One of Mexico City’s best-known and most popular attractions is also one of the hardest to get to.
Before our visit last month, Michael and I read through countless guides and blog posts detailing how to get to the pyramids of Teotihuacan before ultimately deciding to book an Airbnb Experience, and even then we were somewhat on the fence about booking a tour.
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You see, I feel a degree of pride in forming our travel plans independently, in part because of the savings that go along with it and because it means we get to spend our travel time doing things on our own terms.
Booking a tour felt like I was selling out in a way. And the actual process of booking an Experience to Teotihuacan through Airbnb was a little frustrating.
WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BOOK AN AIRBNB EXPERIENCE
While the platform allows you to search for Experiences by theme, dates, and location, there’s no way to search for a specific term. Without knowing which category most guides placed their Teotihuacan tours in, I had to sift through many, many pages of possible excursions. One Experience, in particular, jumped out to me well before I reached the final page, and after reading through the description and reviews, we decided to stop looking and booked it right away.
The booking process for an Experience is pretty similar to the booking process for a room. We paid with Michael’s Chase card (just in case), and our tour was confirmed.
Finding the reservation within the Airbnb platform was a bit tricky; ours was located inside our Mexico City home reservation as a part of the full trip. I recommend bookmarking the pages in your browser as it’s kind of a pain to navigate. Since we haven’t booked an Experience without having a home reservation on file, I’m not sure if it would be easier to locate it or not.
DAY TRIP TO TEOTIHUACAN
The evening before our tour I noticed the trip information page indicated two pick-up sites (one was very convenient to us, the other would involve a bit more walking – and time – to get to). We hadn’t heard a peep from our hosts so I fired off a quick message to confirm the correct location. We received a response right away, and moments later the host sent a mass message to all guests on the tour indicating the correct pickup spot.
We arrived early the following morning to Parque México and met several of the other guests in our group, all from the U.S. like us. The host, Gabriel arrived soon after and encouraged us to walk through the park until it was time to leave.
We departed right at 7:45 a.m. in a large, comfortable, and – most importantly – air-conditioned van. The ride went quickly, though we were so far back in the vehicle that we couldn’t hear the hosts explaining anything during the route and instead had to listen to the couple behind us make out for an hour (whyyy?). Eventually, we stopped at a coffee shop and gas station for coffee and restrooms and to purchase snacks and water bottles.
As we arrived at Teotihuacan, the morning’s hot air balloons were finally allowing gravity to return them to Earth and we were finally awake and ready to explore.
After exiting the van we greeted Pepe, our tour guide for the day. It wasn’t clear from the description that our tour would be led by someone other than our host Gabriel or his brother Hugo who was also along on the trip, but we followed his lead.
We waited for a moment while others in our tour group took a moment to purchase hats and sunscreen from the nearby vendors, received our entrance tickets, and then were off for a quick restroom break. The restrooms were without an attendant or toilet paper, but thankfully Pepe brought a roll for all of the women to share.
Once we regrouped, we provided the two brothers with our lunch orders from a menu and walked over to the site’s museum (included in admission).
Pepe guided our group through the museum’s exhibits, stopping at every third or so display. There was a lot of information to take in, but it was fascinating to learn what little history of the pyramids is known (interestingly, historians aren’t sure who built the pyramids), how advanced the knowledge of that civilization was (the Pyramid of the Sun was built to align with the sunrise/sunset on certain days of the year), and to view artifacts and a model of the pyramids in their heyday. We learned so much from Pepe, but we also missed quite a bit of the museum as we had to stay with our group.
One more bathroom break followed our visit to the museum, and on we went to view the pyramids themselves. The temperature was beginning to rise at this point and the once-cool morning was gone; I soon shed my outer layer.
Pepe explained that our first stop, the Pyramid of the Sun, is the seventh-largest pyramid in the world, and likely would have been considered a true “wonder” if the exterior hadn’t been so extensively renovated. Even so, he explained that animals seem to feel a connection to the place and that dogs will often climb the Pyramid of the Sun, take a nap, and then climb the Pyramid of the Moon.
He then gave us about 25 minutes to complete our ascent and descent of the 75-meter-high pyramid.
The Pyramid of the Sun is the only pyramid at Teotihuacan where guests can climb to the apex, and before attempting the climb, visitors should be in relatively good shape. The steps are rocky and uneven, and there are points on the way up and down where the steps grow very narrow and steep.
Whenever possible, it’s best to approach the steps sideways (your knees will thank you later!). My biggest worry, however, was the people climbing around us. I learned to keep my distance and to seek out a clear spot on each landing as visitors would often stop without warning, bottlenecking the crowd behind and making it less safe. There is little space to stand on some of the landings, and very little to hold on to.
