What to pack for Tolantongo (and what you can leave home)

You walk on wet rock most of the day at Tolantongo: the pools, the river, the cave, the tunnel. That sentence covers half this guide. The other half is that a lot of what people pack is already included, and carrying it just weighs you down.

The essentials: four things

1. Water shoes

If you take one thing from this page, take this. It’s the most recommended item and the one fewest people bring.

The rock in the river and the cave is wet and slick. Flip-flops come off every other step; barefoot, the ground bites. A closed shoe you don’t mind soaking changes the whole day: you walk into the cave with confidence instead of testing every step.

Don’t own a pair? You can buy them on the way or inside the park (around 180 pesos) or rent them (around 70). Reference prices checked September 2026.

2. Swimwear, already on when you leave

You’ll be in and out of the water all day. Wear it under your clothes before you set off — the park has changing rooms, but the mid-morning queue isn’t where you want to be.

3. Cash, in pesos

This one catches out international visitors. Lunch, the zip-line and small purchases are paid there, in cash. Don’t count on a card terminal or an ATM down in the canyon.

For scale: lunch runs roughly 5 to 15 US dollars depending on what you order, and zip-lining is about 250 pesos on top.

4. A dry change of clothes for the ride back

Here’s the tip people thank us for most, and that nobody gives you. The trip home is three to five hours depending on where you started. Doing it in damp clothes gets old within the first fifteen minutes.

A full change — underwear included — and a bag for the wet stuff. With us, the bag is already included.

Helpful, but not essential

• Comfortable walking shoes. There are stairs and paths between the zones.
• Sunglasses. The canyon sun is strong and the water reflects it.
• A cap or hat, especially in spring.
• A dry bag for your phone if you want photos in the water. With us the waterproof case is already included.

What NOT to pack if you come with us

All of this is already included on the three Tolantongo trips. Pack it and you’re carrying doubles:

• Sport towel and a dry bath towel
• Soap and shampoo
• A headlamp for the cave
• A waterproof phone case
• Water bottle
• Toilet paper and wet wipes
• A bag for wet clothes
• Sunscreen
• A blanket for the drive
• Tables, chairs and a cooler for lunch

It’s all listed on each tour page, but it gets lost in the rest of the text. That’s why it’s here.

The two everyone forgets

Cash. People assume cards work everywhere. They don’t, down there. It’s the most common problem and the easiest to avoid.

Dry clothes. It isn’t that people forget — it’s that they don’t think about the journey back. They pack for the park, not for the three hours in the van afterwards.

A note on the weather

The cave and the river depend on the weather in the days before, not the day you go. Heavy rain can push the water level and current past what’s safe, and that isn’t an operator’s call — the park makes it.

If that’s your day, the pools and the waterfalls are still there. But it’s better to know going in than to find out at the gate.

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Want to see exactly what each departure includes? All three are compared side by side on the tours page.