Grutas de Tolantongo are a system of caves and grottoes. The water from the main grotto flows into the Tolantongo river, running through hot springs that operate as natural swimming pools for the travelers’ delight.

Tolantongo is way up in the mountains. It sits at 1,280 m (4,200-feet) above sea level, in Mezquital Canyon.

Tolantongo can get a little bit crowded so try to get early and avoid the holidays and weekends. The last pools have the best views, although they all offer impressive landscapes.

Some advice you can take a waterproof clear bags for your cell phone and money, it will become very handy and be sure to wear water shoes, or any kind of sandals, because the rocks underneath can be sharp and very slippery

Totolango offers hotels, cabins and camping areas, swimming pools, grills, restaurants, shops and parking lot.

There is also an exciting zip line with four different circuits and a total length of 1,890 m.

This unique natural wonder have different components:

Tolantongo River

It flows many kilometers from the cave, to the end of the park and further. The local community that built the park used rocks as small barriers to slow the current and divide the river into many ‘pools’.

The Tunnels

If you climb up the stairs you will reach the mouth of a tunnel. There’s a 40 m tunnel that goes into the mountain on the left side of the cave. You have to be careful because you can’t see a thing inside. You will receive hot springs that come out of cracks, ceiling and walls, and keep in mind that it gets hotter and steamier as you move forward –up to 38 degrees.

The second one is much smaller and crosses the mountain where the cliffside pools were built (just in front of the bridge). It feels more like a lighter sauna, with steam and water coming out of the walls.

Piscinas en el Acantilado (Cliffside pools)

The pools are the main attraction in this place and there are 45 of them located in niches next to the ravine. The famous pozas were built with cement, but over the years have accumulated minerals from the water, giving them a more natural rock feeling and creating interesting formations that have turn into cascades.

If you get closer to the dividing rocks you will feel like in a jacuzzi because the slightly strong current and the dense minerals that give the river its turquoise tone, will make you feel a massage with therapeutic properties. The water temperature is around 20ºC.

Hanging Bridge

There is a hanging bridge where you can have a panoramic view of the ‘pozas’ and the volcanic mountains surrounding the park. It also gives you access to the tunnel next to it, to the path that leads you to the river and the riverside restaurants.