Full day Tolantongo Caves!
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Mexico City, Mexico
- 12 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Visit the Tolantongo Caves from Mexico City, without the hassle of complicated public transportation with transfers or self-driving, with this small-group guided tour. Spend the day at the resort (entrance fee not included), with its thermal river and pools, natural grottos, and waterfalls, with round-trip transfers and a guide included.
- A hassle-free way to visit the Tolantongo Caves from Mexico City
- Includes use of towels and lamps inside the park area
- Lunch, alcoholic beverage, and zipline available for purchase
- Enjoy a more personal experience in a small-group tour
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Guide inside the park,loan towels for use inside the park areas!
- Alcoholic Beverages
- zip Line or zip line between 20USD
- LunchDoes not include food or tips
- Park entrance tickets (230 pesos)MX$230.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Av. P.º de la Reforma 222, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, 06600 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Front door of Reforma square222
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Wonderful experience with Elias as a tour guide to Tolantongo. Small group with comfortable car definitely allowed a more personal VIP experience. Tolantongo was my favorite excursion in CDMX and Elias was definitely a big part why. We learned a lot about the Mexico City culture and enjoyed our day. Elias gave us all the insider tips for each segment of our trip. Thanks for a wonderful day and tour Elias! Highly recommend to everyone! (In contrast, this tour was so much more enjoyable and personalized compared to the hot air balloon excursion we booked with separate provider, that had 13 of us crammed into small uncomfortable van with guides just going through the motions. We will definitely aim for smaller groups going forward. )
Reviews
5.0
based on 52 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
This was the best experience we ever had and Elias was the best tour guide. We had a lot of fun on the way to Tolantongo, Tolantongo is really great and fun. I would recommend the is tour to everyone. The food that we ate for breakfast was great and in Tolantongo, it was not crowded, so i recommend going in the week. One in a life time experience
There are no words to describe this trip! Elias is the most dedicated, relaxed, and thoughtful guide. Because this was a small group tour focused on transport, we were able to enjoy spending time with each other rather than listening to a guide telling us facts about the place. Not to say I don't like being told stories and facts, but for Tolantongo we had gone for a relaxing day, so this was perfect. We went to the pools, the river, and two caves, basically the entire park. He was punctual, descriptive, friendly, and informative (if you asked anything), cannot recommend him more.
Elias was an absolutely wonderful tour guide! Although the trip to Grutas de Tolantongo was long, we truly enjoyed every moment. His kindness, patience, and friendly personality made the journey so much more enjoyable. He made sure we were comfortable, shared helpful information, and went above and beyond to give us an unforgettable experience. The beauty of Tolantongo was incredible, and having Elias as our guide made the day even more special. We highly recommend him and would gladly book another tour with him!
Our tour guide, Elias, made the experience so enjoyable! He was very knowledgeable about every stop, and we had the perfect amount of time to explore each place without feeling rushed. Definitely be sure to bring pesos for the entrance fees! The drive is about 3 hours each way, and we made it back to the meeting point around 5:30 PM. Overall, such a great experience and definitely worth it!
This was so fun and such an amazing experience! We loved all of it - the thermal pools, cave exploration (even though it was super hot), hot springs, and zip lining! Elias was super knowledgeable, easy to talk to, and accommodating. We appreciated his instructions, guidance, and tips. He was a great driver as well!
Amazing experience with Elias! He was attentive, professional and caring for our group. We had a group of 6 and had our own car with him! We started off with an authentic breakfast spot, stopped by a stall to grab water shoes/phone water protector case, and headed to the falls! Started with the big waterfalls and caves (would recommend bringing flashlight!), then went to the rivers and ended at the pools! Would highly recommend Elias’ tour!
Firstly Bring cash! This was something we were not prepared for. Almost everything was cash only including entrance to the pools.
The trip was a nice change of scenery from the few days spent in Mexico City. The place is gorgeous and exactly like the photos!
Elias was so kind and patient and spoke very good English. The pickup was scheduled for 5am and he unexpectedly was able to get us from our hotel which was a pleasant surprise.
