Prismas Basalticas, Hidalgo

-
The Prismas Basalticas of Santa Maria Regla are located in the municipality of Huasca de Ocampo in the state of Hidalgo.

Huasca was the first of 111 'Magical Towns' in Mexico and it's easy to see why: the prismas are spectacular columns of rock lining a valley with a river fed by waterfalls. The site is thought to have been formed in the ice age when erupting volcanic lava was cooled rapidly by ice.

The park was developed by locals who wanted to turn the site from a grazing ground for cattle into the major tourist attraction it is today.

Now you can visit the site for $70, enjoy outdoor swimming pools for an additional $25 and even take a night-time tour of the forest and surrounding areas, complete with tales of local myths and legends, campfire and marshmallow-toasting and more (approx. $100). There are other activities availing on-site including ziplining across the valley and horse-riding.

How to Get There

From Mexico city you can take a coach from the Central del Norte or TAPO bus stations to Pachuca ($106, approx. 2 hours). From the Central de Pachuca, take a colectivo bus or taxi ($60) to the Mercado Benito Juarez. There you will find mini buses leaving regularly direct to Los Prismas ($40).



Where to Stay

The Los Prismas park itself offers chalets starting at $1000 per night for two people. In the local area there are plenty of accommodation options, ranging from budget chalets to deluxe hotels.





What Else?


 Just down the hill from Los Prismas is the Hacienda San Miguel Regla (entrance $85). Built between 1760 - 1780 by a Spanish silver-producer,  the former hacienda is now a luxury hotel and restaurant. You can spend the day enjoying the grounds and take a short hike to the pool at the bottom of the valley.


Next to the entrance to Los Prismas is a lake and you can take a boat trip for $150 per person.

Bring enough cash for the whole of your trip as the park does not accept card payments. Although the closest ATM is in Huasca, on busy weekends it may run out of money!

I went at the end of March and the weather was warm during the day but very cold at night so don't forget to bring layers if you plan on being there in the evening!


Links:






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Riviera Maya

-
Image
The most popular destination in Mexico for international tourists, I myself flew to Cancun on my first trip to Mexico. Its popularity has earned it a bit of a bad reputation for being too commercial and expensive but there are some great places you can visit if you know where they are. Cancun Famous for being a popular with Spring Breakers, Cancun is often maligned as trashy and overpriced. However, flights to Cancun are by far the cheapest from international airports and if you want you can take a coach direct to Playa del Carmen or Tulum. The hotel district is where you'll find the fanciest places but budget travellers can find a lot of cheap hostels in the downtown area of the city. From the centre you can take a bus to Playa Delfines and you won't be disappointed: the water is the clearest and bluest you'll ever see. What's more it's totally free! If you arrived at Cancun airport, take an ADO coach to the city centre. It's waaaay cheaper than taking
Read more

Weird Things About Life in Mexico

-
Image
I know this probably isn't the first of these lists you've seen but life in Mexico can be pretty weird and everyone who comes here seems to have unique experiences so I'm going to share my take on some of the crazy stuff that happens here: 1. Mexicans Can't Say No Now, I'm from Britain so I'm familiar with people being overly polite. However, the Mexican version of over-polite is a bit different and takes some getting used to. A lot of Mexican people feel uncomfortable saying no so will give an affirmative response when they don't actually mean it. You could end up getting the wrong directions if you ask someone for them in the street. You could wait around for hours for someone to show up only to discover they never planned on meeting you in the first place! When I first arrived in Mexico, a friend warned me that when two Mexicans bump into each other on the street they feel awkward unless they make plans to meet each other again, perhaps even going so
Read more