Dozens of pools with geothermal hot spring water and an epic view of the desert canyon await you.
Tolantongo Hot Springs are located in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. This awesome complex has caves, waterfalls, a warm blue river, dozens of cascading infinity pools down a mountain side and zip lines (for an additional cost). There are hotels, restaurants, bars, tiendas, and camping areas for a more budget stay. Entry tickets for the day are $7.50 US per person.
Even the bright blue river is warm hot spring water!
There are two halves of the resort. On the ‘Grutas’ side you’ll find the big waterfall, a huge cave, a tunnel, the long blue river, and camping areas.
The gruta (cave) has a natural spout in the ceiling where hot water is pouring out, along with other smaller waterfalls and a tunnel you can swim into.
The ‘Paraiso’ side has the small warm infinity pools on the mountain side, a suspension bridge, a tunnel, and zip lines.
Enjoy a soak in the warm spring water!
Travel Tip: Bring lots of cash! All those restaurants, bars and tiendas are cash only, and your room is too. Plus you have to buy entry tickets for both your arrival day and your departure day in order to get a room. So for us to stay 2 nights we had to buy 3 days of entry tickets. For our departure we caught the 7:30 AM bus and they refunded us for the last day we didn’t use.
Inside the tunnel on the Paraiso side.
If you like hot springs this is a ‘Must See’ in Mexico!
The rainy day added a mystical quality to our visit to Palenque ruins.
Palenque Ruins in the Rain
Palenque is one of the must see ruins in the Mayan world. It’s not as grand as Tikal, Guatemala, or with as large of a pyramid at Chitzen Itza in the Yucatan. But it’s location, setting and history make it a jewel. Misty green hills teeming with rushing creeks surround the ruins at Palenque. Howler monkeys provide their ghostly barks in the distance as you reflect on the civilization as it once was. It is located in the state of Chiapas, the southern most state in Mexico.
The Temple of the Inscriptions is a funerary tomb noted for it’s hieroglyphic inscriptions.
How we got there from Guatamala
We arrived after a long day traveling from Tikal, Guatemala. The route included a little known border crossing at El Ceibo in the very northwest corner of the Peten district of Guatemala. We crossed through slash and burn farming areas that border hundreds of square miles of jungle. Many other Mayan sites are presumed to be undiscovered. Because we were the only foreigners at the time, it took about an hour to get through the border. A more comfortable ride sounded nice today so we chose private transportation. We had a driver in a car on the Guatemalan side connecting to a mini van on the Mexican side. Door to door($50 p\p, 6 hrs.). You could use the local transportation with about 5 transfers ($20 p\p, 10 hrs.).
The pool at our jungle lodge, Kim Balam.
The Jungle Lodge
The town of Palenque is not terribly attractive. We opted for one of the jungle lodges that are scattered along the 3 mile stretch out towards the ruins. This provides you with cabana style accommodations while enjoying the jungle and wildlife. We stayed at Kim Balam that had a nice dipping pool and restaurant.
Tropical flowers and meandering streams at Kim Balam.
Bridges crisscrossed a stream that lead to different areas of the hotel. Peacocks and other little critters (like giant short haired guinea pigs) wandered about. Eerie growls are heard from the Howler monkeys in the distance or sometimes right overhead!
Cascadas Roberto Barrios has several gorgeous pools to swim in.
Cascadas Roberto Barrios
Our first day in the area we decided to head out to one of the several waterfalls located an hour or so away. Cascadas Roberto Barrios was the choice. We were blown away with the beautiful milky blue waters that flowed over hundreds of tiered pools. Cliff jumping, natural slides, rope swings, swimming behind waterfalls, you name it, picture perfect moments. You can book a tour at your hotel ($15) or use local transportation from the market for half price and stay as long as you like.
Iguazu Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the world.Iguazu Falls share the border between Brazil and Argentina.
We decided to stay in the town of Foz do Iguazu in order to have more restaurant choices. However, the airport, Iguazu Falls Park, and the Argentina border are all at least a 30 minute (very hot and humid, sometimes super crowded) bus ride away from the town. Travel Tip: pay the extra money to stay at a hotel or resort with its own restaurant closer to the park. It’s worth it in time, headache and hassle and Foz do Iguazu doesn’t have much character.
A platform suspends you over the falls for great photos, Brazil side.
Brazil side of Iguazu Falls: great for pictures of The Devil’s Throat, smaller than Argentina side, there’s a boat ride to the bottom of the falls for additional price. Be prepared for stairs, humidity and getting wet from mist. We spent 4 hours and felt like we saw it all (minus the boat ride).
Plush-crested jay, Brazil side of Iguazu Falls.
There are lots of coati (similar to a racoon) who aren’t shy, as well as tropical birds and reptiles in the jungle as you make your way through this incredibly beautiful part of the world.
Coati rests on a branch in Iguazu Falls National Park Argentina.
The next morning we took a cab directly from our hotel in Brazil across the border into Argentina and to our hostel in Puerto Iguazu. After dropping off our backpacks the cab took us to the park. The whole trip cost $30 US and took about an hour and a half. The timing depends on how long the line is crossing the border. At the end of the day it was an easy bus ride from the park back to the town center of Puerto Iguazu.
There are 275 different drops that make up Iguazu Falls.
Argentina side: if you can, plan for most of a day to see this much more extensive park. There’s a train that stops at the two biggest trails for waterfalls (ticket included with price of admission), optional boat trips to the bottom of the falls and another trip along the river, and more extensive trails. You’ll see the top of The Devil’s Throat as well as many other waterfalls along well marked trails.
Iguazu Falls Argentina side.
We spent six hours at the park without doing any boat rides and just seeing the major sights. While most of the trails are flat, some do have stairs. We got a little wet from mist and there are freshwater showers at a couple spots where you can get drenched if you want. I wore a bathing suit under a sundress and got my hair wet as a natural air conditioner.
On the boardwalk to see The Devil’s Throat from above, Argentina side.
We were very glad to have the chance to see both sides of these breathtaking falls. This should be on everyone’s Bucket List!
