Guided tour
Huasteca Instagrameable
The day you go home with the photos, not just the memory
About this tour
The Huasteca Instagrameable tour costs $1,850 MXN per person, lasts between 11 and 14 hours and picks you up at your lodging in Xilitla or Ciudad Valles in time for its fixed start (6:00 AM on Day 1 and 8:00 AM on Days 2 and 3; Day 1 doesn’t run on Tuesdays). The price includes round-trip transport from your lodging, the admissions, a certified guide and travel insurance for everyone in the group.
A day built around the light and the framing, not around the clock. Your guide carries a Fujifilm X-T30 II, knows the exact spots at each place and the hour the water turns turquoise, and sends you 25 to 30 edited photographs within 3 days. You pick which of the three Instagrameable days you want. Groups of 6 maximum. $1,850 MXN per person.
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Most people come back from the Huasteca with three hundred phone photos and not one worth keeping. It isn’t the phone’s fault: you reach the waterfall at the hour the sun hits it head-on, the group is fourteen people, and nobody has time to stand in the right place for two minutes. Huasteca Instagrameable exists to fix exactly that.
The difference isn’t the destination, it’s how the day is built. The order of the stops is decided by the light: you reach each place at the hour it looks like the photos that made you want to come. The group is 6 people maximum, because with fourteen there is no way to photograph anyone. And the guide doesn’t carry a phone in his pocket: he carries a Fujifilm X-T30 II, he knows where to stand you, what’s behind you and where to look, and he tells you without being asked.
There are three different days and you choose one when you book. Day 1 is the fullest: the canoe upriver along the Tampaón until you are facing Tamul Waterfall — 105 metres — in the morning, and Las Pozas, Edward James’s surrealist garden, on the 5:00 PM schedule, when the light comes in sideways between the columns and the garden is nearly empty. The garden only opens that slot Wednesday through Monday, so Day 1 doesn’t run on Tuesdays.
Day 2 goes to the Micos Waterfalls, seven stepped drops with pools of a turquoise that doesn’t look real, and closes at dusk at the Huahuas Sinkhole, when thousands of parakeets pour back into the abyss to sleep. Day 3 is the day of the northern water: the travertine terraces of Minas Viejas, El Meco Waterfall between 9 and 11 in the morning — its hour, when the sun enters the canyon straight on — and the curtain of El Salto.
What you take home: 25 to 30 edited photographs, in a private folder, within 3 days. And what we don’t promise, so there are no surprises: there is no drone — Las Pozas bans them, along with tripods — and there is no photographer separate from the guide. It is your guide, with a real camera and the places learned by heart. If what you want is to go home with the material, this is the tour.
Your day, hour by hour
Approximate times. We confirm your exact pickup by WhatsApp when you book.
- 6:00 AM
Pickup
We pick you up at your lodging in Xilitla or Ciudad Valles. The early start is deliberate: the Tamul canoe and the morning light can’t be moved.
- 8:30 AM
Tampaón boat landing
Life vest, briefing and into the canoe. The river runs boxed in between hundred-metre rock walls and the water shifts from green to turquoise as the sun comes in.
- 10:30 AM
Facing Tamul Waterfall
A hundred and five metres of water falling in front of you. This is where we take all the time it needs: it is the main frame of the day and the guide already knows which rock shows it whole.
- 1:00 PM
Lunch on the way
A stop to eat on the way back from the river, heading to Xilitla. Meals are not included: you pay at the restaurant.
- 5:00 PM
Las Pozas, on the afternoon schedule
Edward James’s surrealist garden with low light coming in between the columns, and almost no one around. It is the best moment of the day to photograph it. The garden opens this slot Wednesday through Monday.
- 7:30 PM
Back to your hotel
We drop you off at your lodging. The photos are edited and reach you in a private folder within 3 days.
On this tour
- 1Day 1 — Tamul Waterfall by canoe and Las Pozas, Edward James’s surrealist garden
- 2Day 2 — Micos Waterfalls and the Huahuas Sinkhole
- 3Day 3 — Minas Viejas Waterfalls, El Meco Waterfall and El Salto
Tour photos
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What's included
- ✦Round-trip transport from your lodging in Xilitla or Ciudad Valles
- ✦Canoe trip to Tamul Waterfall (Day 1)
- ✦Admission to every site on the day you choose
- ✦NOM-09 SECTUR certified guide, carrying a Fujifilm X-T30 II
- ✦The marked frames at every stop: your guide knows the spot each one is taken from and the hour it works
- ✦Photos and video of the tour, taken by your guide, plus 25 to 30 edited photographs, in a private folder, within 3 days
- ✦Safety gear (life vest and whatever each site requires)
- ✦Travel insurance for everyone in the group
Book direct with us
You deal with the people who take you, from booking to the tour itself.
Hold your spot with 30%
Pay the rest on the day of the tour.
Pay us directly, in pesos
No middlemen: by card or bank transfer.
WhatsApp the same team
The people who guide you answer.
Our own NOM-09 guides
Certified by SECTUR, Mexico's tourism ministry.
Our own hotel and restaurant
In Xilitla, 400 m from Las Pozas.
Pickup & transport
We pick you up at your lodging — hotel, hostel, cabin or Airbnb— in Xilitla or Ciudad Valles, and bring you back at the end of the day. Round-trip transport is included; you don't need to stay with us.
Xilitla
Sierra, Surrealist Garden and surroundings
Ciudad Valles
Waterfalls, Tamul and the Tampaón river
Pickup time
6:00 AM on Day 1 and 8:00 AM on Days 2 and 3; Day 1 doesn’t run on Tuesdays
Transport
Round trip, included
Approx. return
11–14 h after the start
Staying somewhere else? Tell us where and we'll see if we can reach you. We confirm the exact pickup time and address by WhatsApp after you book.
