In shortChildren aged 0 to 4 enter at no charge; from the fifth birthday the full MXN 230 ticket applies, charged per day. Babies go into the grotto, tunnel and river in an aquatic diaper only. The cave, tunnel and swimming pools close at 17:00 while the river runs to 21:00, the zipline is limited to over-10s, and everything inside the park is paid in cash.
0 to 4 yearsno admission charged
MXN 230per person from age 5
8:00–17:00cave, tunnel, swimming pools
MXN 15–20internal shuttle per person
What the park charges for children
The cooperative's price list draws one line by age. Children from 0 to 4 get in at no charge; from the fifth birthday the full MXN 230 per person applies, charged per day and valid only on the day it was bought. Two parents with a six-year-old and a toddler pay three adult tickets, then pay again for a second day. Booking a room on site does not cover the family's entry tickets.
Children need swimwear and comfortable footwear before they are let into the grotto, the tunnel or the river, and a baby goes in wearing an aquatic diaper and nothing else. Bring more diapers than you think you need and spare clothes too: the only shop inside is a grocery store, and anything more means Ixmiquilpan, 42.9 km and about 1 h 11 min up the canyon road.
Two other rules catch families out. Pets are not allowed into the park at all, which means the family dog stays at home for this one. What you can count on, going by the official services list, is toilets and showers, changing rooms, lockers to rent, a basic medical service, security round the clock and fast food. Float and life-jacket rental do not appear on it, so bring whatever buoyancy aids your children normally use, and pack them where you can reach them rather than at the bottom of a cooler.
- Under 5s: no admission charge, on every day of the stay
- From the fifth birthday: MXN 230 per person per day, cash
- Grotto, tunnel and river: swimwear and comfortable footwear; babies in aquatic diapers only
- Pets: not allowed anywhere in the park
- Lockers: MXN 150, with MXN 50 back when the key is returned, 8:00–17:00 only
A private vehicle for the family's own pace
A thirteen-hour day in which the entrance tickets, the private air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water and a snack bag are already paid for. Nap times, nappy changes and an early retreat to the river are your family's call, since the vehicle is yours for the day.
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Where the water is shallow and warm enough for toddlers
Start with the thermal river, which is the part that works best with small children. The park's own river page calls it shallow, and it stays warm all day: the English version of that page gives 34 to 36 °C while the Spanish version of the same site gives 36 to 38 °C, so treat the number as approximate and test the water yourself before a child goes in. The river also keeps the longest hours of any water here, 8:00 to 21:00.
Above it sit the terrace pools: around 40 of them, built one above another on the cliff face, each fed independently with thermal water the park gives as 36–38 °C, and drained and cleaned every other day. No official depth is published for any of them, and they vary from tier to tier, so test each one as you go.
The swimming pools need more care. Parents get a direct warning on the official pools page: several of these pools are deep, swimming ability is needed in them, and children have to be watched the whole time. The park does not advertise lifeguards; it lists security personnel whose instructions have to be followed. Work out which pool your weakest swimmer can stand up in before the family spreads across three tiers. Keep a hand on non-swimmers, stop anyone trying to climb the waterfalls, and in the rainy season follow the park's instruction to stay away from the river.
Season matters more with children than with adults. Mid-June to mid-July is the stretch the park itself flags as rainy, and that counts when the river is the part you were relying on for a toddler: hard mountain rain can raise the level quickly and leave the turquoise water brown. In July 2021 it went further, campers being moved up to higher ground while the grottoes stayed cordoned off. At Ixmiquilpan the wet months run roughly 1 June to 12 October, rainfall peaking near 137 mm in September and down to about 9 mm in December.
Stairs, the canyon floor and the internal shuttle
Everything a family does here is set inside a box canyon: the resort floor lies at 1,280 metres above sea level, walls rise as much as 500 metres over it, and the terrace pools climb one above the next up a cliff face. Almost every move between the grotto, the pools and the river involves slopes or steps. Carrying a toddler back up at 16:30 is a different exercise from walking down at 9:00, and it is the part parents consistently underestimate when they look at the map.
Use the internal shuttle. Its stops are La Gruta, La Cadena, La Huerta, Rancho and Paraíso; a seat costs MXN 15 to 20 a head, while a special trip for up to five people is MXN 150 a leg, which is normally the better buy once you are carrying bags, a cooler and a pushchair. Pay in cash, like everything else here.
Travelling with a pushchair, or with anyone who has reduced mobility, points you to Paraíso Escondido: the park recommends it as the only partly accessible section. That zone also holds the suspension bridge, a pool with a slide and the túnel paraíso, which can keep a family in one place for the afternoon. Go through the bridge rules with children before they step on: comfortable shoes, an adult alongside them the whole way, and no running, shouting, pushing or playing on the structure.
The grotto and tunnel are dark, steamy and loud
Picture a chamber about half a tennis court in floor area, the roof ten metres up in places, with hot water at 36 to 38 °C raining out of the rock. It is dark, steam fills the air, and the noise of falling water bounces off the limestone. Plenty of five-year-olds love that; others find it frightening, so plan a short first look and see how your child reacts.
