How to choose the tour
All six day trips end up in the same place — the terrace pools, the cave and tunnel and the turquoise river of Tolantongo. The real decision is where you sleep the night before, which language you want to be guided in, and how much you want to pay per person.
By where you sleep
Five departures pick you up in Mexico City. If you are staying centrally and want the full version of the day, take the Full-Day Tour Exploring the Waters of Tolantongo, 14 to 16 hours with breakfast in Actopan on the way. If you would rather be back in the city earlier, the Early & Express Tolantongo Hot Springs collects you between 4:20 and 5:00 am, reaches the park around 8:00 am and starts the drive back at midday, for a 13-hour day. Travellers based in Querétaro have one option, the 10-hour tour to the Tolantongo caves from Querétaro, which is also the shortest day on this page.
By language
On the full-day tour the guides are fluent in English, most of them having lived a large part of their lives abroad, which makes it the safest pick if you do not speak Spanish. The 100% private tour keeps your group alone in the vehicle, so questions and timings are handled at your own pace, and the full day Tolantongo Caves departure includes a guide with you inside the park in a group of no more than 6. The listing for the small group tour promises a professional guide but does not state the working language, so ask us before booking if English commentary matters to you.
By budget
The lowest starting price is $80 per adult on the caves tour, where park admission, food, tips and the zipline are paid on the day in cash; in dollars the cheapest is the small group tour at $132 per adult, with up to 19 people on board. The private tour is priced from $171 per booking rather than per person, so it gets better value the more of you travel together. You can see the six Mexico City departures lined up against each other in the comparison of Tolantongo tours from Mexico City.
All tours compared
