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    Warm water cascading over moss-covered rock formations at the Grutas de Tolantongo, Hidalgo

    Photo by Guillermo Webber, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Grutas de Tolantongo

    Hot springs Cardonal, Hidalgo Municipality of Cardonal Mezquital Valley

    Warm turquoise river flowing out of a cave at the end of a deep canyon, with cliffside pools, a steam-filled tunnel and camping.

    From Huauchinango: about 2 h 10 min by road (~145 km) How to get there ↓

    Near here

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    Plan your visit to Grutas de Tolantongo

    Where to stay near Grutas de Tolantongo

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    Tours to Grutas de Tolantongo

    Day trips and guided outings from Metztitlán often include Grutas de Tolantongo; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Grutas de Tolantongo Tour from Mexico City (1- or 2-day) ★ 4.6 (20) · From US$175
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Grutas de Tolantongo

    • From Huauchinango: about 2 h 10 min by road (~145 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), 2 h 18 min by car to Metztitlán
    Rent a car at NLU Flights to NLU

    Route, map and directions ↓

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    Popular tours to Grutas de Tolantongo

    Grutas de Tolantongo Tour from Mexico City (1- or 2-day) ★ 4.6 (20) 14 h From US$175
    Private Transportation to Grutas de Tolantongo from Mexico City ★ 5.0 (12) 14 h From US$330
    Grutas de Tolantongo and Hot Springs Experience 14 h From US$140
    Incredible Tolantongo Grottoes from CDMX ★ 4.2 (177) 12 h From US$120
    Tolantongo Caves Full Day from Mexico City ★ 4.4 (8) 13–14 h From US$110

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Grutas de Tolantongo

    The Grutas de Tolantongo sit at the closed end of a box canyon in the municipality of Cardonal, on the northern edge of the Mezquital Valley, with walls up to about 500 metres high. Out of a large karst cave at the foot of the cliff flows a warm, mineral-rich river whose milky turquoise colour comes from the salts it picks up inside the mountain. Above the main grotto is a narrow tunnel about 15 metres long where warm water rains from the walls and ceiling like a steam bath, and around both openings warm waterfalls pour down the rock. Up on the hills it is dry scrub with cactus and maguey; down by the water the vegetation turns lush and almost tropical.

    The whole place belongs to the San Cristóbal ejido, a farming community created in 1934 when the La Florida hacienda was broken up. Tourism started in the 1960s with locals renting out horses and mules to get down the canyon, then food and camping spots, and a 1975 article in México Desconocido made it famous. Today the ejido's cooperative runs the park itself, with no outside investors: several hotel sections, restaurants, shops, terraced hot pools on the hillside, a campground by the river and a zip line almost two kilometres long. One side of the canyon, with the La Gloria pools, belongs to a different ejido, La Mesa, which charges separately.

    Expect a developed resort rather than a wild spring. Entry is paid per person per day, everything is paid in cash, and a night in the park means paying entry for two days. Weekends, long weekends and Easter Week are extremely crowded, with lines to get into the pools; on weekdays, especially Monday to Wednesday at the 7 am opening, the pools are close to empty. The last stretch of road winds steeply down into the canyon, so drive it in daylight.

    How to get to Grutas de Tolantongo

    From Ixmiquilpan it is about 43 km (around 1 hour 10 minutes) on the bypass toward Cardonal, following the signs; from Pachuca about 117 km (2.5 hours) and from Mexico City about 201 km (almost 4 hours). By bus, take Ovnibus or Flecha Roja from Mexico City's Terminal del Norte to Ixmiquilpan, then the park's official microbus from the San Antonio parking lot near Mercado Morelos (80 pesos per person each way). Large tour buses stop at Molanguito, about 8 km away, where local transport continues for 30 pesos. The descent into the canyon is steep: use first or second gear.

    Directions to Grutas de Tolantongo on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Where to stay Hotels in Grutas de Tolantongo Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Grutas de Tolantongo. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to Grutas de Tolantongo

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Grutas de Tolantongo: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    Open every day of the year; a day ticket is valid from 7 am to 8 pm (it is not a 24-hour ticket). Grutas Tolantongo (official site) · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    230 pesos per person per day in 2026 (children under 5 free, from 5 full price; INAPAM seniors half price). Parking 50 pesos per car per day; a night in the park means paying entry again the next day. Cash only. Grutas Tolantongo (official site); Criterio Hidalgo · checked Oct 2026
    Best time of day
    Go on a weekday, ideally Monday to Wednesday, and arrive at the 7 am opening; weekends, long weekends and Easter Week are packed. Food and Pleasure (March 2026) · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    There are no guided tours; you explore the park on your own. Criterio Hidalgo · checked Oct 2026
    What to bring
    Plenty of cash (the park takes nothing else), swimwear and your own food if you like: you may bring it, but eat it only in the camping area. Tents for four rent for 250 pesos a night plus a 200-peso deposit, without bedding; there are no camping reservations. Grutas Tolantongo (official site); Criterio Hidalgo · checked Oct 2026
    Rules
    Firewood, gas tanks and alcoholic drinks may not be brought in. The zip line (300 pesos) requires reading the rules and signing a waiver. Pets are not allowed in hotel rooms. Grutas Tolantongo (official site) · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Grutas de Tolantongo: what to see and do

    Wade into the warm river right where it flows out of the main grotto.
    Walk through the tunnel above it, where warm water showers down in the steam.
    Soak in the terraced hot pools on the hillside, looking out over the canyon.
    Cross the hanging bridge and see the warm waterfalls pouring down the canyon walls.
    Ride the 1,890-metre zip line across the canyon.
    Camp by the river and swim before the day visitors arrive.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Grutas de Tolantongo

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Grutas de Tolantongo.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Metztitlán often include Grutas de Tolantongo; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at NLU (Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles)): about 2 h 18 min by road to Metztitlán, then 26 km more to Grutas de Tolantongo, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles) (NLU), about 2 h 18 min by road from Metztitlán, the base for Grutas de Tolantongo.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    If you plan on soaking in the pools at Grutas de Tolantongo, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Metztitlán: download a map of the way to Grutas de Tolantongo before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    When to go to Grutas de Tolantongo mild

    Grutas de Tolantongo shares the climate of Metztitlán, 26 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    Warm water feels best when the nights are coldest here (January, February, and December), and those are also the busiest weekends at Grutas de Tolantongo.

    See the month-by-month climate of Metztitlán

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Metztitlán

    Bell gable and arcaded front of the convent of the Santos Reyes, Metztitlán, Hidalgo mild
    Hidalgo Metztitlán

    Metztitlán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Grutas de Tolantongo, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Closest to Grutas de Tolantongo

    Near Grutas de Tolantongo

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Lists with Grutas de Tolantongo

    Hot Springs in Hidalgo · 6 Hot Springs near Zimapán · 6 Hot Springs near Mineral del Chico · 3

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.