We stopped for breakfast at a nice little family roadside stop. It was very delicious and kept us going for the day.
The drive was long but we slept most of the way. When we did wake up there was such nice views and cute little villages. Elias was very knowledgeable about the villages and the history’s of them.
When we got to the pools we paid our entrance then got changed and spent 2 hours at the pools. They were naturally quite warm, especially the upper pools. It was very quiet when we first got there and it was nice. It felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. The place only accepts cash so if you want a drink or snacks it’s all cash only. But if you have a metal reusable water bottle you can bring it inside.
From there we went down to the river, which myself and my teen boys really enjoyed as well. If you brought snacks this would be a nice place to picnic as well. But alas we were unprepared.
After this we did a short hike into two caves and a waterfall, one which is like a natural sauna, the other was more room temp and had a big waterfall in the middle coming from the roof of the cave. It was pretty cool!
From here we went to a restaurant for lunch. Lucky they accepted card here and Elias made sure to check for us before we ordered. He was also sat near us so that he could help in case there was any miscommunication when ordering.
It was so nice having him nearby if we needed anything, he was never pushy and just very chill.
After our meal we continued our journey home.
I don’t think I would have enjoyed this trip if I booked with anybody else. Elias really made the trip so comfortable and easy.
Our family had a great experience traveling to Tolantongo Caves & Hot Pools. The tour operator is responsive, friendly and taking care of what we need during our tour. Highly recommended.
Great experience, on-time, clear communication and lots of time to explore the areas of the park. Would highly recommend!
Our guide, Elias vas very knowledgeable about the park and many small towns we passed along the way. he went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed. It’s a long drive but we enjoyed the trip.
Elias was sweet, accommodating, and knowledgeable and always answered in a very timely manner. Even when we had to reschedule our trip last minute he found a way where we would not have to pay any additional fees. Would recommend him to any visiting Mexico City!!! Gracias!
-Carolina
Tolontongo is an amazing beautiful place. Enjoy natural springs and experience caves with warm water. The view is spectacular.
If you love nature, respect the land, please keep it prestine. Try coming in low season so crowds won’t be an issue.
Really great experience! So fun! Elias is an experienced tour guide and knew everything about the parks!
Wonderful experience with Elias as a tour guide to Tolantongo. Small group with comfortable car definitely allowed a more personal VIP experience. Tolantongo was my favorite excursion in CDMX and Elias was definitely a big part why. We learned a lot about the Mexico City culture and enjoyed our day. Elias gave us all the insider tips for each segment of our trip. Thanks for a wonderful day and tour Elias! Highly recommend to everyone! (In contrast, this tour was so much more enjoyable and personalized compared to the hot air balloon excursion we booked with separate provider, that had 13 of us crammed into small uncomfortable van with guides just going through the motions. We will definitely aim for smaller groups going forward. )
What a great experience! Honestly, worth the money and 3.5 to 4 hour drive there and the same going back. Note: bring cash in pesos, water shoes, your own towel, a hat, and Sunblock. Plastic water bottle are not allowed in the park, you can bring refillable bottles.
The Guide: 5 stars go to Elias. He kept great communication through Viator or WhatsApp prior to the trip. He picked up my group at the agreed upon point and had a spacious 6 passenger small minivan. The ride to and from the site was comfortable and he drove very safely. On the way to the grutas, we made one stop to a small breakfast location where we could have coffee and Mexican breakfast, and use the bathroom. Once we got to the site, he let us know that the park is divided into 2 parts. He gave us plenty of time to spend at each location and because each part is far from each other, he drove us to each. He also showed us where we can change into and out of water clothes. He was extremely patient with us, knowledgeable, and accommodating. He would help guide us to each spot and gave us a time and place to meet when it was time to move on to the next place.
The Park: 4.5 stars for the park.
This location was the top place we have visited during our vacation to Mexico City. This was our first time coming to the Grutas. We first experienced the hot springs pools. These provided beautiful mountain views and great photo spots. The water was luke warm to sometimes regular warm. We found it very relaxing. Once we were done. Two of my family members did the Zipline for about 300 pesos each. This was their first time ever Ziplining and they had a blast.
