Aldama - Touristic Sites
El Nacimiento
This is a natural place where the Barbereba River is born. Here, you can enjoy beautiful vegetation and swim in its peaceful waters, being an ideal place to spend a picnic day. Just a few minutes away you will find the cenotes.
Los Cenotes
The word "cenote" comes form the Mayan word D'zonot, meaning a hole in the ground. The cenotes are natural wells that form after cavern full of sulfuric hydrothermal waters collapse, leaving a vast water mirror between walls and rocks. In Tamaulipas you can only find few of them. Four of them are El Zacatón, La Pila Verde, El Caracol and La Pilita located in Aldama, only 12 Km away from the municipal head found inside a private property. Its visit is allowed as long as you behave and don't litter.
El Zacatón
El Zacatón is a water pool or cenote with a 140 meter diameter flanked by 20 meter tall stone walls below the level of the terrain. It has approximate depth of 328 meters that has been searched by expert scuba divers and it is among the 98th deepest place in Mexico. Inside its waters you will find some chinampas or floating islands of grass (zacate), which gives its name. In 1994, Scheck Exley, the best cave diver in the world, lost his live after submerging in El Zacatón trying to break the 1000 feet record.
La Pila Verde
This water pool is situated only 500 meters from El Zacatón. Despite its short distance, this is a different place, the water is dark blue and it is surrounded by abundant vegetation. Its diameter is bigger and the depth of its water is smaller (aprox. 200 meters).
El Caracol
Featuring a 12-meter diameter and its spring in the shallow part is approximately of 5 meters. Caracol means seashell and was named on account of its conic shape.
La Pilita
This water pool has 30-meter diameter and the water is almost ground level, it's considered one of the deepest sweet water wells of the world.
La Barra del Tordo
A site of exquisite beauty located on the bank of the Carrizales River. The lake, river and sea join here allowing visitors to enjoy its unique scenery. Here you may enjoy the beach, fishing, boat rides along the river while you admire its beautiful and natural surroundings. On the riverbank you will find tourist camps with all the comforts for national and foreign tourists as well as for those who love to fish.
On the beach at Barra del Tordo, located a couple of kilometers before the bank, you can enjoy palapas (palm leaf umbrellas), benches and barbe cue grills as well as seafood restaurants which make of this place a perfect spot to enjoy the sand and sun on a sunny day. This is also considered a sanctuary for the Tortuga Lora (Kemp's Ridley) an endangered species, that year after year arrive here to spawn their eggs, therefore there is a permanent camp for their protection.
Tips - Barra del Tordo is located 43 kilometers from Aldama, to get there you must go through the city of Aldama following the signs that leading to the Aldama-Barra del Tordo state highway. Once you get on the highway you can take the deviation towards the beach or go ahead until you can no longer go straight and then make a left turn following a road that will lead you where the river and sea join.
La Muralla
A beautiful site made by a pool where water flows from forming a rivulet. Surrounded by an enormous rock wall of 80 meters high, has given this place its name. You can swim and have a nice camping day under the shadow of the many surrounding trees.
