Guided tour
Xilo Cave
Nine hundred metres under the mountain, at night
About this tour
The Xilo Cave tour costs $900 MXN per person, lasts about 3 hours and picks you up in an RZR at your lodging in Xilitla at 7:00 PM. From Ciudad Valles the transfer costs extra — we'll quote it on WhatsApp. The price includes round-trip transport by RZR (side-by-side) from your lodging in Xilitla, the admissions, a certified guide and travel insurance for everyone in the group.
A 15 to 20 minute walk through the jungle drops you at the mouth of the cave, already after dark. Inside you cover some 900 metres among stalactites and stalagmites that took millions of years to form, and the walk ends at natural jacuzzis of crystal-clear water inside the cave. You go with a helmet, a headlamp and a certified guide. $900 MXN per person.
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Almost every tour in the Huasteca happens in daylight. This one doesn't. Xilo Cave — Gruta de Xilo in Spanish, sometimes written Grutas de Xilo — is walked at night, and that is half the experience: without the noise or the heat of the day, all that exists is the circle of light from your headlamp and whatever it reaches.
Your helmet and headlamp are handed to you at the start, when we pick you up. Then comes a 15 to 20 minute walk through the jungle to the mouth of the cave, where the guide explains where to step, and you go in.
Inside it's about 900 metres of walking. The walls are a catalogue of formations: stalactites hanging from the vault, stalagmites rising from the floor, columns where the two finally met after millions of years of drip by drip. There are wide stretches where you walk upright and stretches where you have to crouch; you move slowly, in a small group.
At the end of the route are the jacuzzis: pools of crystal-clear water formed inside the cave itself. That's where the introspection exercise happens — lamps off, a few minutes of silence, listening to the cave. It's the part people remember.
It runs about 3 hours in total, at night. We pick you up at your lodging in Xilitla in an RZR; if you're staying in Ciudad Valles we can also come and get you at an additional cost we'll quote on WhatsApp. Bring closed shoes that can get wet and a change of clothes.
Your day, hour by hour
Approximate times. We confirm your exact pickup by WhatsApp when you book.
- 7:00 PM
Pickup
We pick you up at your lodging in Xilitla, in the RZR itself, and hand you your helmet and headlamp right there. It's already getting dark.
- 7:30 PM
Walk through the jungle
Fifteen to twenty minutes on foot, headlamp already on, to the mouth of the cave.
- 8:00 PM
Into the cave
The guide explains where to step, and in you go. From here on, all that exists is the circle of light from your headlamp.
- 8:45 PM
The formations
Some 900 metres among stalactites, stalagmites and columns where the two finally met after millions of years of drip by drip.
- 9:30 PM
The jacuzzis and the silence
The route ends at pools of crystal-clear water formed inside the cave. Lamps go off for a few minutes so you can listen to it. That's the part people remember.
- 10:00 PM
Return
Back to your lodging in Xilitla.
On this tour
- 1Xilitla jungle (approach walk)
- 2Xilo Cave
- 3The cave's natural jacuzzis
Tour photos
1 / 12
What's included
- ✦Round-trip RZR transfer from your lodging in Xilitla
- ✦Tickets and cave access
- ✦Helmet and headlamp for each person
- ✦NOM-09 SECTUR certified guide
- ✦First-aid kit
- ✦Travel insurance for everyone in the group
- ✦Photos and video of the tour, taken by your guide
Book direct with us
You deal with the people who take you, from booking to the tour itself.
Hold your spot with 30%
Pay the rest on the day of the tour.
Pay us directly, in pesos
No middlemen: by card or bank transfer.
WhatsApp the same team
The people who guide you answer.
Our own NOM-09 guides
Certified by SECTUR, Mexico's tourism ministry.
Our own hotel and restaurant
In Xilitla, 400 m from Las Pozas.
Pickup & meeting point
We pick you up at your lodging in Xilitla — in the RZR (side-by-side) itself and bring you back at the end. If you're staying in Ciudad Valles, we can come and get you there at an additional cost we'll quote on WhatsApp, or you make your own way up to Xilitla.
