What travellers said after their day at the springs, criticism included. Ratings and review counts further down are each operator's own figures, shown as they appear on their booking pages.
★★★★★
Hierve el Agua was the reason we came and it did not disappoint. The views back down the valley from the terrace are the thing we keep describing to people.
Julian · Canada · Couple · August 2026
Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua Petrified Waterfalls and Pools Tour
★★★★★
A good day out with children. The guide was genuinely good with them and the kids enjoyed the pools far more than we expected them to.
Samantha · New Zealand · Family · August 2026
Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua Petrified Waterfalls and Pools Tour
★★★★★
We travelled with a five-year-old and our guide found viewpoints that worked without doing the whole descent. She gave us plenty of context on the drive and a list of things to see back in Oaxaca. The driver made the mountain road feel safe.
Anja · Germany · Family · July 2026
Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua Petrified Waterfalls and Pools Tour
★★★★★
Booked this as transport only to Hierve el Agua and got more than that. The guide clearly loves Oaxaca and talked us through the whole valley on the way out.
Vadim · United States · Solo · June 2026
Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua Petrified Waterfalls and Pools Tour
★★★★★
Worth knowing that the Hierve el Agua ticket and a guide inside the site are not part of this fare. We were happy with that once we understood it, but read the inclusions before booking — it is the cheapest way up the mountain for a reason.
Marta · Spain · Couple · May 2026
Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua Petrified Waterfalls and Pools Tour
★★★★★
An excellent day with our guide Margarita — knowledgeable, funny, and good at keeping everyone informed. Hierve el Agua and then very good mezcal is a hard combination to beat.
Jackson · United Kingdom · Couple · July 2026
From Oaxaca de Juarez: Hierve el Agua and Mezcal Distillery
★★★★★
Well paced from start to finish, and the mezcal tasting was more generous than I expected. Three hours at the springs was exactly right.
Lachlan · Australia · Solo · April 2026
From Oaxaca de Juarez: Hierve el Agua and Mezcal Distillery
★★★★★
Three unhurried hours at the terraces made this trip. We swam, walked down to the lower viewpoint and still had time to sit with a drink before the van left.
Rebecca · United States · Couple · March 2026
From Oaxaca de Juarez: Hierve el Agua and Mezcal Distillery
★★★★★
A superb day with Adriel and David. Adriel could answer anything we asked about Hierve el Agua and the whole thing was well organised from the first stop to the last.
Karen · Belgium · Solo · July 2026
Hierve el Agua, Mitla, El Tule Tree, Rugs, Mezcal Distillery Tour
★★★★★
So much packed into one day, with good pacing and information at every stop. Our guide Adriel and driver David made it, and we would book the same trip again.
Stephanie · United States · Couple · August 2026
Hierve el Agua, Mitla, El Tule Tree, Rugs, Mezcal Distillery Tour
★★★★★
Our guide took great care of the group and the day ran to schedule. Hierve el Agua is a lot to fit in alongside four other stops, and I would tell anyone to bring insect repellent for the weaving demonstration — I collected a fair number of bites.
Julie · United States · Group · August 2026
Oaxaca: Tule, Mitla & Hierve el Agua, & Mezcal Tour
★★★★★
The guide knew the valley properly and spoke excellent English, which made the archaeological stops worth far more than they would have been alone.
Tomohiko · Japan · Solo · June 2026
Oaxaca: Tule, Mitla & Hierve el Agua, & Mezcal Tour
★★★★★
Good value for how much you see in a day, though lunch was ordinary. If you want unhurried time at Hierve el Agua specifically, pick a shorter trip — this one is built to show you the whole valley.
Elena · Italy · Couple · May 2026
Oaxaca: Tule, Mitla & Hierve el Agua, & Mezcal Tour
★★★★★
Picked up at the hotel on time and the day was ours to shape: Monte Albán first, Hierve el Agua after lunch. At Mitla our guide opened the site by paying his respects in Zapotec, then walked us through the carving patterns properly.
Daniel · United Kingdom · Couple · July 2026
Oaxaca Conmigo Private Tours
★★★★★
We built our own itinerary from the options, which is exactly what we wanted with two teenagers. Monte Albán, the Tule Tree, a palenque and the springs in one day, at our own pace.
Priya · United States · Family · June 2026
Oaxaca Conmigo Private Tours
★★★★★
Being welcomed into a weaver's home at Santo Tomás Jalieza was the moment we remember, and it only happened because the day was private and unhurried.
Hannah · Canada · Couple · April 2026
Oaxaca Conmigo Private Tours
★★★★★
The local guide at Hierve el Agua made the difference — three hours went quickly with someone explaining what we were standing on. Snacks and coffee on the way were a nice touch.
Sofia · Mexico · Family · March 2026
Hierve el Agua: Hiking and Time to Swim + Tule Tree & Meal
★★★★★
Eight people, a private van and three hours at the terraces. A half day at Hierve el Agua is plenty if the springs are what you came for and you would rather not spend eleven hours in a vehicle.
Peter · Netherlands · Couple · February 2026
Hierve el Agua HALF DAY trip in small group
★★★★★
The Sunday market at Tlacolula alongside the springs was the right call — the market is enormous and we had three and a half hours at the terraces afterwards. Lunch was included and better than we expected.
