When I first saw pictures of Las Grutas de Tolantongo, I knew I had to go! I had just moved to Mexico City for a couple of months by myself and I didn’t have a car…which made visiting Las Grutas a little more difficult. However I was still able to get myself there on public transit and had the best time!!! I also learned a lot of helpful tips along the way. And trust me – there is A LOT you need to know before going there (such as it’s cash only yet has no ATMs, you can’t make hotel reservations ahead of time, also there is no wifi and not much cell service). However, with a little planning, this is one of the best trips you can do from Mexico City!
Need to Know Info for Las Grutas de Tolantongo
There is a lot of information that you need to know before going to Las Grutas! Here’s a list of some of the most important things to know before going!
- You cannot make hotel reservations ahead of time – not online, not on the phone, not with a tour operator. All hotels at Las Grutas de Tolantongo (which extends 5 miles/8 km past the attractions) can only be booked, and paid for, in person based on availability!
- EVERYTHING at Las Grutas de Tolantongo is cash only. Yes, that includes the hotel! It also includes the daily entrance tickets, the shuttle, the restaurants….everything!
- There are no ATMs at Las Grutas. In fact, the closest ATM is an hour away in Ixmiquilpan. Make sure you take cash! Then take even more cash!!!
- You need to pay 150 pesos ($7 usd) for an entrance ticket each day you are there. The tickets are by calendar day, not for 24 hours. That means if you are staying overnight, you need a ticket for both the day you check in and the day you check out (and any days in between if you’re staying for multiple nights).
- Most of the hotels are very basic. There are no TVs, no wifi, no extras. Even on their website they say that the only cellphone provider to get service there is telcel (I had telcel and my phone worked fine)! There are only two hotels with wifi included (see below).
- Try to go on a weekday! Las Grutas gets crazy busy on holidays and weekends! The thermal pools will be very busy, the shuttle driver told me there is usually a line to enter the cave and the tunnel (and you then get limited time inside both), and the hotels might be sold out.
- Be prepared for chilly weather! This is not the hot beach Mexican weather. This is central Mexican mountain weather! The average high temperature is in the 70s and the average low is in the 50s. While the pools are nice and warm, I was very happy that I brought a hoodie with me!
- TAKE WATER SHOES!!! I can’t stress this enough! If you’re going to go into the tunnel, cave, or river, I definitely recommend that you take water shoes and at least a waterproof pouch for your phone!
- Take the shuttle between the upper and lower sections. The walk is way too long to be enjoyable, especially if you have to do it more than once. I usually opt to walk places, but not here.
General Info
Hours: Las Grutas is open 365 days a year, including holidays. The ticket counter is open 6am-10pm. The cave and the tunnel are open 8am-5pm. The thermal pools are open 8am-9pm. Most of the restaurants and stores are open 8am-9pm as well.
Entrance Ticket: 150 pesos/day (the tickets are per calendar day, not for 24 hours. So if you stay overnight you need to purchase a ticket for the day before as well as the day after).
Weather: It can be chilly so make sure you have some warm clothes!
Packing List: water shoes, waterproof phone pouch, headlamp (while definitely not necessary, it would be really cool in the tunnel and the cave!), quick dry towel, CASH (no ATMs for an hour), a jacket/hoodie, and a GoPro to take all the best underwater pictures! Also make sure to download any google maps you need or netflix you may want to watch as it’s likely that you won’t be in one of the hotels with wifi (see below).
Upper/Lower Sections
Las Grutas de Tolantongo is actually much bigger than I realized before I went there! It has an upper section (Paraiso Escondido Zone) and a lower section (La Gruta Zone). You can get between the two sections using the shuttle van – it only takes about 5 minutes to drive between the two sections. The shuttle costs 10 pesos per person per trip and runs every 15-20 minutes. I initially thought I would walk between the two sections, however it is a much longer (and steeper) walk than I expected! I’d definitely recommend you to take the shuttle!
Both the upper and lower sections have their own restaurants and hotels. They also each have different attractions which could influence which hotel you want to stay in (more on that below)! I would also recommend you to wear different clothing and take different things to each section.
