A guide to visiting Las Pozas in Xilitla Mexico

The region of Huastecas Potosino near San Luis Potosi, Mexico is most popular for their ecotourism. They have numerous waterfalls, rivers, and caves to explore, in addition to an extremely unique surrealist garden in the jungle called Las Pozas. After enjoying an awesome canoe ride to Tamul waterfall we went on our second excursion in the area, which was driving two hours to visit Las Pozas in Xilitla Mexico. We’re so glad we went out of our way for this activity and share some tips on what to expect when visiting Las Pozas.

About Las Pozas in Xilitla Mexico

Las Pozas is formally known in Mexico as El Jardín Escultório Edward James and is located on the outskirts of Xilitila, one of Mexico’s Pueblos Magicos. Las Pozas was created by Edward James a British poet and artist. After visiting Xilitla in the mid 1900’s he decided to grow a beautiful garden of orchids and exotic plants in the area. However, after an extremely cold winter wiped out his garden, he decided to create a concrete garden that could withstand time and temperature. His vision took over 20 years to complete and $5 million dollars to build, and his vision and mission of building this surrealist garden employed over 140 local villagers.

Las Pozas means “the pools” in Spanish, and is a tribute to the beautiful man-made pools that can be enjoyed throughout the property. His garden truly is a magical place with a wide varieties of butterflies, flowers, plants, waterfalls, and of course, sculptures.

What to bring

Las Pozas is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is protected and preserved through the efforts of the a private fund and support from the World Monuments Fund and Friends of Heritage Preservation. For this reason, there are limitations to what you can bring inside. They do not allowed food, although there is a restaurant on site. You can bring water bottles, but camera equipment is limited to one hand held camera and lens. No tripods, monopods, gimbals, or microphones will be allowed. If you have any of these items upon arrival, don’t leave them in your car, instead check them at the reception area where they will be put in a secure room for safekeeping.

Water
1 camera and lens (no professional equipment like monopod, tripod, additional lenses, or microphones allowed)

visiting las pozas

Xilitla Mexico is a mountainous town in the temperate jungle. While the elevation is high, it can be very hot and humid. Visitors headed to Las Pozas are suggested to wear light weight, breathable clothing. The earlier you come the less humid and hot it will be. Peak time for visitors, including tour guides is around 12:00, so early morning is typically best.

Entry to Las Pozas is $100 Mexican pesos per adult, and there may be an “attendant” who will ask you to pay a $30 peso parking fee. We were advised (after paying) that the attendant was actually not associated with the actual park, so you are not required to pay by any means.

In the past, you were able to walk onto almost all of the structures. However, recent changes have been made to better preserve the buildings and many have restricted areas.

There are formal tours you can take to Las Pozas that give you a lot of background information and history about the gardens, but we opted for no tour guide and enjoyed the freedom of walking on our own. It feels like the gardens were designed to be an elaborate maze perfect for roaming or getting lost in.

Girl under stone arch in jungle garden of Los Pozas de Xilitla, Mexico.

Surrealist sculpture in jungle at garden of Los Pozas de Xilitla, Mexico.

Relief sculpture of Quetzalcoatl the feathered serpent in Los Pozas de Xilitla, Mexico.

Girl in jungle garden of Los Pozas de Xilitla, Mexico.

Many people actually wore bathing suits and took a dip in the pools scattered throughout the garden. If you do plan on visiting Las Pozas, come without an agenda or schedule — it will make your visit much more enjoyable.

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Liz & Dennis

ESRV Team

We’re two travel-loving, real estate investing, foodies exploring North America as full-time RV’ers. This blog is where we share our lessons learned, tips and tricks, and favorite places to eat, see, and RV across North America! We hope it helps you find your wanderlust, plan and prepare for RV life, and get out on the road!

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