5 Best Sights in Mexico

The name is Mayan for "the cave with cenotes inside," and these amazing underground caverns—estimated to be about 5 million years old—are the area's largest. You walk through the underground passages, past stalactites and stalagmites, until you reach the cenote with its various shades of deep green. There's also an on-site canopy tour and one cenote where you can swim. This top family attraction isn't as crowded or touristy as Xplor, Xel-Há, and Xcaret.

Mexico's largest caverns are located within this 4,000-acre national park about 30 km (19 miles) northeast of Taxco. Guides (it's usually possible to arrange for one who speaks English) lead visitors along a 2 km (1 mile) illuminated walkway with fascinating limestone geological formations that ranks among the world's largest networks of caverns. A tour takes around two hours, after which you're free to spend more time on your own exploring. The road from Taxco is steep and winding but well-maintained and quite beautiful---it's also possible to visit the caverns as a side trip from Cuernavaca or Malinalco. If you don't have a car, it's easy to find taxis willing to make the trip here from any of these cities, and several tour operators also offer trips to Taxco that include an excursion to the caves.

The series of waterfalls and crystalline blue pools at Agua Azul is breathtaking, especially during the dry season (from about November through March), as wet-season waters are often churned up and brown with mud. You can swim in a series of interconnected pools.

If the single cascade at nearby Misol-Há is less grandiose than the series of falls and pools at Agua Azul, it's no less amazing. You can swim in the pool formed by the 100-foot cascade, or explore behind the falls, where a cave leads to a subterranean pool. For safety reasons (the currents are deceptively fast and you may need someone to keep an eye on your belongings if you swim), we recommend visiting on a guided tour.

Spectacular limestone stalactites and stalagmites are illuminated along a 2,475-foot concrete walkway inside the labyrinthine caves known as Las Grutas de Rancho Nuevo (or Las Grutas de San Cristóbal), which were discovered in 1960. Kids from the area are usually available to guide you for a small fee. You can rent horses ($5 per half hour) for a ride around the surrounding pine forest, and there's a small restaurant and picnic area. Many tour operators offer trips here, and that's the option we strongly recommend. The caves are also a quick taxi ride from town.

The rock formations around the Majahuitas cove hide many sea caves inhabited by marine creatures in different colors, shapes, and sizes. Moorish idols with striking black, white, and yellow bands are the most common residents of the area, but you may also spot sea cucumbers, parrot fish, puffer fish, schools of surgeonfish, eels, and many other tropical fish.