Go in at 8:00, when it opens, while everyone is fresh and before the chamber fills up. Take a light: the full-day departure from Mexico City lends each guest a small backpack with a headlamp, sport towel and waterproof phone cover, which is the kit the grotto and the tunnel actually ask for. If a child refuses at the entrance, leave it there and walk on. The terrace pools and the river stay open much later, and no part of the day depends on the cave.
The grotto, the tunnel and the waterfalls all shut at 17:00, so a cave visit cannot be postponed to the end of the day when the mood has improved.
The zipline has an age, weight and health limit
Three limits decide whether a child rides at all: over 10 years old, a maximum of 93 kg, and the park's own statement that it does not suit anyone with heart problems. Those who qualify get four launches of 320 m, 280 m, 690 m and 600 m, 1,890 m of cable in total, available between 8:00 and 17:00 only. It is run as an extreme sport: riders sign a liability waiver, leave backpacks and caps behind, wear light footwear and cannot launch with a wet body.
The ride is not included in admission. The official English price page gives MXN 300 per person for the complete circuit, while the Spanish price list words the same MXN 300 as a charge per launch, so ask at the window before you hand over money for a group of four. No advance booking is needed.
In practice, one parent flies while the other stays with the under-10s. Work out which of you goes before you walk over, rather than in front of a ten-year-old who has just been measured and weighed.
How to build the day around the 17:00 closures
The ticket office is open 6:00 to 23:00, which misleads people into thinking the park runs on those hours. It does not. Admission is valid 7:00 to 20:00 on the day of purchase; the cave, tunnel, waterfalls, swimming pools, suspension bridge, zipline and lockers all run 8:00 to 17:00; only the thermal river and some terrace pools stay open until 21:00. Midday arrivals lose half of it.
Food is easier than the hours suggest. The restaurant and the grocery store inside the park are open 8:00 to 22:00, and fast food appears on the official services list, so you do not have to carry a full day's meals down the canyon for four people. Leave alcohol out of the cooler, because it cannot be brought in; charcoal and a charcoal grill are fine if your family is camping. After 23:00 nobody may play music or make disruptive noise, campgrounds included, which works in your favour with children asleep in a tent.
Bring all of it in cash, in pesos, in small notes. Tickets, the restaurant, the shop, the shuttle, lockers, the zipline and any room are cash only, cards are accepted nowhere in the park, and the nearest machine is an hour away in Ixmiquilpan. Allow for refundable deposits too.
| Time | What this means with children |
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| 6:00 | Ticket office opens; admission is valid 7:00 to 20:00 on the day of purchase only |
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| 8:00 | Cave, tunnel, waterfalls, swimming pools, suspension bridge, zipline and lockers all open |
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| 8:00–10:00 | Do the grotto and tunnel now, while energy is high and the chamber is quietest |
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| From 8:00 | Restaurant and grocery store open, so lunch does not have to be carried in |
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| Midday | Terrace pools, plus shuttle rides between sections at MXN 15 to 20 a head or MXN 150 a leg for up to five |
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| 17:00 | Cave, tunnel, waterfalls, swimming pools, bridge, zipline and lockers close |
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| 17:00–21:00 | River and some terrace pools only; the calmest stretch of the day for small children |
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| 22:00 | Restaurant and shop close; noise is prohibited from 23:00, campgrounds included |
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Questions people ask
Is there a minimum age for the grotto, the tunnel or the river?
The official information page sets no minimum age for any of them. What it asks for instead is swimwear and comfortable footwear, plus an aquatic diaper on any baby you carry in. Whether a particular child should go into a dark, steamy cave chamber is left to the adults with them.
Can we take a pushchair into the park?
You can, and the zone to aim for is Paraíso Escondido, which the park puts forward for pushchairs and reduced mobility as its only partly accessible section. Everywhere else the terrace pools are stacked up a cliff face, so plan on a carrier instead of wheels and use the internal shuttle between sections at MXN 15 to 20 per person.
If we stay a second night, do the children need new tickets?
Yes. Each day carries its own charge of MXN 230 per person, and the room rate inside the park leaves entry out, so a second night means a second set of tickets at the gate. Children under 5 keep entering at no charge every day; from the fifth birthday the full rate applies.
Where can we store nappies, dry clothes and valuables?
A locker costs MXN 150, with MXN 50 handed back against the key, and the lockers operate between 8:00 and 17:00 only, so clear yours before that cut-off. Changing rooms, toilets and showers are on the official services list. If you drive, parking costs MXN 50 per vehicle per day and the cooperative provides the space alone, with no custody or liability for lost items.
Which day of the week is easiest with small children?
Midweek. One of the park's co-owners has put ordinary weekends at 20 to 30 per cent full, long holiday weekends at around 75 per cent, and the main days of Semana Santa at capacity. The park runs every day of the year, so there is no reason to take a child into the busiest version of it.
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