A Step-by-Step Guide to Visiting the Waterfalls of Tamasopo (Puente de Dios and Cascadas de Tamasopo) by Bus

Are you planning on visiting the breath-taking Huasteca Potosina region in Mexico and are wondering if you can visit any of the places without a tour? If so, then I have good news for you. There are two must see waterfalls within the town of Tamasopo called Puente de Dios and Cascadas de Tamasopo (let’s call them ‘waterfalls of Tamasopo’) that you can visit by public transport.

This blog post is your step-by-step guide on how to visit these waterfalls without a tour. You’ll also find detailed information about the two waterfalls, including entry fees, how to move between the two and things you should pack. 

For reference, we spent a full week touring around the Huasteca Potosina region during our 3 months in Mexico. We fell in love with this area instantly. Even after completing our full itinerary around Mexico, this region remained our absolute favourite.

Introducing the Waterfalls of Tamasopo

There are two beautiful places just outside of the town of Tamasopo that you should visit during your Huasteca Potosina trip.

Click here for more information about the Huasteca Potosina, how to get there, how to move around and other places to visit.

1. Puente de Dios

Located only about 3 km to the northwest of the town of Tamasopo is Puente de Dios or Bridge of God.

Puente de Dios is made up of natural pools surrounded by high walls covered in lush green vegetation. With water pouring from every side and the sun rays coming through the treetops, creating a unique lighting effect in the water, this place looks like a little paradise.

When you first arrive, you’ll come to an area that sells just about anything that you might need for your visit including dry bags, waterproof phone covers, water shoes and life jackets. From there you have to cross the railway track and follow the signs to the actual entry. 

Note – Life jackets are mandatory to enter the water and your ticket officer will make sure you have one when you purchase your ticket. You can rent one from one of the sellers just outside the entrance to the waterfall. 

Once you’ve bought your entry ticket, the path will lead you to a lookout platform from where you can admire the main pool. To reach the lookout, you’ll have to walk down a few hundred steps. Don’t forget that you’ll have to walk all the way back up again, but it’ll be worth your efforts. 

From further down, you can cliff jump into the deep blue coloured water and swim close to the falls. You can also swim over to the other pool via a cave tunnel. Since the currents are very strong they put safety ropes across the pool that you can hold on to.

Top Tip – Make sure to time your visit outside the rainy season when the currents can be even more dangerous.

Facilities – There are places you can eat and also toilet facilities you can use for a small fee.

Total Cost Summary:

• Entry Fee: 70 MXN
• Mandatory Life Jacket: 30 MXN
• Toilet: 5 MXN

2. Cascadas de Tamasopo

Another must see waterfall is located about 3 km to the north of Tamasopo called Cascadas de Tamasopo.

The waterfalls are comprised of three 15 m tall waterfalls that are fed by the River Tamasopo. All three waterfalls are divided by massive rocks and they all have inviting turquoise blue and green coloured pools in front of them.

Although Cascadas de Tamasopo is basically a natural outdoor waterpark, it’s totally worth a visit. Here you can swim, cliff jump, rope swing or relax in a hammock and enjoy a delicious meal from one of the restaurants. The place has everything for a full day or for a fun couple of hours. It’s definitely busier in general as it’s more family friendly. However, since it’s a much bigger place, it didn’t feel as crowded as it did at Puente de Dios after a big tour group arrived.

Note – Life jackets are mandatory to enter the water. You can rent one from one of the sellers within the waterpark. They might ask you to leave your drivers licence there until you return the life jacket.

Facilities – There are many places you can eat and also toilet facilities you can use for free. There are also lockers you can rent to store your belongings if you wish to.

Total Cost Summary:

• Entry Fee: 100 MXN
• Mandatory Life Jacket: 60 MXN
• Toilet: Free

How to Get to the Waterfalls of Tamasopo by Bus

Step 1 – Arrive to the Bus Stop in Ciudad Valles

The best place to be based in the Huasteca Potosina is Ciudad Valles. You can read more about where to stay and why by clicking here.