Claire · United Kingdom · Couple · January 2026
Hierve el Agua, Tlacolula Sunday Market & Weaving
★★★★★
A certified guide who knew the Zapotec history properly. The springs stop is short on this itinerary, so go in knowing the day is about the whole valley.
Andrés · Chile · Solo · December 2025
Tule, Mitla & Hierve el Agua Full-Day Tour with Certified Guide
★★★★★
Twelve hours is a long day and worth it if you want to see everything once. Take cash for the entrances — they are not part of the fare.
Ingrid · Germany · Couple · November 2025
Hierve el Agua, Tule Tree, Mitla and Mezcal Distillery Tour
★★★★★
Hotel pickup at half past seven, back after dark, and a certified guide throughout. The pace suited a group of six who wanted the whole circuit rather than a long stop anywhere.
Nicolas · France · Group · October 2025
Hierve el Agua Guided Full Day Tour in Oaxaca
★★★★★
A great deal packed into one day, and the pacing was the thing that made it work. Adriel guided and David drove, and information kept coming the whole way round.
Stephanie · United States · Solo · August 2026
Hierve el Agua 2.5 hours, Mitla, Tule, Rugs and Mezcal for a Day
★★★★★
Ten or eleven hours that never felt long, which says something about how it was organised. Adriel was friendly and easygoing and David made the driving comfortable.
Aldo · Italy · Couple · July 2026
Hierve el Agua 2.5 hours, Mitla, Tule, Rugs and Mezcal for a Day
★★★★★
The time was well used and you come away with a proper picture of each place. Fanny was warm, attentive to everyone, and worth the day on her own.
Marlene · Mexico · Family · August 2026
Hierve el Agua 2.5 hours, Mitla, Tule, Rugs and Mezcal for a Day
★★★★★
The walk at the springs is tiring on the way back up, and the landscape makes it worth the effort. Mitla is brightly coloured, and the mezcal stop was the surprise.
Vanessa · Italy · Couple · August 2026
Hierve el Agua 2.5 hours, Mitla, Tule, Rugs and Mezcal for a Day
★★★★★
The timing was ideal and the driving felt safe all day. There is a local guide at Mitla who shows you the ruins in a way that gives the whole trip a different angle.
Stephanie L. · Mexico · Couple · August 2026
Hierve el Agua 2.5 hours, Mitla, Tule, Rugs and Mezcal for a Day
Three themes recur across every operator. The first is the guiding on the drive out — the valley road passes weavers, palenques and archaeological sites, and a guide who can talk about them turns two hours in a van into part of the day. The second is time: the trips that publish three hours at the terraces get warmer feedback than the eleven-hour circuits that stop for ninety minutes. The third is the drivers, named again and again for making the mountain road feel unremarkable — every route up it is described on getting to Hierve el Agua.
The recurring complaint is not the place, it is the expectation. On the transport-only trip, travellers ask for clearer wording about what the fare covers — no entrance ticket, and no guide inside the site, because only community guides may work there. The gate charges that go with it are set out on plan your visit. That is exactly what makes it the cheapest way up the mountain, and knowing it in advance turns a grievance into a plan.
The other note worth reading is about pace. On the twelve-hour circuits, feedback praises how much you see and then wishes there had been longer at the pools. Both things are true, and they point to different trips. The guide to choosing a Hierve el Agua tour sorts them by time on the rock.
Each figure below belongs to that tour's own operator and is reproduced as published.
| Tour | Rating | Reviews | Operator | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oaxaca Conmigo Private Tours | 5.0 | 286 | Oaxaca Conmigo Tours | From $296 |
| Hierve el Agua: Hiking and Time to Swim + Tule Tree & Meal | 5.0 | 58 | Zapotecos Tours | From $48 |
| Hierve el Agua, Tlacolula Sunday Market & Weaving | 5.0 | 56 | Oaxacan Journey | From $117 |
| Hierve el Agua 2.5 hours, Mitla, Tule, Rugs and Mezcal for a Day | 4.9 | 1,457 | Zapotecos Tours | From $75 |
| From Oaxaca de Juarez: Hierve el Agua and Mezcal Distillery | 4.9 | 690 | Oaxaca by Locals | From $64 |
| Hierve el Agua, Mitla, El Tule Tree, Rugs, Mezcal Distillery Tour | 4.9 | 646 | Oaxaca by Locals | From $58 |
| Private Tour: Monte Albán, Hierve el Agua, Teotitlán and Mezcal | 4.9 | 209 | Tour Guide Oaxaca Travel | From $310 |
| Hierve el Agua HALF DAY trip in small group | 4.9 | 98 | Paul Lopez | From $81 |
| Hierve el Agua, Tule Tree, Mitla and Mezcal Distillery Tour | 4.7 | 1,161 | Oaxaca by Locals | From $55 |
| Oaxaca: Tule, Mitla & Hierve el Agua, & Mezcal Tour | 4.7 | 493 | Enjoy Oaxaca | From $76 |
| Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua Petrified Waterfalls and Pools Tour | 4.7 | 311 | El Convento DMC | From $36 |
| Hierve el Agua Guided Full Day Tour in Oaxaca | 4.7 | 155 | Continental Istmo | From $39 |
| Tule, Mitla & Hierve el Agua Full-Day Tour with Certified Guide | 4.7 | 120 | Enjoy Oaxaca | From $49 |
See what travellers loved, then pick the day that fits your trip on Hierve el Agua Tours.