Xilitla
We pick you up at your lodging — in the RZR (side-by-side)
Ciudad Valles
Transfer at an additional cost, quoted on WhatsApp — or make your own way to Xilitla
Departure time
At 7:00 PM
Approx. return
10:00 PM
Vehicle
RZR (side-by-side)
Staying in Ciudad Valles? The included transfer covers Xilitla; we can also pick you up in Ciudad Valles at an additional cost — message us on WhatsApp and we'll quote it.
Ask about your pickup →
Our hotel in Xilitla
Stay 400 m from Las Pozas
Hotel Paraíso Encantado is ours too: it's in La Conchita, a 5-minute walk from Edward James's garden.
- El Papán Huasteco, our Huasteca-food restaurant, is inside the hotel: open 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
- Outdoor pool for guests.
- Arriving on the morning bus? If your room is ready, it's yours when you arrive; if not, you leave your bags at reception and we pick you up there for the tour.
Book with total confidence
Free cancellation
Up to 48h before · Full refund
We run in the rain
If the river is unsafe you choose: refund or new date
Photos and video included
Taken by your guide · No extra charge
WhatsApp support 24/7
Reply in under 1 hour
Card, cash or transfer
Encrypted payment · Processed by Stripe
Before you book
Frequently asked questions
What's included in the Xilo Cave?
Round-trip RZR transfer from your lodging in Xilitla, Tickets and cave access, Helmet and headlamp for each person, NOM-09 SECTUR certified guide, First-aid kit, Travel insurance for everyone in the group, Photos and video of the tour, taken by your guide. All of this is included in the price.
How long is the Xilo Cave?
The tour lasts approximately 3 hours.
Can I cancel my booking?
Yes. Free cancellation up to 48 hours before the tour. Full refund, no questions asked.
What is the price per person?
The price is $900 MXN per adult. Children ages 6 to 10 pay 70% ($630 MXN) and children under 6 pay 50% ($450 MXN). The discount applies when you book online.
Where does the tour depart from?
We pick you up at your lodging in Xilitla and bring you back at the end. Staying in Ciudad Valles? The included transfer covers Xilitla; we can also pick you up in Ciudad Valles at an additional cost — message us on WhatsApp and we'll quote it.
What time does it start?
We pick you up at your lodging in Xilitla, in an RZR (side-by-side), at 7:00 PM. From Ciudad Valles the transfer costs extra — we'll quote it on WhatsApp.
Why is Xilo Cave done at night?
Because that's half the experience. Without the noise or the heat of the day, the 15 to 20 minute walk through the jungle is already done by headlamp, and inside the cave all that exists is the circle of light from your lamp. At the end, at the natural jacuzzis, lamps go off for a few minutes so you can listen to the cave in silence.
How hard is the Xilo Cave tour?
Moderate. First you walk 15 to 20 minutes through the jungle to the mouth of the cave; inside you cover about 900 metres over wet rock, with wide stretches where you walk upright and stretches where you have to crouch. You move slowly, in a small group, and before going in the guide explains where to step.
Is it OK if I'm claustrophobic?
We wouldn't recommend it. There are wide stretches where you walk upright, but also stretches where you have to crouch, and all of it is by the light of your headlamp. If you suffer from claustrophobia, this isn't the tour for you.
Will I get wet?
Plan on it. Some passages have water, you walk on wet rock inside the cave, and the route ends at natural jacuzzis: pools of crystal-clear water formed inside the cave itself. Wear closed shoes with grip that can get wet, and bring a full change of dry clothes for the ride back.
When do I get my helmet and headlamp?
At the start, when we pick you up at your lodging — not at the cave entrance — so you do the jungle walk with your lamp already on. A helmet and headlamp are included for each person, and wearing them is mandatory.
More detail in our cancellation and weather policy.
Make the most of your trip
Tours that pair well with this one
Surrealist Route — Edward James, Springs, Caves and Castle
Pair it with the Surrealist Route on another day of your trip: the cave is at night, and Edward James's garden at Las Pozas, also in Xilitla, is a daytime visit.
