The Best Hierve el Agua Oaxaca Tour With Local Guides
Looking for the best Hierve el Agua Oaxaca Tour?
I highly recommend the one I took during my solo trip to Oaxaca City. A Hierve el Agua Oaxaca tour should absolutely be part of your itinerary, because the petrified waterfalls you’ll see here are only one of two in the entire world!
The amazing local couple who were our guides and their well-planned itinerary for the day solidify this tour as my top recommendation.
In this post I’ll share more details on why that is, an overview of what to expect from the day, tips on what to bring with you and thoughts on some of the other Hierve el Agua tour options out there.
This tour included an early start to swim in the natural pools at Hierve el Agua, lunch of regional dishes at a local market, visit to a traditional rug-maker and a stop at the widest tree in the world.
Planning your trip? Use my go-to resources:
- Accommodations: booking.com
- Travel Insurance: SafetyWing
- Tours & Excursions: Viator
- Flights: Skyscanner
- City Pass: Go City
Overview of the Best Hierve el Agua Oaxaca Tour
No time to read the entire post? I’ve got you covered! This Hierve el Agua Full-Day Guided Tour is the one I took and personally recommend.
For all the details, read on:
The guides
Beto and Lupita were gems from the get-go.
Early in the morning, I made my way to our day tour meeting point in the colorful Jalatlaco neighborhood of Oaxaca City. There, under the colorful banners of papel picado strung overhead and next to a sizable church was the shuttle van.
I was met with smiles from the two cheerful and upbeat locals who would be our guides. It wasn’t long before I learned that this young couple are also fellow travel creators!
Now, I’ve been on many guided tours with perfectly personable guides but Beto and Lupita are something else. They engaged with all of us, both 1:1 and as a group, in a way that really affected how well and quickly we all gelled as a group. As a solo traveler, I appreciated this even more.
In addition to chatting with and genuinely getting to know each other, our guides shared interesting information about the sites we visited. They had planned several surprise moments for us all sprinkled throughout the day as well.
Because they’re travel content creators, they even played double duty as our photographers at the most impressive sights.
If these two ever offer additional tours or experiences, I will personally prioritize booking with them. If you care to have tour guides who feel like friends and reliable experts in equal measure, don’t hesitate to book this tour with Beto and Lupita.
Tour Itinerary
This tour gets off to an early start, which is a major perk because we were the first to arrive to Hierve el Agua.
Photoshoot, Hiking and Swimming at Hierve el Agua
After a brief tour by one of the onsite experts and snapping some epic photos, our group began the hike. There are a couple trail options to suit hikers of different skill levels, and it’s not too long of a hike either.
By the end of it though, we were eager to cool off and were some of the first to swim in the natural pools!
What I haven’t mentioned yet is that already by this point in the day, Beto and Lupita had built in a couple surprises for us. I don’t want to spoil anything they may still be doing, so I won’t mention it here!
Mercado Tlacolula
Our next stops was the traditional market in the charming town of Tlacolula. It was buzzing with energy as we arrived, but Beto and Lupita snagged us a table near our designated lunch stop.
They then explained our options – a few different regional specialties to choose from – and placed our orders for us. They were also the ones to serve us our dishes and drinks when ready. We were truly so well cared for by them!
The food was absolutely delicious, and we ate happily as we chatted. Next, Beto and Lupita walked us around the market a bit to show us around before whisking us off to our next destination.
Teotitlan del Valle
Another aspect of this whole tour I really appreciated was the ability to support local small businesses and artisans. Our next stop was simply one more example of this in practice.
We visited a crafts-shop where we learned about the rug-making process. Here, they make and dye their own yarn by hand using natural ingredients before manually weaving it on one of their machines.
It’s an impressive art form, and afterward we had the opportunity to browse their shop and purchase any of their handmade items (although there was no pressure to do so).
Tule Tree
I realize not everyone finds trees as incredible as I do, but even those who might be skeptical are likely to be impressed by Tule Tree. This is the widest tree in the world and is more than 2,000 years old. Caretaking for it is an actual job – how cool!
It’s not just me raving about this Hierve el Agua Oaxaca tour in particular. All you have to do is read the reviews to know this is a consistently solid experience.
👉 Check prices & availability for your travel dates here
What to Pack to Visit Hierve El Agua Oaxaca
Based on my experience, here’s what I recommend you bring with you for this tour:
- Swimsuit – the recommendation is to bring this with you separately instead of wearing it, so that you can be more comfortable during the initial hike. You’ll have time and an area to change into your swimsuit before getting in the pools, which is what I did
- Towel – I brought this microfiber towel that is absorbent, dries quickly and folds up small and flat which makes it easy to pack
- Day bag – I have this one, it’s sturdy yet lightweight
- Sunscreen – I like Supergoop for body and eltaMD tinted for my face
- Hat and sunglasses
- Chewable pepto bismol tablets – just in case
- Cash – just in case, and also to tip your guides with!
Other Hierve el Agua Oaxaca Tour Options
While I loved this Hierve el Agua tour, there are other options out there with different itineraries. You might also consider the following:
Mezcal Distillery + Hierve el Agua
If you want to visit a Mezcal distillery as part of your Hierve el Agua day tour then book this option. Mezcal originates from this part of Mexico, and even if you don’t enjoy it it’s an important aspect of life here.
It’s worth checking out, and I actually took an amazing sacred mezcal tour on a different day that I also recommend. But if you don’t have time to do both tours, you might consider visiting both in one day and this tour will allow you to do that.
Monte Alban + Hierve el Agua
Monte Alban is an important archeological site you might want to visit while you’re in Oaxaca. This tour will take you there as well as to Hierve el Agua, a rug-making shop and includes lunch with a local family.
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In case you’re wondering…
Some additional information for you as you plan your itinerary:
Can you visit Hierve el Agua?
You might have seen some information out there about Hierve el Agua being closed. In March 2021, community landowners did decide to close off access to the site.
Your tour guides can give you more details about why, but essentially it had to do with some land conflict and ensuring the local community could also benefit. It has since reopened.
What is so special about Hierve el Agua?
What makes it so unique is that there are only two petrified waterfalls IN THE WORLD – this one in Oaxaca and another in Turkey. Beyond its rarity, it actually is incredible to see the ‘frozen waterfall’ for yourself.
You’ll learn much more about the history and significance of Hierve el Agua on your tour.
Final Thoughts: Best Hierve el Agua Oaxaca Tour
This day tour of Hierve el Agua, a local market for lunch, a rug-weaving shop and Tule Tree was one of my favorite days of my entire Oaxaca city trip. If you’re considering it at all, I definitely recommend going for it because it’s sure to be a fun and memorable experience!
More guides to help you plan the best Oaxaca trip:
How to Get from Oaxaca International Airport to Oaxaca City
