Hierve el Agua
Hierve el Agua
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Located about 40 miles from Oaxaca, Hierve el Agua makes a great day trip from the city. Here, you'll see two waterfall-like rock formations which were formed when mineral-rich water spilled over the cliffs and trickled down the mountainside. At the top, you can take a dip in the man-made pools while enjoying awe-inspiring views. While they're not thermal springs, the waters were said to have healing properties due to their high mineral content. The easiest way to get here is via a private tour from Oaxaca. It's recommended to arrive early for thinner crowds. – Tripadvisor
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
2,868 reviews
Excellent
1,764
Very good
728
Average
264
Poor
72
Terrible
40
Julsunflower
San Diego, CA45 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
Beautiful scenery I was there for only 1 hour i wish I was able to stay longer. Went last week of January weather was perfect, to jump in and swim. ( water was not hot , but at soon as you jump in your body adjust). We took a tour and our stop there was 1 hour I will recommend wear your swimsuit under your clothes and a towel , this way you avoid waisting time on the dressing room. We walk around and after the swim we went to the dressing rooms to change. The hike up took me 15 minutes and I was out of breath so if you buying a michelada buy it as soon as you get there and bring it down with you.
Written February 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ronald L
Denver, CO2,904 contributions
Dec 2019
Our last stop on our full day tour was the Hierve de Agua petrified falls and hot springs. This should have really been visited in the morning for best photo light. Part of the drive was on good roads, but the last seven miles was on a badly rutted dirt road through several small villages. It was after 5 pm when we arrived and the sun was setting. Still able to get many good shots of the springs and falls. The hot springs are actually cool water, but several people were soaking up the last remaining sun as they lounged in the waters. We were supposed to leave just after 6 pm. Stragglers not back to bus until 6:30 pm and then we had to follow a long line of traffic out the dirt road.
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Liliänä M
Cancun, Mexico28 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
Better season to visit this places is on June or July, many stories about this place, not for people with any walking disability. Long distance for Walk all the Way down. The water looks green so if you want just put your feet on. The view from the top is simply un explicable, awesome. Is really cheap if you go by tour self from Mitla just take a taxi and then a Moto taxi, the entrance is just $25 pesos
Written February 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lu Go
20 contributions
Apr 2020 • Couples
We did this day trip outside of a tour group. From the second class bus terminal you can catch a bus to Mitla and from there hop in a pickup truck once there are 10 or so passengers queued up. The ride was very bumpy! Once at the top it was an incredible sight and swimming was so lovely! The snacks and drinks near the entrance were all reasonably priced so dont be shy and spend some money while your up there!
Written March 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rowan H
Cairns, Australia1,674 contributions
Jul 2022 • Couples
Located 65km Southeast of Oaxaca and featuring natural mineral springs and white mineral formations resembling frozen waterfalls, Hierve El Agua is a big ticket item on most itineraries in Oaxaca.
My wife and I recently visited and here are a few of my thoughts on those considering a visit here.
* This is a highly popular activity and the site isn’t huge. It did become fairly clogged with visitors by the time we left (11am) and I felt this detracted significantly from its natural beauty. With this in mind I would encourage someone to try to create an arrangement in which they arrive early (it opens 0730am) to beat the crowds - we used Coyote Adventuras with this in mind and had a good experience.
* The pools are actually quite cold to swim in which surprised me a bit.
* There are actually two waterfalls here - the first is cascada chica which is the small one that produces the water for the mineral pools. The larger is known as cascada grande and this is visible in the distance from the mineral pools. You can take a small hike to the base of these waterfalls for some impressive pictures (see below). Please note if you are not doing a tour you will need a local guide to take you on this. It was a part of our tour.
* There are change rooms at the pools.
* Like any big ticket tourist attraction there are the usual hordes of food and drink vendors.
Overall a decent tourist attractions but as I said, take some consideration on your arrival time.
My wife and I recently visited and here are a few of my thoughts on those considering a visit here.
* This is a highly popular activity and the site isn’t huge. It did become fairly clogged with visitors by the time we left (11am) and I felt this detracted significantly from its natural beauty. With this in mind I would encourage someone to try to create an arrangement in which they arrive early (it opens 0730am) to beat the crowds - we used Coyote Adventuras with this in mind and had a good experience.
* The pools are actually quite cold to swim in which surprised me a bit.
* There are actually two waterfalls here - the first is cascada chica which is the small one that produces the water for the mineral pools. The larger is known as cascada grande and this is visible in the distance from the mineral pools. You can take a small hike to the base of these waterfalls for some impressive pictures (see below). Please note if you are not doing a tour you will need a local guide to take you on this. It was a part of our tour.
* There are change rooms at the pools.
* Like any big ticket tourist attraction there are the usual hordes of food and drink vendors.
Overall a decent tourist attractions but as I said, take some consideration on your arrival time.
Written July 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandri
Los Angeles, CA552 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
Due to time this magical place is not what it used to be. It definitely still takes your breath away. When you visit make sure you take your camera, bathing suit, sunblock, hat, sunglasses, sandals, towel, cash and confortable walking shoes. You need half a day to really enjoy this place. There isn’t much to do other then relax in the water or take a hike, give yourself permission to take this opportunity to do some self reflection, meditate and take in all the beautiful things this place has to offer.
Written February 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Victoria M
3 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
The spot itself is beautiful and yes there are many tourists. You can choose to do a hike to the bottom to see the waterfall or you can go directly to the pools (we did not have time to do the hike). To get to the pools you walk down a cemented path. The walk back up is a little more difficult but doable. You can bring your own snacks and drinks. Bring a towel and water shoes/ sandals. There’s snack vendors before you get down to the pools.
