Tamul waterfall in the region of Huastecas in San Luis Potosi, Mexico is one of Mexico’s most stunning waterfalls. Being the tallest waterfall of the region it’s surprising to hear that Tamul waterfall is largely unvisited by non Mexican nationals. While it is somewhat challenging to get to, this incredible waterfall is 100% worth visiting.
Without further adieu, here is your guide to visiting Tamul waterfall in Huasteca Potosina Mexico.
What to bring
Swimsuit โ Swimming in most waterfalls is allowed so make sure to bring your bathing suit. We love Andie Swimโs eco swimsuit line which uses recycled plastic for their form-fitting suits.
Quick Dry Towel โ There are plenty of high-quality, fast-drying towels on the market right now, so there is no reason to pack in bulky ones that take up unnecessary space. Our favorites are from Teslate but these Turkish towels from Amazon are great too.
Water Sandals โ Traversing the landscape around the waterfalls can be tricky. We highly encourage a good pair of water shoes with traction. Dennis loves his Earth Runners and Liz recommends these Chacos.
Water โ You want to stay hydrated on this trip. Your tour guide will likely have water bottles. But if you want to help the environment bring your own reusable water bottle. We recommend this Camelbak that has a lifestraw in it to help filter and remove any unwanted chemicals like chlorine, lead, and organic matter.
Sun protection โ We are not big fans of sunscreen. Most are actually toxic to your body and known to cause skin cancer. Itโs also bad for the environment youโre swimming in. But if you must use sunscreen we recommend this brand, which has no harmful ingredients, uses zinc to block the sun, and is environmentally safe.
If youโre okay ditching the sunscreen make sure you have a sun shirt and hat with you. We love Free Fly apparel which uses bamboo and has 30 SPF protection. Itโs also a good idea to have a buff to protect your neck and face.
Dry Bag โ If youโre bringing any filming equipment (like a GoPro) to capture the beauty and the fun at Tamul waterfall, make sure you have a dry bag with you.
Change of Clothes – After the excursion you’ll get a delicious home cooked meal. There are bathrooms nearby for changing. I didn’t know to bring a change of clothes and desperately wished I had them.
How to visit the waterfall
In order to visit Tamul waterfall you must book an excursion with a tour group. We ended up booking with Huasteca Sharet. We were super pleased with our entire experience. Not only was our tour guide awesome but our tour included transportation to and from the waterfall as well as an incredible home cooked meal at the end of a long day paddling.
If you are unable to book with Huasteca Sharet you can also book a tour through Viator. This has nearly 200 reviews at the time of this writing with a 5 star rating. Nearly all tour companies will be based in Ciudad Valles.
This is the largest city in the Huastecas Potosina area and is about an hour away from the waterfall launch area. When you arrive to the launch area you will find bathrooms and lots of vendors selling items. If you forget to bring the recommended items you can purchase a quick dry long sleeve shirt, buffs, hats, water shoes, or dry bags here. The items were being sold from $30 to $100 pesos ($1.50 to $5.00 USD) during our visit.
Canoeing to Tamul Waterfall
Your journey to the waterfall is up river. Be ready to paddle! It’s about a 45 minute ride with about 15 minutes walking half way through to get through small rapids. Thankfully, the guides carry the boats through the rapids.
The view on the paddle up is incredible! There are mini waterfalls, lush moss, trees, and the gorgeous blue water. This alone was a magical experience. But the waterfall will blow you away.
Tamul waterfall is 340 feet tall and nearly 300 meters long. It’s extremely powerful and an amazing sight to see. You can walk up the side of the mountain some to get closer to the waterfall, but the boats take you to the closest point you can safely be before turning around.
The waterfalls current is very strong. Our guide swam to a rock. We, however, stayed closer to the shore in fear of being swept away by the current. There are excursions you can take that climb the cliff of the waterfall, but for this experience you’ll have to wait to go swimming at the next stop, cueva del agua.
Visiting Cueva del Agua
After visiting Tamul Waterfall, you will paddle to a small cave along the river called Cueva del Agua. This is a spring fed cave that has super clear water for swimming. Swimming in the cave is allowed. But it will be packed. We didn’t let the crowds scare us off and jumped right in.
When the tour was complete, our guide brought us to a home. A woman prepared an incredible meal for us and we dined al fresco in her backyard. The food was fantastic and she happily accommodated the vegetarians that were at the table.
If you want to change into dry clothes for the hour ride home. There were bathrooms and changing rooms on site. The trip, including the drive out and back took nearly all day. We were exhausted when we got home. But had an absolutely incredible experience.
We are so thankful we went out of our way to experience Tamul waterfall. Hopefully this guide will help make your trip to visit the stunning Tamul waterfall easier for you.
