Huasca de Ocampo – Mexico’s most beautiful Pueblo Magico

Posted on January 27, 2020 | Julie J. |

Last Updated on February 17, 2023

Huasca de Ocampo is a stunning Pueblo Magico (Magical Town) considered by many as one of the best in Mexico. This cute village is surrounded by breath-taking scenery and incredible landscapes. You cannot go to Hidalgo without visiting this area. Read on to discover the best things to do in Huasca de Ocampo.

The first thing you need to know about Huasca de Ocampo is that the village is really small, and everything interesting is not close by. You’ll have to rent a car or hire a cab to visit the area.

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Huasca de Ocampo Village

You can start by visiting the village and the church, which should take you less than 30 minutes. The village is cute, with paved streets and colorful houses. You can stop by the tourism office, they can tell you about what you can do and how to get there.

If you still haven’t, try the ice cream in the Santa Clara shop, they’re amazing. You can also sample some street food and buy some handicrafts.

Ex-Hacienda San Miguel Regla

Next head to the Ex-Hacienda San Miguel Regla, you can walk to it or there are colectivos that go there, but not frequently. The hacienda is amazing, if you have the time and the budget, I highly advise spending a few nights there. Even if it’s a hotel now, you can visit it. Stop at the reception to pay the entrance fee, they’ll even give you a map. Count around 1 hour to visit it.

The part you visit are the gardens, you can also have a drink at the bar or a meal at the restaurant. The place is beautiful and is a perfect place to take photos.

Entrance fee: 50 pesos

Prismas Basalticos

Prismas Balsaticos, Huasca de Ocampo, Hidalgo

Your next stop is at the Prismas Basalticos, amazing rock formations that you must-see. It’s a unique sight, the formations look like pipes and are along a canyon boarding a small river and high waterfall. The prisms are stunning, I could have stayed hours just looking at the landscape. They are part of the Comarca Minera, a UNESCO geopark.

The prisms are part of a resort, they have pools and all the facilities you’ll need. They also have a taxi service to take you back to or from Huasca and to any other touristic spots in the area. You can also rent a small boat to go on the river and see some flooded buildings.

To get there, I walked from the Hacienda, it’s not close but if you like walking it’s fine, you’ll get nice views over the river. From the hacienda, it’s your only option, unless you hitchhike. From Huasca de Ocampo, you can take a cab or from time to time there are colectivos going, but only if there are enough people wanting to go.

The site is open from 9 AM to 8 PM. The entrance fee is 100 pesos.

Next to the Prismas Balsaticos, you can visit the Hacienda Santa Maria Regla too.

Peña del Aire

The next stop is Peña del Aire, your only option is to hire a cab if you don’t have a car to get there. Peña del Aire is a huge stone that seems to defy gravity, overlooking a deep canyon. There you can do some zipline if you dare. There are also several viewpoints with breathtaking views, but you’ll need a car to reach them as they spread over a large area.

The entrance fee is 20 pesos.

Canyons, Peña del Aire, Huasca de Ocampo, Hidalgo

The place is magical and the landscape stunning, so are the Prismas Balsaticos, after visiting all of these places I understood why Huasca de Ocampo is often referred to as the best Pueblo Magico in Mexico.

You can also stop by the Barrancas de Aguacatitla for a bit of adventure. It’s a private park where you can go trekking, swimming, canyoning or rappelling. They also rent boats and you can camp there.

How to get to Huasca de Ocampo

You can get a colectivo from Pachuca city center, near the market, to get to Huasca de Ocampo. They leave when full and it takes around 30 minutes to get there. Don’t forget to ask when is the last one if you don’t plan on spending the night there. I’d recommend organizing your trip as a day trip from Pachuca. If you have a car you can plan to spend a night or two as there are a lot of activities to do around Huasca de Ocampo.