The main bus stop you need to take the bus from is called Central De Autobuses De Ciudad Valles. Since it’s located outside the centre you’ll likely need to take a taxi there first. The price of the taxi ride will depend on the traffic but expect to pay between 50 and 60 MXN.

Step 2 – Take the Local Bus to Tamasopo

The local bus company you need to take is called Grupo Vencedor. The bus company operates mainly in the Huasteca region in the states of San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Querétaro and Hidalgo. They have both budget and deluxe coaches depending on where the buses are travelling to.

Luckily, you don’t need to reserve your ticket in advance, you can just buy it on the day at the ticket office. Once at the bus stop, just head to the Grupo Vencedor stand and pick the bus you’d like to take. 

You can check the bus timetable in advance by clicking here. One way to Tamasopo should cost between 60 to 80 MXN.

Note – There are buses going from Ciudad Valles to San Luis Potosi that stop just outside of Tamasopo. We accidentally took one of these buses and ended up being dropped off on the other side of the main road. If this happens to you too, don’t worry. There will be a local bus coming that will take you to Tamasopo centre. One came in about 10-15 minutes and cost us 14 MXN each. If you’d like to make sure that you’re going all the way to Tamasopo then ask the ticket officer when purchasing your ticket.

Step 3 – How to Get to Puente de Dios from Tamasopo

Once you’ve arrived in Tamasopo, I suggest you visit Puente de Dios first. My reasons behind that are 1) if you arrive early, you have a chance to avoid massive tour groups and you can have the place for yourself and 2) you can easily spend much more time at Cascadas de Tamasopo which is a bigger place.

You can either walk to Puente de Dios or take a taxi. We decided to get there as early as possible so we took a taxi there. It cost us 70 MXN. 

On the way back we decided to walk back to the town. You’ll be walking along the main road through sugarcane fields (Follow Red Route). The walk back to Tamasopo should take between 30 to 45 minutes depending on your speed. 

Step 4 – How to Get to Cascadas de Tamasopo from Tamasopo

From the town centre Cascadas de Tamasopo isn’t far so I suggest walking there too (Follow Blue Route). Alternatively you can also take a taxi there. The walk should take around 30 minutes. 

Note – If you don’t want to walk and would rather take a taxi to both waterfalls make sure to arrange a pick up or pay for the taxi to wait for you at Puente de Dios. Whilst you can flag down a taxi easily in town, there won’t be any taxis waiting at Puente de Dios. Since Cascadas de Tamasopo is located along the main road, it will be much easier to get a taxi from there. 

Step 5 – Take the Local Bus Back to Ciudad Valles

Once you’re ready to leave Tamasopo, just head back to the bus station where you can buy your ticket to Ciudad Valles. 

Top Tip – We noticed that online timetables aren’t always accurate in Mexico. Therefore, I suggest you ask what time the bus leaves for Ciudad Valles when you arrive in Tamasopo. That way you’ll know what time you need to leave the waterfalls to catch your bus.

What to Pack to Visit the Waterfalls of Tamasopo

Here’s a list of things you should consider taking with you when you visit the waterfalls of Tamasopo:

Items for protection:

• Reef safe sun-cream
• Sunglasses
• Hat

Clothing items:

• Quick-dry towel
• Swimsuit
• Flip-flops
• Water shoes
• Comfortable trainers for walking

Tech items:

• Phone
• Waterproof Phone Case
• GoPro with waterproof case
• Dry bag for your tech items

Other Items:

• Drivers licence
• Cash
• Snacks
• Water bottle

Final Thoughts on Visiting the Waterfalls of Tamasopo by Public Transport

We really enjoyed visiting the waterfalls of Tamasopo by public transport. Although not everything went according to plan, we were happy that we could enjoy the waterfalls without a tour. The waterfalls are really beautiful and definitely a must see if you’re visiting the Huasteca Potosina. 

Have you ever visited the waterfalls of Tamasopo or the Huasteca Potosina region before? If so, how much of the area did you manage to explore? If not, would you want to traverse this area now? Let me know in the comments below.