Second spot was the river. A truly good experience. The water is nice and warm. There are many rocks at the bottom of the river , so I highly suggest wearing water shoes for this part (water shoes are recommended for all sites). The only downside of this location was that there are a few small bugs floating in the river and some do get on you. I'm not a big fan of any bugs so I was over this location very quickly. This is one of the reasons, along with the bathrooms missing toilet seats and not supplying toilet paper, why I knocked off 0.5 stars for the park.
The third location included the hot tunnel and the grotto. The hot tunnel was by far the most intense but best experience I've had thus far. Our Guide, Elias, did explain to us that the tunnel's internal temperature is approximately105 degrees Fahrenheit and that the feeling can be intense. He also told us it is very dark and we needed flashlights, which he provided (but I recommend maybe bringing our own water proof headband lights). He also told us how high up the water goes and told us to always hold on to the ropes on the cave walls. I am 5'2" and it went up to the top part of my armpit. Even with all this information my family members and I were not really prepared for the experience. It truly was like a very hot sauna and very dark and there are intermittent waterfalls in the tunnel which do kinda catch you off guard. I didnt expect to get so soaked. I highly recommend this tunnel experience but make sure you can handle dark, hot , small spaces and that you are in moderately good physical condition as the flooring is uneven and there are different sized rocks at the bottom.
The Grotto was another wonderful experience. It was hot in there as well, but a lot less, and there was more light coming in through the giant opening.
We ended our day with Lunch at a restaurant recommended by Elias. The restaurant was able to accommodate my strict dietary needs.
If you are visiting Mexico city and have an entire free day available, then I highly recommend this trip, ESPECIALLY with Elias/Mictlan Tours.
This was an amazing intimate tour with Elias. He picked us up in a personal car, super clean and spacious. There were 5 people on our tour, so he was able to give us personal attention and share knowledge. We made a pit stop at a local “birria de chivo” restaurante, about 45 minutes before our destination. I did other tours during my stay in Mexico City with large tour companies and was honestly disappointed, after being spoiled with attention by Elias. Had I known that he did other tours as well, I would have booked all my trips with him. l highly recommend this tour!!!
Tips for travelers: bring a towel, water shoes, water proof phone case, sunscreen, water bag and toilet paper, although you cannot bring it into the grutas. Elias provided flashlights for the cave.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thanks for the review, see you on your next trip and don't forget to recommend hehehe
Elias made our experience exceptional! From transportation pick-up to drop-off he prioritized our comfort, provided insights into the history of the grutas, and gave the best recommendations for food/activities on the trip and around Mexico City. We cannot recommend him enough!!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Tnks see you nex trip
I orginally thought it was too far but the ride was actually great. His car was super nice and only takes a handful of people so it was a great experience.
Elias is super kind, hardworking, and knowledgable tour guide. I really enjoyed our trip to the Tolango with him.
This was a really good experience! It was cold but the warmth of of the caves and the swings made up for the experience.
My only recommendation is for you to walk with some snacks. The places our tour good stoped for food had lots of flies and as a result we didn't eat until he took us to a location that was more sanitary.
This is a LONG day, but thanks to Elias it was easy and comfortable. Make sure to bring cash and water shoes (hiking water sandals worked really well here!)
We started our day around 5:30am. Elias drives a mini-van sized car and grabbed us from the mall (near the bank). In total, there were 5 of us on the tour + Elias, so we were very comfortable in the car.
The trip there took about 3 hours. He made one stop for gas/bathroom and we could have stopped for breakfast, but we all opted to keep going. The sooner we got there, the better!
Elias' tour has 4 parts. The first part is the picturesque pools on the mountainside. We parked and he showed us where we could change. He recommended what we could take with us into the pools area and then locked all our things safely in the car. We spent about 1.5 hours at the pools. It was FREEZING once we got out of the water (50F plus wind), but Elias was quick to get us back into the car and onto the next location.