The Upper Section (Paraiso Escondido Zone)
Let’s start with the upper section as this is probably the more popular section due to the instagram worthy thermal pools! The upper section is a lot more peaceful than the lower section in terms of what you would be doing. It includes both the picturesque pools as well as the suspension bridge. You don’t need to wear water shoes here and you also don’t need a waterproof bag for your phone if you don’t want one. I felt fine leaving my clothes and flip flops at the side of the pool and reading my kindle while I relaxed in the warm water.
A. The Thermal Pools
This is probably the first thing you think of when you hear of Las Grutas de Tolantongo. The thermal pools, or pozas termales, are a bunch of little pools on the side of the mountain filled with the most amazing blue water! The pools are also where all the instagram pics come from. The water is warm (some pools more than others) and the views are incredible!
B. The Suspension Bridge
The suspension bridge is located toward the bottom of the thermal pools. Make sure you walk across the bridge when you visit Las Grutas! The views of the pools and the distant mountains are breathtaking!
The Lower Section (La Gruta Zone)
When I visited, I stayed in the lower section. However, the only reason I stayed in the lower section was because the hotel at the upper section was sold out! After staying in the lower section, I actually enjoyed it more and thought it worked out better because I could leave my belongings in my room (as opposed to a locker) when I went into the cave and tunnel!
Unlike the peaceful, calm water of the thermal pools, the cave and the tunnel can be very intense! These are the natural parts of Las Grutas de Tolantongo. I definitely recommend that you wear water shoes in this section! I tried to wear my flip flops (shoes are required) and it was a huge mistake! It is also better to take a waterproof phone case or bag with you because you will get WET!
As my hotel was here at the lower section, I left all my belongings in my room. I went to the cave/tunnel in my swimsuit with my towel and waterproof phone case that held my phone, some cash, and my room key. You cannot enter with anything – you even need to leave your towel at the entrance to the cave! Meaning if your hotel is at the upper area by the pools and you brought a lot of stuff down to the cave/tunnel with you, you’ll have to pay to leave it in a locker.
C. The Cave
The cave is actually the original part of Las Grutas de Tolantongo! In Spanish, ‘la gruta’ means cave or grotto. The cave is located underneath the waterfall! Luckily the water in the cave is very warm…you just need to pass through the cold falling water to get into the cave! Once you’re inside the cave you can swim around and enjoy the views. There is also a smaller waterfall in the middle of the cave that many people were having fun trying to swim under (it is a lot harder than it sounds)! While the cave was doable in flip flops, the water current made it a little difficult at some points. I would have felt more comfortable in water shoes!
D. The Tunnel
Do not underestimate the tunnel at Las Grutas de Tolantongo! I was so surprised at how difficult it was to walk/pull yourself through! That’s right – you actually need to use ropes to pull yourself through parts of it! It was also extremely warm inside. I actually did not make it to the end because I wore flip flops (which I DO NOT recommend) and I was trying to film as I went! Parts of the tunnel are elevated and then there are drop offs into water that are difficult to see as it is very dark inside! There are some workers spread out throughout the tunnel who have flashlights, however it might be beneficial to take your own. I also recommend using a waterproof phone case to hold anything you take with you as there is a lot of falling water throughout the tunnel.
E. The River
You cannot miss the river at Las Grutas de Tolantongo! The river is the same shade of gorgeous turquoise blue as the pools due to the different minerals in the water (calcium, magnesium, etc). The water in the river is also warm! The current can be a little strong in certain parts, however the majority of the river is fine to relax in. It’s also easier to get into the water because you can leave all your belongings at the side of the river where you can see them.
F. Zip Line
There is also a zip line at Las Grutas de Tolantongo. It is not included with the general ticket. It’s an extra 200 pesos per person. While I didn’t do the zip line, it does look like it would be a lot of fun!
How to Get There
As I said before, I got to Las Grutas de Tolantongo by myself on public transit! It was not as difficult as I had read! However, that is not the only way to get there. You can also drive or even do a day trip if you don’t have much time.
