Off A Cliff, Down A Cave in Tolantongo
Tolantongo will ravish you with its glorious mountains views, its peaceful hiking grounds and its relaxing thermal pools.
Going to Tolantongo seems pretty easy; catch a bus ride from the Central del Norte station with Ovnibus then switch to the caves complex shuttle in Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo. If you make sure to get there by the select times the shuttle leaves, the trip should only take 4 hours total from Mexico City. While you wait for the shuttle, I would advise to purchase aquatic shoes from one of the shopping stalls around the shuttle terminal; you would need them at the caves to avoid slipping on the stones in the river.
One thing no one tells you about the shuttle ride is that it is scary as hell! Everything starts as usual; the driver slamming the gas, salsa music blasting through the speakers with an amazing mountainous and dry landscape unfolding out of the window. However, when the bus begins its descent to the caves, brace yourself!. The caves are nested in a valley with the hotel complex on the hillside. The bus takes a sinuous road, zigzagging off the side of the mountain. I thought we'd flip and barrel down the hill each time we turned but the bus driver expertly maneuvered and took us to destination without a dent.
The complex consists of 3 hotels and 3 water areas: the pools, the river, and the caves. For the best views, Make sure to book at El Paraiso Escondido. The hotel is located at the top of the hill with thermal pools right by it.
The infinity pools are just a delight with their naturally warm water. Imagine a 80 degrees infinity pool with a mountain view for you to splash in. The water is diverted from the mountain streams to fill those communicating man-made pools distributed all around the hill and offering plenty of spots to enjoy in groups or individually.
Amazing view of the mountains across the valley.
You can also stand under those waterfalls and enjoy a relaxing massage.
The pools are spread around the hotel and on several levels.
Views from the pools
To reach the river located one mile away, we took the hotel shuttle down the valley where a stream of blue warm water flows through scaled beds. The water is shallow enough for kids and grown ups to sit, dip and relax.
Clear blue water, so good!
The river is just a heaven of warm blue water and just enough current to keep you bouncing. Having the aquatic shoes will save you from cutting yourselves on the porous stone in the water. On the other hand, I chose to go without them and got a great foot scrub, so your call.
Following upstream the source of the river, you reach the waterfall area, where the famous caves are.
Steamy waterfalls. On the left, the entrance to the hot caves.
There are two caves, each with different temperatures, for you to enjoy. The hot water comes directly from inside the mountain and showers you vigorously.
Under the waterfall, inside the cave, it's bathing time for the whole family.
While we only took an overnight trip to dip and relax, the Tolantongo caves could easily be a week-end trip with the girls, either staying in one of the 3 hotels or camping by the river. We spent around USD $110 for 2 people, bus, double hotel room for 1 night, shuttle and park entrance included. El Paraiso Escondido doesn't take bookings so make sure to arrive before noon each day to secure a room. Mariel del viaje's video (in Spanish) was super informative to prepare for this trip so check it out! I would definitely recommend this trip from Mexico City to any outdoors lover; between the mountains and the river, you will enjoy the Hidalgan nature to your heart's content.
