Cascada El Aguacate is an incredible waterfall tucked deep into the mountains and farmlands of Tamasopo. Just getting there is an amazing adventure in itself but once you lay eyes on this massive 100-meter high waterfall it’s all worth it, especially considering you’re surrounded by nothing except dense vegetation, mountains, farms and almost nothing else.
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Getting to Cascada El Aguacate
Getting to Cascada El Aguacate you’re presented with a few challenges, one is actually getting to the falls, the other is getting down to the bottom. I’ll explain how to get there first.
Ok so this one is in google maps so a quick search will be very beneficial but if you have no service or no data in Mexico then this is what you will want to do.
Despite the fact it is only 50kms out of Ciudad Valles the roads are bad and the drive is slow. You’re looking at about 90 minutes to get there from the city.
You need to head west on the 70 out of Ciudad Valles then follow the signs to Naranjo a few kilometers out of town.
After 23kms on this road you are going to come to a small town you want to stay to the left on this road and drive straight past the town.
After 5.2 kms you need to do a weird maneuver and turn right twice really close together basically making a u-turn. Head a few hundred meters more and take your first left. After about 6 more kms you enter a town and you want to keep it to your right and pass straight through it onto a smaller road that will literally take you all the way to the falls.
Just try and find it on google maps haha. Cascada El Aguacate Tamasopo in the search box should bring it up.
Once you are at the falls you need to get down the bottom. We didn’t actually get to do this because they had removed the stairs and roped off the entrance and while it looked possible it looked super sketchy, so we decided against it, safety first and all that.
I am not sure what they were doing with the stairs but even with them most of the track down was without them and incredibly steep. I know some of the tours that go out here take their own ropes to help people get down and then remove them again when they are leaving. We actually just swam up top which was super nice but it was not like being under the falling water and we both regret not having made the hike down.
When you finally pull up at Cascada El Aguacate you’re standing at the top of the falls being fed by a river flowing from the north straight off the edge of a giant drop and seemingly into oblivion and as you stare over the edge all you can see is a pristine untouched combination of cliff face and rainforest.
Where to stay in Ciudad Valles.
So we are always going to recommend eco-hostels or lodges first and this one is another beautiful one located in central Ciudad Valles.
Eco Hotel Casa Kima is a beautiful little tropical styled hotel with bamboo buildings complete with grass thatched roofs that are reasonably priced.
Hotel Casa Ortiz is a very well priced 5-star hotel in the middle of Ciudad Valles. It comes complete with a pool and breakfast. We didn’t actually stay here but it is very highly rated and probably a great option if you’re looking for something a little more conventional.
If you are looking for a more budget option the Hotel Casa Clavel is probably perfect. It is what you would expect from a budget hotel, basic and clean. Rooms at Hostel Casa Clavel start from around $25 USD per night.
Other waterfalls in San Luis Potosi
So there are probably dozens and dozens of other amazing spots in San Lusi Potosi but here are a few worth checking out.
Puente De Dios an incredibly beautiful spot tucked into the mountains.
Salto del Agua another amazing spot that seems to remain extremely uncrowded most of the year.
Being sustainable while traveling.
Mexico is an extremely beautiful place and between the beaches, the coral reefs, and all of the waterfalls there are a few small things we can do to help keep them pristine.
My first tip for this especially for the cenotes, and coral reefs or any delicate ecosystem really is to use a sunscreen specifically designed not to damage the reefs or impact marine life in any way.
Not only that most of them are better for your skin as well as the environment.
There are more and more options becoming available when it comes to this but here are a few of our favorites.
Kiss My Face is one brand that is making a really nice mineral face and body cream. They are also cruelty-free so you can feel good about that, and it contains beeswax, green tea, sunflower oil, and sage.
Sun Bum is a super fun company that has a large range of reef friendly mineral products. Ingredients include mineral zinc oxide, coconut oil, and cocoa seed butter.
All Good Sunscreen Butter is one we have not actually tried but have been hearing a lot of good things about online. All good use zinc oxide mineral ingredient to protect your skin, as well as coconut oil, beeswax, and vitamin E oil.
Insect Repellent
Bug spray is something else you should be conscious of using before going in the water. If you’re just on your way to the beach or a waterfall you don’t need to drown yourself in bug spray before jumping in. A lot of the chemicals can be toxic and help do damage to the ecosystems.
I personally try and avoid any kind of repellent unless I am getting absolutely destroyed. I just have a thin pair of cotton pants and a long sleeve button up that is made of thin material to try and stay cool at the same time. However, we do carry bug spray and there are some pretty clever options out there so you might want to check these out. Not only will the first two option be better for you all round they will also reduce your single-use plastics ever so slightly.
Exofficio Bugs Away Leggings these are for you if you’re like us and don’t like bug spray, they also have pants for men. We just put long pants on in the morning and evening when it starts to cool down and the bugs really start to come out.
Royal Robbins Mens Bug Barrier shirt I love long sleeve button ups for travel, its too hot, no worries, undo the buttons, roll up the sleeves and you’re good. Cools down, roll the sleeves back down and do the buttons up. This shirt also comes with treated fabric to help repel bugs. I went for the plain light blue option but that’s all up to you.
Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent If you are really hell-bent on some kind of spray because, well lets face it sometimes it is just too hot to wear long sleeved anything then this is probably your best option. DEET free and non-aerosol it has a couple of thousand 5 star reviews on Amazon which is pretty incredible really.
