This is the longest day out from Oaxaca, ten hours east along the Tlacolula valley and up into the hills. This guide is for you if the stone waterfalls of Hierve el Agua are what you came for. It covers the question of whether the site will be open, the season, the road, swimming, and what you see at the other stops.
Will Hierve el Agua be open?
Ask this first. Hierve el Agua lies in San Isidro Roaguía, in the municipality of San Lorenzo Albarradas, and it is run by the local community, not by a national agency. Land disputes between neighbouring communities have closed it before. After almost two years shut during the pandemic, the authorities of San Lorenzo Albarradas announced a permanent closure in March 2021, citing agrarian and economic disputes and the risk of violence. It reopened on 13 October 2021.
Reports since then describe it as running normally, but a closure can come at short notice. We check the week before you travel. If it is shut, the day does not disappear: we give the time to Mitla, Teotitlán and the distillery instead. Published opening times for the site vary between sources, so if you are going on your own, confirm them locally before you set off.
When to go
The rainy season, from June to September, is when the water flows most strongly over the formations. Outside those months the flow is gentler. If the pools and the stone are what you came for, either works; if you want to see the water moving, aim for the wet months and expect showers.
What you see is a set of springs that rise on the mountainside. Over thousands of years, water carrying calcium carbonate and other minerals ran down the cliff and left its load behind, building what look like waterfalls turned to stone. The name means "the water boils": where it rises, the spring looks as if it is boiling. The natural pools are at the top of the formations, on the cliff edge, and you can swim in them.
How the day fits together
You leave at 07:00 and are back at about 17:00. Hierve el Agua is roughly 70 kilometres from the city, a little over an hour by road. The route follows federal highway 190 east past Mitla, towards San Lorenzo Albarradas, and the last stretch is about 5 kilometres of unpaved road up to San Isidro Roaguía. It is the longest drive of the day, and the narrowest. The rest of the stops sit along the valley floor, close to each other.
Two of them are about how things are made.
- Teotitlán del Valle is a Zapotec village about 30 kilometres from the city, known for wool rugs. The red comes from cochineal, a small insect that lives on nopal cactus pads. It takes about three months to raise a crop on the pads. The insects are then dried and ground on a metate, a grinding stone used since before the Spanish arrived, and the powder is dissolved in hot water to dye the wool. Before the conquest it was called the red gold of Oaxaca.
- The mezcal distillery is a small family palenque. The visit is about the process, and tasting is your choice.
Mitla comes last, after lunch. It was a Zapotec settlement from around AD 200, grew in importance after Monte Albán fell in the ninth century, and was at its height around 1200. The walls of its palaces are covered in geometric mosaics of finely cut stone, set panel by panel on the facades and inside the halls. In the Hall of Columns, each column is a single block of stone. The church of San Pablo stands in one of the old courtyards, built with stone taken from the palaces around it. The town has grown up around the ruins, and life in it goes on next to them.
The Tree of Tule is the first stop, half an hour from the city. Its trunk is more than 14 metres across.
On your own or with a driver
Hierve el Agua is the difficult part to do on your own. Without your own vehicle, the advice from those who know the site is to set out early and leave by mid-afternoon. With five stops spread along the valley and a dirt road at the end, trying to fit them all into one day without a car is hard work.
On a private day the driver handles the mountain road, the order of the stops can shift on the day, and if Hierve el Agua closes we have already planned around it. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page. Entrances, the road fee at Hierve el Agua, tastings and lunch are paid on the day.
What to bring
- A swimsuit and a towel if you plan to swim in the pools.
- Cash. The entrance at Hierve el Agua is paid in cash.
- Comfortable shoes for walking on the rock around the pools and formations.
- A hat, clothes that cover you from the sun, and sun cream. The cliff edge is exposed.
- Insect repellent if mosquitoes bother you.
- Water and a snack. There are food stalls at the site, and lunch is in Mitla.
Who it suits, and who should think twice
It suits travellers who want landscape and craft in the same day, swimmers, and anyone with a second or third day in Oaxaca to spend. It fits well after a day in the city.
Think twice if ten hours in and out of a vehicle is too much for your group, or for young children. A shorter day such as the craft villages tour runs eight hours, with short drives between stops. Think twice too if the pools are the only thing you want, and you are travelling at a time when news of a closure is in the air: ask us before you book. Groups of more than 16 travel in two vehicles on one booking; message us for a price.
Questions people ask
Can we swim?
Yes, in the natural pools at the top of the formations. Bring a swimsuit and a towel, and change before you leave the car if you want to save time.
What happens if the site closes on the day?
We check the week before, and if it is shut the time goes to Mitla, Teotitlán and the distillery.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up for a full refund. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Pick a day with nothing early the next morning, pack a swimsuit and cash, and let us check the site status for you. The stops and times are on the Hierve el Agua, Mitla and Teotitlán private day trip page, where you choose your group size and book. For how it compares with the other days out of the city, see our guide to day trips from Oaxaca.
