, and after a few days, we started taking turns running errands without Walter.

The only exception to the unfriendly resident dogs was Luis (name assigned by Jelte 😉) – a skinny street dog desperate to make friends. He took an immediate liking to Walter and was eager to join our pack. He would help fend off the resident dogs on walks and spend afternoons with us in the shade at the campground. It was awfully hard to leave him behind.

Check Out Our YouTube Video

Follow me through the pools and waterfalls of La Huasteca Potosina (1 min vid)!

Stay Tuned

In the next post, we are back in the USA and experiencing a total culture shock in Sin City. The challenge of exploring Las Vegas in a van and with a dog was more than we had bargained for. More about that, next week!