We booked this tour with a company name TurisFront. I do not recommend this tour company at all. They do not disclose a lot of information in regards to additional fees or entry fees. When we confronted them about things on the trip that were promised, they gaslit us. The tour was from 8 am to 7 pm. They took us on many stops where we were encouraged to purchase things and the final stop was Hierve el Agua, which we only had one hour to enjoy. By the time we reached the pools the sun was setting and it was too cold to swim. Recommend going in the morning/daytime. Research as much as you can bc they will sneak in extra things that were not part of the booking conversation. Don’t get taken advantage of. They also don’t do reimbursements or cancellations which they said is disclosed on the receipt, however one doesn’t get a receipt until you pay…so make sure to ask and have them give you something in writing.
We booked this tour with a company name TurisFront. I do not recommend this tour company at all. They do not disclose a lot of information in regards to additional fees or entry fees. When we confronted them about things on the trip that were promised, they gaslit us. The tour was from 8 am to 7 pm. They took us on many stops where we were encouraged to purchase things and the final stop was Hierve el Agua, which we only had one hour to enjoy. By the time we reached the pools the sun was setting and it was too cold to swim. Recommend going in the morning/daytime. Research as much as you can bc they will sneak in extra things that were not part of the booking conversation. Don’t get taken advantage of. They also don’t do reimbursements or cancellations which they said is disclosed on the receipt, however one doesn’t get a receipt until you pay…so make sure to ask and have them give you something in writing.
Written April 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle V.
Brooklyn, NY13 contributions
Jan 2020
This is such an incredible place. It's also very easy to get to because it's so well known. Highly recommend. Very clearly-marked trails (no guide needed). Some visitors treat the baths section almost like a public pool which can get pretty crowded. I came on a chillier day and was able to just enjoy the scenery since there were less people. Amazing photo ops. Be sure to check out the view from BOTH petrified falls. Lots of steps if that is a challenge for you.
Written March 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cabra
London, UK239 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
A rough, bumpy ride up into the mountains for our last stop on a full day tour. Beautiful rolling hills but patched and barren. Could be almost anywhere apart from the tall cacti standing proudly Mexican.
Hierve is a mountainside spring that is mineral rich so has created calcite pools and falls. The water has been captured a little to create pools for paddling or swimming. It was very windy when we arrived so I don’t think anyone from our group even had a paddle let alone a swim. It was also late afternoon so we had nice low sun and as the air was fairly clear the views were pretty special.
Our tour had a hugely disorganised and late start so we didn’t have time to hike down. Having read another review DanaM2158 who did this as part of a hiking tour, I think that hiking tour seemed much better than our fleeting stop.
Hierve is a mountainside spring that is mineral rich so has created calcite pools and falls. The water has been captured a little to create pools for paddling or swimming. It was very windy when we arrived so I don’t think anyone from our group even had a paddle let alone a swim. It was also late afternoon so we had nice low sun and as the air was fairly clear the views were pretty special.
Our tour had a hugely disorganised and late start so we didn’t have time to hike down. Having read another review DanaM2158 who did this as part of a hiking tour, I think that hiking tour seemed much better than our fleeting stop.
Written January 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Norma Cristina E
Buenos Aires, Argentina69 contributions
Nov 2022 • Family
I came to Mexico with one of my daughters (young adult not teen) and join my youngest one who lives in CMX. We are from Argentina. She had been here two years ago and we were wishing to be there. We had little time and also didn’t want to spend 9 hs in a tour. I arranged for a taxi to pick us up early ( 6:30 am) and it was an incredible, experience!! Omar was our taxi driver and added the experience his great friendly guide on our way. The natural park entrance was 20 mx + 50 Mx each, and we were there 90’ JUST US!!! ( Highly recommend getting there early enough to get the view and be just alone for the pictures if you want.
We walked down to the petrified falls and it was incredible! This time of year without rain there is less water on the pools! My daughter came in August and she said ti was more the water than now! It is a must to do if you come to Oaxaca!!
And our driver Omar was very very nice!!
He is learning english now!! We speak spanish but I am sure he will be perfect ! I upload his business card! On our way back he showed us the Tule Tree and it was his plus! We spent 1500$ mx the three of us had an amazing experience
We walked down to the petrified falls and it was incredible! This time of year without rain there is less water on the pools! My daughter came in August and she said ti was more the water than now! It is a must to do if you come to Oaxaca!!
And our driver Omar was very very nice!!
He is learning english now!! We speak spanish but I am sure he will be perfect ! I upload his business card! On our way back he showed us the Tule Tree and it was his plus! We spent 1500$ mx the three of us had an amazing experience
Written November 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Está abierta hierve el agua.? Y e l camino es el mismo de antes o es otro más largo?
Está abierta hierve el agua.? Y e l camino es el mismo de antes o es otro más largo?
Hola, me gustaría saber si la atracción está abierta
iva_hick
Split, Croatia107 contributions
Hola, are they open?
Em123
Istanbul, Türkiye3 contributions
Is Hierve el Agua currently open to visitors? If yes, what are the current rules?
Marlom R
Rio de Janeiro, RJ23 contributions
Olá. Tem algum site oficial para informação? Queria saber como está o funcionamento em razão da pandemia.
Baldo_guaton
Apodaca, Mexico26 contributions
Están abiertos los lugares turísticos de Oaxaca en estas fechas de covid??
adani2017
81 contributions
Dificil saber, creo que debes investigar en turismo en Oaxaca
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