Matacanes, Mexico, Where You Swim in Caves

Sean Healy wrote an article for GoNOMAD about Matacanes: Underwater rivers in Mexico. Beautiful photos of swimmers in gorges.

"This is one of the least traveled, under-discovered, serene and beautiful places I have ever been. Emerald moss blankets rock and tree; a veritable cornucopia of plant life surrounds us and the sound of exotic birds and waterfalls echoes through the valley.

Waterfalls?! That’s a reassuring sound. Surely we can’t be far. And we weren’t. Around the next corner the truck stops and Alberto yells, “Salgan.”

“Base camp” is little more than a shed, some free-range chickens, and fresh air. Alberto instructs us on squeezing into our wetsuits, strapping on the harnesses, and affixing our helmets securely to our cherished heads. We hike for an additional thirty minutes through tall pines and fallen cones.

I decide to befriend our local guide and so question Alberto about the area. He informs me that we’re on a large cattle ranch and the cows – and bulls – roam free. He smiles and says that if I hear a thunderous rumbling to climb the nearest tree because “Tu no quieres ser golpeado por toros huyendo en disorden.” And right he was, I did not want to be hit by bulls fleeing in disorder – literal translations are a joyful pastime of mine.