You have never seen a hot spring like this! Welcome to Grutas de Tolantongo. Three hours North of Mexico City, in the State of Hidalgo, incredible endless pools and hotel rooms have been built into the cliffs overlooking a river with bright teal water. But for the full experience, you can CAMP by the river in your own tent, RV, or rent camping gear from the resort!
In this week’s episode, we packed up from the Teotihuacan RV & Trailer Park near Mexico City and headed North (and of course no travel day is ever drama free, lol), eventually reaching the cliffside entrance road to Grutas Tolantongo. The steep grade and hairpin turns made the drive down a challenge, including the last section which is just a dirt road! After paying our admission and fees, we settled into one of the most beautiful campsites we’ve stayed in since hitting the road in August 2018. Best of all, perfect LTE for calls and work! Pricing and policies have changed since our visit in March, 2020, be sure to check the link below in “Resources” for up to date info.
The next day we explored the grotto, tunnel, waterfalls, pools, and grounds of this uniquely family-friendly Mexican hot springs resort. Many groups were grilling out (you can bring your own food), enjoying the scenery and water with their extended families. Since our visit was on a Monday, many of the restaurants and shops weren’t open, but we didn’t mind since we had our homes on wheels. 🙂
On our travel day, we did have a surprising issue with our RV (after watching, more resources available below), but were quickly on our way again.
Have thoughts or questions about the #DigitalNomad life, RVing, our travels in Mexico, or anything else? Comment below!
Resources
View/Navion Motorhomes Facebook Group – An incredible source of helpful advice, upgrades, mods, and community of fellow View/Navion owners. When we have a question, this is usually one of the first places to check.
Mercedes Sprinter “No Start” checklist and troubleshooting – This can help anyone with a Sprinter-based RV (Class B, Class C). To date, there are several issues that can cause this problem, but as we indicated in the video, it has only twice affected us. Both times, we waited about 10 minutes, inserted the key, and turned it slowly to start. Weird? Yes.
Grutas Tolantongo-Official site with updated (May 2020) pricing and hours information.
International Travel Links and Resources:
You no longer need a pet health certificate to bring cats or dogs into Mexico by car/rv! This does not change any rules required by airlines if you fly into Mexico.
Safetywing Travel, Political and Health Insurance (What we use ourselves worldwide!)– Prices start at $37/month for coverage with a $250 annual deductible. Pick any doctor outside your home country. Seriously.
Gasoapp iOS and Android– Think “Gasbuddy” style app, but created for Mexican gas stations by the Mexican government. Prices do vary greatly between stations here, and the app is free!
US Department of State Travel Advisories – Worldwide –
New (December 2019) Pet Regulations:
You no longer need a pet health certificate to bring cats or dogs into Mexico by car/rv! This does not change any rules required by airlines if you fly into Mexico.
USDA (English) summary of regulations
Mexico (Spanish) to show to anyone who requests a copy of a pet certificate – Hat tip to Qroo.us!
Process your FMM (tourist visa) in advance:
Have Discover Baja do it for you
Apply for FMM yourself
Facebook Groups:
RV Mexico Facebook Group
RVing In Mexico Facebook Group
US Department of State- Mexico Travel Advisory
