Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua's Petrified Falls & Cultural Wonders

I wish I could’ve stayed the whole day at Hierve el Agua. The whole tour was fantastic and the guide Sauson (hope I spelled it correctly) was excellent. Other highlights were going to Mitla and the Bitao Mezcal farm. Our guide at the Mezcal farm, Kevin, made it very fun. I was exhausted by the end of the day, so be sure you bring water and snacks.

Really fun, you start at Thule, then get to Hierve fairly early to beat the crowds--it's certainly a place you could spend more time (you get about two hours total), then tour Mitla ruins, then do a Mezcal tasting. It's a lot. Back in town by 7pm-ish. Very glad that I did it. Special thanks to Xenon, a really great guide.

A lot of companies offer similar tours, so it can be hard to choose, but we were very happy with Istmo! Communication, driver, van and schedule were all very well handled; we prefer a small tour, and this one was about 10 people. We liked this tour because you get to see all of the major sites in the Tlacolula Valley without feeling rushed. Also, we did not want to spend a full three hours at Hierve en Agua; two hours is plenty, unless you want to take the full hike down to the base of the falls and back. Otherwise, if you just want to do a small hike and take a dip in the pools, two hours is more than sufficient. Highlights were the tour of Mitla, the mezcal tour and tasting, and the stop at a rug weaver. We had plenty of time at each and felt no pressure to buy anything, while learning a lot.

Great guide very knowledgeable Great driver safe driver The ride is long and the bus got very hot at times The stops that I enjoyed was the tree , archeological site and the making of the mescal

The tour is very well planned out with very attentive tour guides. They will make stops in the early morning if needed to a local shop for coffee/water/snacks as it is an all day tour. Rocio made sure she explained to us where things were right before we entered a location to prepare us for what was to come. During the road trips out to the sites they would give us facts about Oaxaca and the pueblitos. Depending on the site they would accompany us to explain a few things. 10/10 recommend.

It is a very nice tour where you can see phenomenal nature on one side and traditional crafts on the other. For the cherry on top, you can find out something about the rich history of that place.

This tour was designated as English speaking, and it was; however, our guide went back-and-forth all day between English and Spanish, making the continuity of his information difficult for us to follow. We were contacted via WhatsApp before hand to bring snacks, but hadn’t been told that we’d stop along the way where we could purchase snacks so therefore the things we bought, we did not use or need. The water was not provided for anyone and that was a problem for many. When we got to the waterfall, our guide simply mentioned we could hire a local guide to take us for the hike. None of us had done that until we met up with a couple who had hired one of the local guides and thank goodness they were open to many of us in our group to join them. This Guide was able to take us back to the meeting area in a somewhat easier/quicker way - this hike is a difficult one, especially with no water. Our Guide should have been more clear about the role of the local guide as many of us would likely have taken one from the beginning. The Mexican lunch buffet was adequate at best and we did not eat until 3 PM. In the end, we’re glad we took this tour because we got to see more of the countryside; however, if you choose to take this tour, be sure to ask questions beforehand and BRING YOUR OWN WATER!

Again brilliant day! We did back to back tours with Zenon and both days were amazing even with a 8 month old baby. Both tours were very interested with variety of sites, the guide was extremely knowledgeable. There is plenty of time at each site although it may seem packed. 100% recommend it!

Picked us up at ArBnb on time. Stopped for coffee at a sweet location on way to Tulle Tree - much appreciated. Enjoyed Heivre el Agua. Glad we did the hike - well worth it. The textile family owned business stop was interesting. The group enjoyed the mezcal. The only disappointment was the restaurant. We were not able to order ala carte and had to eat a mediocre buffet that was expensive for the quality of the food. Also, our guide and van driver were five star. Overall an awesome day.

Jam packed day full of many interesting sights and experiences. Our favourite was definitely Hierve el Agua - both the hike and cooling off in the pool after. Be prepared with snacks as lunch is not until the late afternoon. We had a great time.