From Rainforest to Pine Trees: La Huasteca

17. – 22.09.2019

Having arrived in Xilitla on a night bus, we stayed at Casa Caracol Hostel. Located just right in front of the Edward James Surrealist Gardens, the hostel has a lot of personality and charm. One feels like Alice in Wonderland – definitely one of my favorite hostels on that trip! Crossing the street, you go into the gardens and I have to say this is something very outstanding! The gardens are amazing with all these magical structures and there is a waterfall with pools you can swim in. Definitely one of the coolest things in Mexico and worth a trip!

From Xilitla, we went around the area of Huasteca Potosina a little more. In the morning, we were taken to the Swallows Basement, a 550m deep sinkhole where many birds live and as soon as the sun comes out, all of them come out in tiny bird tornados – an amazing thing to see! Mexico does have some very particular things and this is one of them! Afterwards, we went on canoes on a river towards a very nice waterfall and a nearby Cenote in order to take a dip.

Arriving to Pachuca is a simple thing – being so close to Mexico City, there are a lot of transport options to get there. This place is known for its delicious pastries and, let me tell you – we finally found a great Mexican all-you-can-eat buffet here! J The city itself has some nice buildings and parks, but the more interesting places are the Pueblos Magicos in the area around.

Mineral del Chico is a nice quite town with a charming city center. It is in the middle of El Chico National Park and, thus, it is mandatory to do some hiking. We went up the Peña del Cuervo, a mountain surrounded by forest and with a very interesting voice distortion at the very top. Oh, and we hopped on a four wheeled cart to check out some places in the surroundings, like a witch house, the river, and some waterfalls.

The next day, we went to Mineral del Monte – a mining town with a very cute personality. It has some very interesting and nice buildings all over the place and I would totally encourage a stroll around the city center and up to one of the mines which feature a great view. Totally worth a half-day trip from Pachuca.

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