The next part of the tour was the caves. Elias told us that we could not bring ANY bags for this part. He kept our other things safe in the car. We only brought towels & phones in pouches. The cave is hot, crowded, and a bit hard to breathe in but it was an AMAZING adventure. Elias stayed with our towels and jackets as we went in to explore the small cave and the cave pools.
The next part of our tour was the river and it was self-led. Elias pointed us towards the path down to the river. We walked down there ourselves and explored that area until out meet up time.
Finally, it was time for lunch! You must bring cash for this. He helped the kitchen accommodate my allergies and we enjoyed a much deserved hot meal.
Afterwards, we began the drive home. He stopped by a beautiful church and a stand where we could try pulque & shop. We made the trip back in around 3ish hours.
I cannot even imagine trying to navigate Tolontongo or its many sites without Elias. He was the key to an EXCELLENT day. Thank you, Elias!!
Elias our driver and guide was very patient and updated us on the status and very timely. The reservation was made at the last minute and pick up and timing was perfect. This is long drive 3-4 hours in a standard 6 seater SUV. I would recommend carrying a neck pillow plus bathroom paper just in case, as some of toilets can be rustic. Was quite tiring but worth the travel time. The Tolantongo caves - the final stop of the trip by far exceeded my expectations. A must do trip if you have the luxury of time in Mexico City!
We had a perfect day with an excellent guide. Elias and his company Mictlan Tours are phenomenal! Everything was well coordinated and planned. Elias is very knowledgeable and friendly!
Tolantongo is definitely a hidden gem!!!! Our tour guide Elias made our experience a truly pleasant one. He pointed out different historical sites on our way there, he was puntual, friendly and a joy to have as a guide! We would LOVE to get him as our guide on our next trip! I’d give our experience 10 stars if I could!!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Gracias fue un gusto,nos vemos en la siguiente!
Elias was a fantastic tour guide! He is an expert and showed us all the details of Tolantongo. He also gave us plenty of recommendations for the rest of our stay in Mexico City and was kind enough to drop us off at home after the long day. Cannot recommend enough!
Our guide Elías was fantastic! His relaxed style meant we could explore at our own pace, and he shared really interesting background info at each stop. He organized the day so well and even came prepared with things like extra towels and torches for the caves. We loved how he pointed out the local fruit trees too—trying the lime leaves was a real highlight!
Elias was a wonderful guide! We were a small party, and it was both highly informative and personal. This 12hr tour experience gave us the true essence of Tolantongo. He also offer other tours from Mexico City we will be exited to do in the near future. We appreciated it a lot. Highly recommended!!
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Tnks, see you in the future
Elias was a wonderful guide and ensured to get us to and from our destinations safely. This was a great experience to enjoy a nice getaway, be a bit active and enjoy nice company. Would recommend this experience if you’re looking for something outside of the city and seeing a different side of Mexico. Be prepared as the ride is 3-4 hours. Thanks for a great time!
My family and I did this day tour and had an excellent time exploring the beautiful water pack. As we read online, water shoes are a must! Our guide kindly stopped along the drive for us to buy pairs for each of us. Each pair was 120 pesos. Elias was very knowledgeable about the area. He drove us from spot to spot (for a total of 3 locations). We left our things in the car and Elias watched our stuff as we went swimming. There are lockers there but we had no need to use them since we had the car. A few things to keep in mind for your visit: bring a waterproof phone necklace, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion (the pools can be very drying). There are many restaurants to choose from. Note that the entire park and water shoes are cash only!!! We are so happy we did this tour, the sights are truly breathtaking! Thanks again for a wonderful tour!
Response from Host, May 2025
Tnks
We loved the experience and all the information and history that Elias provided us at all the places we visited on this tour. 5-star experience!
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Response from Host, Jun 2026
Gracias a las turistas de Colombia más ➕ agradables, nos vemos en la siguiente!
We had a great day with Elias. His program to visit the caves is very complete. Elias is accommodating, he is a very good guide that we recommend with our eyes closed.
Thanks again Elias for this unforgettable experience!
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Response from Host, Mar 2026
Tnks
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up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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