Saturday 7 March 2009

Waterfalls, Pyramids, and Tacos - Mexico 2008


Hitting the mega boof of La Luminosa on the Salto

In November 2008 an intrepid team consisting of Frankie, Grandad, Katy, Tom, Pete, Donna, and I headed over the Atlantic to travel and boat around Mexico for three weeks. We spent our time in the states of San Luis Posti and Veracruz. I've got to say that it was a superb trip. Mexico has some amazing and unique rivers, (a lot of which are still unexplored), super friendly people, and excellent cuisine. Combine all this with plenty of cultural interest. I've been left wanting a lot more of what Mexico has to offer. I've got to go back.........

We flew into Mexico City (via Charlotte USA), and from there we headed north on one of the excellent executive Mexico buses to get to our first destination - CD Valles. This area is home to the famous Micos Cascade, the Salto, and the Santa Maria river along with a lot more. We stayed at the excellent Expediciones Huaxteca campsite at the bottom of the Micos waterfalls run. If you ever make it out there Expediciones Huaxteca come highly recommended. They sorted all our shuttles as well as providing somewhere to pitch a tent. They also did our food (which was absolutely top notch - some of the best we had in Mexico), at sweet prices. Their staff were excellent and couldn't do enough for us. The campsite was probably the most pleasant we'd ever been to, with great facilities and an excellent setting. This was also a twitchers paradise - with loads of cool birds like parrots flying about. The campsite was pretty central to the rivers of the area and it was really easy just to nip to the top of the Micos Cascades for a quick blast.


Our first campsite on the banks of the Micos river


Our all terrain Huaxteca shuttle bus


Tom at the spectacular Micos put in


Lining up the first fall of the Micos


Frankie heads off down the first few drops of the Micos


Heading off down the Micos whitewater playground


Frankie on a small Micos slide


A 28 foot Micos plunge


Enjoying the final set of cascades on the Micos


Tom takes another route on the final set of falls


Frankie doing some filming

Along with the Micos, this region is also famous for the Salto, a long section of drops and small slides through some pretty Mexican jungle. Have a look below......


The whole gang gathers at the spectacular falls at the take out of the Salto


El Nemo - the first big plunge on the Salto


Tom runs El Nemo


Over-rotating on a 30 foot drop on the the Salto - painful!!!


Frankie takes a much nicer line


Tom flies off the same drop


La Luminosa - one of the most fun drops I've ever done


Pete goes airbone


Grandad goes for it


Grandad runs one of the many Salto falls - El Trampolin....a sweet 20 footer


Getting some more verticality on the same fall


Pete taking a chunky rapid on the Salto


Mexican flora and fauna part 1 - a very pretty flower


Flora and fauna part 2 - Snake!


The team enjoying a delicious meal after a spectacular trip on the Tampaon section of the Santa Maria river

The San Lluis Potsoi area really is amazing. I can't recommend it enough, you need to go! Plenty more from Mexico to come soon - Veracruz State, lost jungle cities, and a good dose of boating...........