How to Drive to Las Grutas de Tolantongo
It’s an easy 3.5 hour drive from Mexico City to Las Grutas. When you leave CDMX, head toward Pachuca (another place you should go to!!) on highway 85. Before arriving in Pachuca, you’ll head toward Ixmiquilpan – the last town before Las Grutas! Once in Ixmiquilpan, follow the signs toward ‘libramiento a cardonal’.
You can easily follow the directions on googlemaps to get there. Just make sure you download the map ahead of time incase you don’t have a SIM card or if/when your phone stops working close to Las Grutas.
There are added bonuses to driving besides just being able to drive! You also have the freedom to stop at any of the stands along the way. Once you get close to Las Grutas, you will see SO many stores selling water shoes or different floaties that you can use in the river.
Driving will also give you more freedom in terms of the hotels. Since you can’t make reservations ahead of time at Las Grutas de Tolantongo, you might arrive and all of the hotels will be taken. If that’s the case, you can easily drive a couple minutes to a local hotel. It’s not as convenient as staying onsite, but it’s better than being stuck without a hotel or a car!
Parking at Las Grutas de Tolantongo is an additional 20 pesos per day. Also keep in mind that the final road at Las Grutas is a very windy, decently steep, dirt road. I know my mom would definitely not do well driving on it! But it should be okay for most people.
Bus to Las Grutas de Tolantongo
This is the option that I took as I didn’t have a car and I wanted to stay overnight. I would say that this option is NOT difficult! It is possible to get to Las Grutas de Tolantongo on a bus!! However, you need to plan what time you are going to make sure you don’t miss the final shuttle bus from Ixmiquilpan to Las Grutas. I also wouldn’t advise taking public transit unless you stay at least one night. Total price one way to take the bus from Terminal Norte to Ixmiquilpan: ~265 pesos or less than $15usd!
- Get to the North Bus Terminal in Mexico City (Terminal Norte). You can either take line 5 of the subway to ‘Autobuses del Norte’, or you can take an uber there. Once you enter the bus station, turn left and walk the whole way to the end of the station – to the big number 8.
- Buy a bus ticket to Ixmiquilpan. The first bus leaves Terminal Norte at 6am. It takes about 3-3.5 hours to get to Ixmiquilpan. Buses run really frequently (at least one an hour all day) and cost around 200 pesos for a one way ticket. There are multiple bus companies, but Ovnibus is the most frequent and you can check the schedule here.
- When you arrive in Ixmiquilpan, you need to change bus stations and get to the ‘San Antonio Parking Lot’. I traveled with just a small overnight bag, so I decided to walk to the other bus station. It was a nice 15-20 min walk through the town that I would definitely do again! If you don’t want to walk, you can take a ‘colectivo’ which is like….a shared shuttle van/mini bus?! Look for a van that has the name ‘Mercado Morales’. This costs about 12 pesos and will take you very close to the other bus station. If you’re like me and use google maps for everything, you can search ‘Base Ixmiquilpan – Tolantongo’ and it will take you directly to the buses for Las Grutas! You can also just ask locals for ‘Las Grutas de Tolantongo’ and they’ll be happy to point you in the right direction!
- Take the shuttle bus to Las Grutas! This is the last step and the part that needs some planning as the shuttle only runs during certain times. From Monday-Thursday the shuttle runs from Ixmiquilpan to Tolantongo at 9:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 5:30pm, and the last one is at 6:30pm. From Friday-Sunday the shuttle leaves approximately every hour from 9:30am-6:30pm. I’d advise you to leave Mexico City about 4 hours before your preferred shuttle time! Or be flexible incase you miss it. Unless you’re planning on taking the last shuttle…then make sure you’re there early!!! This shuttle costs 50 pesos per person and takes an hour to get from Ixmiquilpan to Las Grutas de Tolantongo. You can double check the shuttle times on the official Las Grutas website here.
Tour to Las Grutas de Tolantongo
The last option to get to Las Grutas if you don’t want to drive or to take the bus is to take a tour. The cheapest tour I could find (with decent reviews) from CDMX is this one with vibe adventures for $79usd/person. It is a full day – leaving Mexico City early and returning 14 hours later. The positives would be you don’t have to worry about any transportation planning or hotels, etc. The negatives would be you only get to spend the one day there and it is pretty expensive for just one day.
