Las Grutas de Tolantongo

We got up early this morning and headed to Tolantongo. It was sad to see our friends leave but this weekend is going to be an adventure! We took a taxi to the Capu station in Puebla and from there caught a bus to Ixmiquilpan. In Ixmiquilpan we got on another bus to Pachuca. We had lunch in Pachuca and saw the zocalo. It’s a pretty little town and had a gorgeous fountain in the zocalo. Everywhere you go in Mexico you can find a pretty little town with a cathedral and some interesting little bit of history. 

We walked to the edge of town where Pete had told us we could catch a camioneta (van) that runs to Tolantongo. For about 40 pesos each we crammed into a passenger van without seat with about 20 other people and took the sweaty, bumpy, hour long ride up to Tolantongo. I hadn’t realized what we were getting ourselves into until we started to climb the mountain. Pachuca is down in the flatland and the camioneta just kept climbing after we left town. Up and up and up through ugly cactusy desert until we got to the top of the mountain range and came over the ridge and then in front of us was the most amazing, lush, green, mountain gorge I have ever seen. The mountains went on and on and on and looked like they were covered in green carpet. The valley was so far below us and the windy road hugged the side of the mountain…it was a scary ride down, but almost so beautiful you didn’t notice. 

The resort was about halfway down into the gorge and built on the side of the mountain. It was a pretty expensive, touristy place but we were the only foreigners there. In fact most of the Mexicans we have asked don’t know about this place. It’s like a paradise for the few who do know. It was pretty busy though and the hotel (which looked REALLY nice) was already full. So we rented a tent and some sleeping mats and set up down by the river with the hundreds of other people who were camping out. 

The water here comes from hotsprings under the ground; it’s hot (almost 38 degrees C), beautiful blue, but cloudy and dusty from all the minerals. Waterfalls from above bring cold clear water, so when you stand under the waterfall it’s a weird sensation; the water youre standing in is like a hot tub but the water falling on you is freezing! There are pools that go into caves behind the waterfall and you can swim under the falls an into the almost dark, hot cave. And watch the water falling in front of a beautiful mountain view. It is absolutely MAGICAL. This is without a doubt the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s like something from a painting or a  movie that you would never believe is real. 

The rivers below the camp are dammed so you can swim and relax in the therapeautic water. The rocks are white with minerals and you can scrape the mineral off to make a masque. The resort is pretty big with a hotel, several restaurants and stores, multiple pools, and a water slide. We ate at one of the restaurants and of course the food was amazing. Later we made friends with some high school kids who were camping next to us (Oscar, Andress, David, Maite, and Stephanie) and had a pretty awesome time. The whole place was having one big fiesta down by the river. This is one day I’ll never forget!