Hierve el Agua
Petrified waterfalls and natural pools at the edge of a cliff.
Duration
5 hrs – 7 hrs
Best time
Early morning departure
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
The name means 'the water boils', and it is untrue: the water is cold. It rises loaded with calcium carbonate, and its bubbling comes from gas, not heat. Spilling over the cliff for thousands of years, it has laid down deposits that form two petrified waterfalls tens of metres high.
At the top, natural pools on the edge of the drop look out over the sierra. The Zapotecs cut irrigation channels from these springs, still visible on the plateau.
Getting there
Seventy kilometres east of Oaxaca, about two hours by the Mitla road. Colectivos from Mitla, or an organised trip from Oaxaca.
What the price covers
several successive access fees — community road, then site; cash only
What to bring
- Wetsuit
- Windbreaker
- Swimsuit
Rules on site
The site was closed for months in 2020 and 2021 during a land dispute between communities: check it is open before driving two hours. Access fees are paid in cash, at several successive posts.
Other places in Oaxaca
Monte AlbánA Zapotec capital levelled off the top of a mountain, looking down three valleys.
Zócalo and Santo DomingoThe arcaded square, and Mexico's most gilded baroque church two streets away.
Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre marketsMoles, toasted grasshoppers, and the smoke-filled grill corridor where you pick your own meat.
MitlaGeometric stone mosaics cut without mortar, unique in Mesoamerica.