Hotels at Las Grutas de Tolantongo
Staying overnight at Las Grutas de Tolantongo is an amazing experience! However, it can also be stressful as you cannot make hotel reservations! That’s right – they don’t take reservations of any kind! The only way to get a hotel is to show up and hope there are rooms still available! Las Grutas de Tolantongo is very popular. If you want to stay in a hotel on a holiday or weekend, they recommend you to arrive between 7-9am! That isn’t possible if you take public transit from CDMX. Even if you drive there, you would have to leave very early!
As I said before, I went by myself to Las Grutas as a solo female on the public bus. I also wasn’t aware of the shuttle times before leaving and my timing wasn’t great. I ended up arriving close to 7pm (luckily on a weekday) and I got a room! However, I was pretty worried what would happen if there weren’t rooms available! But you don’t have to be too worried – there are other options!
- Even if all the rooms are sold out, you should be able to rent a tent and camp outside. It might not be the most comfortable option, but it’s better than being stranded! Lots of people camp at Las Grutas!
- When you get to Ixmiquilpan, call Las Grutas and check if they still have rooms! This is what I did and I felt MUCH better when they told me they still had a lot of rooms. The shuttle from Ixmiquilpan is only an hour to Las Grutas, so if they still have a lot of rooms you should be good. If they’re sold out already you can sleep at a hotel in Ixmiquilpan and take the first shuttle to Las Grutas in the morning!
- If you drive to Las Grutas and there aren’t rooms available, there are other hotels close by that you can easily drive to.
Okay, back to the hotels. The two normal hotels are La Gruta hotel (1) and Paraiso Escondido hotel (2), with La Gruta Hotel being located at the lower section close to the cave and tunnel while Paraiso Escondido Hotel is located in the upper section close to the thermal pools. Both of these are very basic. While the are decently spacious and comfy, they have no TVs, no wifi, no phone, nothing extra. They are also both about the same price ranging from 750 pesos/night to 1,800 pesos/night ($36-87usd/night).
There is another new hotel called Hotel Paraiso (3). This one is also located in the upper section, right next to the thermal pools and the other hotel, Paraiso Escondido. However, Hotel Paraiso also has wifi and TVs in the rooms. Those extras come at a price though as this hotel costs 1,600-2,800 pesos/night ($77-135 usd/night).
On weekends there are two additional hotels available – Hotel La Huerta (4) and Hotel Molanguito (5). La Huerta is located in the lower section and is also basic (no TV/wifi). It costs about the same price as the other basic rooms: 800-1,200 pesos/night ($39-58 usd/night). La Molanguito is similar in price (650-950 pesos/night; $32-46 usd/night), however it does include wifi and TVs! The negative of La Molanguito is that it’s located at the veryyy top entrance to Las Grutas de Tolantongo. It would only really make sense to stay there if you have a car to be able to drive to all of the attractions as they aren’t in walking distance.
Keep in mind that you cannot reserve rooms ahead of time! Certain hotels may be booked while other hotels have space. Additionally, all of the cheap roooms might be taken and you may only have an expensive 6 person room available. Also, you must pay cash – even for the rooms! Keep this in mind because if you want to stay in a room multiple nights, you need to make sure you have enough cash to pay for it!
Camping at Las Grutas de Tolantongo
If there are no rooms available or you just want the experience of camping at Las Grutas (the spots next to the river looked amazing!) you can bring your own tent or rent one there! You don’t need to pay to bring your own tent (you do still need the entrance tickets). If you want to rent a tent, they have options. A 4 person tent is 150 pesos ($7 usd/night), a 6 person tent is 200 pesos ($10 usd/night), and an 8 person tent for 250 pesos ($12 usd/night). While the tent price is per tent regardless of the amount of people sleeping in it, each person will need entrance tickets. Even better – the staff help set up the tents for you!
You can double check all hotel/tent prices here!
