Xilitla

Surrounded by the jaw-dropping tropical scenery of the Huasteca Potosina, the remote hillside town of Xilitla (hee-leet-la) is an agreeable spot notable for its precariously steep streets and proximity to Las Pozas, the British eccentric Edward James' fantastical jungle sculpture garden. Built just outside the town in the 1950s and constantly embellished and expanded over the following decades, Las Pozas is still the main reason for most people to come here.

As the Huasteca Potosina continues to grow in popularity as a travel destination, however, Xilitla has found itself at the center of a small but quickly growing tourism bubble, and now has dozens of hotels and guesthouses as well as numerous tour operators offering rafting, rappeling, hiking and mountain-bike excursions in the surrounding countryside. There's definitely a bit of magic in the air here, as all who make it this far quickly discover.