Ask about your pickup →
Our hotel in Xilitla
Stay 400 m from Las Pozas
Hotel Paraíso Encantado is ours too: it's in La Conchita, a 5-minute walk from Edward James's garden.
- El Papán Huasteco, our Huasteca-food restaurant, is inside the hotel: open 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
- Outdoor pool for guests.
- Arriving on the morning bus? If your room is ready, it's yours when you arrive; if not, you leave your bags at reception and we pick you up there for the tour.
Book with total confidence
Free cancellation
Up to 48h before · Full refund
We run in the rain
If the river is unsafe you choose: refund or new date
Photos and video included
Taken by your guide · No extra charge
WhatsApp support 24/7
Reply in under 1 hour
Card, cash or transfer
Encrypted payment · Processed by Stripe
Before you book
Frequently asked questions
What's included in the Huasteca Instagrameable?
Round-trip transport from your lodging in Xilitla or Ciudad Valles, Canoe trip to Tamul Waterfall (Day 1), Admission to every site on the day you choose, NOM-09 SECTUR certified guide, carrying a Fujifilm X-T30 II, The marked frames at every stop: your guide knows the spot each one is taken from and the hour it works, Photos and video of the tour, taken by your guide, plus 25 to 30 edited photographs, in a private folder, within 3 days, Safety gear (life vest and whatever each site requires), Travel insurance for everyone in the group. All of this is included in the price.
How long is the Huasteca Instagrameable?
The tour lasts between 11 and 14 hours.
Can I cancel my booking?
Yes. Free cancellation up to 48 hours before the tour. Full refund, no questions asked.
What is the price per person?
The price is $1,850 MXN per adult. Children ages 6 to 10 pay 70% ($1,295 MXN) and children under 6 pay 50% ($925 MXN). The discount applies when you book online.
Where does the tour depart from?
There is no single departure point: we pick you up at your lodging — hotel, hostel, cabin or Airbnb — in Xilitla or Ciudad Valles, and bring you back at the end of the day. Round-trip transport is included and you don't need to stay with us. We confirm the exact time and address by WhatsApp after you book.
What time does it start?
We pick you up at your lodging in Xilitla or Ciudad Valles in time for its fixed start (6:00 AM on Day 1 and 8:00 AM on Days 2 and 3; Day 1 doesn’t run on Tuesdays).
What photos am I actually going home with?
The frames of your day, which your guide already has mapped. Day 1: the canoe entering the canyon between hundred-metre walls, you on the rock with Tamul’s 105 metres behind you, the turquoise water from inside the canoe, and in the afternoon Edward James’s columns and arches and the staircase that leads nowhere, in the 5 PM light. Day 2: the jump into the Micos pool, the stepped drops from the bank and, at dusk, the parakeets pouring into the Huahuas Sinkhole. Day 3: the travertine terraces and the twin curtain of Minas Viejas from the walkway, El Meco between 9 and 11 AM — its hour — and the drop at El Salto.
How many photos do I get, and when?
Between 25 and 30 edited photographs, in a private folder sent to you by WhatsApp or email within 3 days of the tour. They are not the raw files: they are selected and adjusted for light and colour.
Who takes the photos? Is there a separate photographer?
Your guide takes them, with a Fujifilm X-T30 II — not a phone. There is no extra photographer: there is a guide who knows the exact spots at each place, the hour each one looks best, and where to put you. That is also why the group is 6 people max.
Can I use the photos on my social media? Do you use them too?
They are yours and you can post them anywhere, no permission needed. We may also use one or two on our own channels or website; if you’d rather we didn’t, tell us on the day and we won’t use any.
Do you fly a drone?
No. Las Pozas does not allow drones or tripods, so neither is part of this tour. Photos are taken handheld. The only tour of ours with drone video is the Rappel at Tamul Waterfall, because that gear belongs to the rappel operator.
Why doesn’t Day 1 run on Tuesdays?
Because Day 1 enters Las Pozas on the 5:00 PM schedule, and the garden only opens that slot Wednesday through Monday. On Tuesdays it doesn’t exist, and moving the garden to the morning would make the Tamul canoe trip impossible on the same day. Days 2 and 3 run any day.
Can I do all three days?
Yes. They are three different days at the same price per person, and they can be taken back to back: Tamul and Las Pozas, Micos and the Huahuas Sinkhole, and Minas Viejas with El Meco and El Salto. Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll put the three days and their dates into a single quote.
Does the guide tell me how to pose?
He tells you where to stand, what’s behind you and where to look, and he’ll suggest framings if you want them. If you’d rather not be directed and just be photographed as you go, that works too — say so at the start of the day.
What if the photos never arrive?
Message us on WhatsApp once the third day has passed and we’ll send them. Keep your booking reference: that’s how the team finds your folder. If the deadline has gone by, tell us — don’t wait weeks — because photos are filed by departure, and the sooner you say something the faster they turn up.
Can we have an English-speaking guide?
Tick «I'd like an English-speaking guide» in the checkout — it's free. We note it on your booking and send a guide who speaks English; if we don't have a bilingual guide that day, we tell you on WhatsApp before your date.
What if it rains or the river closes?
If the river closes the way to Tamul, Day 1 is rearranged at no cost: you see the waterfall from the upper lookout and the garden stays in the plan. If rain makes the full tour impossible, we reschedule it or refund what you paid, as on every tour of ours.
More detail in our cancellation and weather policy.
Make the most of your trip
Tours that pair well with this one
Tamul Expedition — Tamul, Water Cave and Sinkhole
Want more than one Instagrameable day? There are three different days and they can run back to back: message us and we’ll put them together with their dates. Travelling with a bigger group? Tamul Expedition covers the waterfall without the six-person cap.