Once we finally made it to the top, the view was breathtaking, if short-lived. From the top, we could look out over the Avenue of the Dead, the long stretch of road where sacrifices were believed to be made so the blood could flow away from the city, and the smaller Pyramid of the Moon.
And, as Pepe mentioned, there were a couple of dogs at the top, one gazing down over the ruins and another slumbering in a little bit of shade under a walkway. Surprisingly, a few butterflies floated over us while we were up there as well. Maybe there is a little bit of magic in the air.
After climbing back down the face of the pyramid (which in my opinion is a little harder than the ascent) we met back up with Pepe and our host brothers.
Pepe shared a demonstration of obsidian, showing how the volcanic rock resists scratches and can be used to view the sun without damaging the eyes, before giving our group a chance to purchase from the vendors nearby. No one in our group purchased obsidian, however, someone did purchase a pretty realistic jaguar whistle and delighted our group with it for the rest of the tour.
Our group moved slowly down the Avenue of the Dead in the now-hot sun and paused for a moment to take in the Mural of the Puma before climbing the Pyramid of the Moon. Visitors can only climb halfway up the Pyramid of the Moon, and the climb is much more relaxed than the journey up the larger pyramid.
Someone in our group turned back during her climb of the Pyramid of the Sun due to her fear of heights but was able to climb the Pyramid of the Moon comfortably. Our guide and hosts climbed up with us and answered any questions we had about the area.
After a few minutes, we descended and walked over to the Palacio de Quetzalpapálotl, where Pepe told us of the themes of birds and water used in decorating the temple.
From there, we were given a few minutes to make purchases in the small stalls near the exit (most of us purchased paletas – popsicles – for temporary relief from the heat), said our goodbyes to Pepe, and boarded the nice and cool van for our next destination: the home of Gabriel and Hugo’s Abuela.
The ride to the brothers’ family home was short, but we were all ready to eat by the time we arrived. We were seated and presented with homemade guacamole and salsa, and were given the chance to order beers and sodas. Gabriel and Hugo’s mother and grandmother were soon after plating the meals prepared for us and the conversation flowed (that is, until it was time to eat and then we all grew quiet!).
I ordered the chicken mole made with mole aged over a year, and Michael ordered the chilaquiles. We were both highly satisfied with our orders until we saw the plate one of our tour-mates received across the table, an order of mole enchiladas that looked incredible.
We were also offered a tasting of mezcal, pulque, and another liqueur made from cactus fruit. We ate until we were full and paid for our meals. It was not clear from the listing that meal costs were not included, and we had all but 20 pesos on us to cover the cost of the meal. Thankfully the brothers had a Square card reader and we didn’t have to ask other folks at the table to borrow a few coins! We took turns using the restroom in their home, and finally, we were off, heading back to Mexico City.
The trip back was almost silent, and lots of people napped or lazily scrolled through their emails and Instagram accounts. Even the couple behind us managed to keep largely to themselves. We were pretty wiped as well, and greatly looking forward to a shower at our Airbnb upon our return. The ride back flew by, and pretty soon we were standing outside of the van in Parque Mexico again. We waved goodbye to the brothers and other guests and parted ways. Soon after we received a message with more information about the pyramids, a link to the tour’s Instagram, and a request for guests to leave reviews on Airbnb – and that was that!
MY REVIEW OF MY AIRBNB EXPERIENCE TOUR OF TEOTIHUACAN
Now that I’ve been home for a few weeks, I’ve had a little time to reflect on both the Airbnb Experience process and this particular tour to Teotihuacan.
In general, the pros of choosing an Airbnb Experience outweigh the cons, if you do your research. The booking process is relatively easy, except for the lack of a search feature.
Just like staying in an Airbnb, you can search for the area and dates of your choosing, and you’ll be given a list of available opportunities. There are a few filters available, like time of day and number of people, but categories will only appear when searching larger cities.
“History Tours” probably best matches a Teotihuacan tour, but you can also find some Teotihuacan tours listed as “Nature” and “Classes & Workshops.” At this time, there’s no clear way to search for certain keywords to find matches.
Also like an Airbnb home listing, reviews are available in Experiences. Take the time to read them to make sure they match up with your expectations. As a traveler who doesn’t really “do” the whole tour thing, I appreciate that I’m booking directly with the person leading the tour and not with an online agency.
If I could offer advice to people taking the same tour we did, it would simply be to prepare. Admission to the site and transportation are included in the tour, but lunch, drinks (excluding the mezcal tasting and one water bottle per person), and gratuity for the tour guide and the hosts are not included.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, bug spray, additional water, cash, hand sanitizer/wet wipes, and tissues (i.e. emergency toilet paper!). Many of the guests in our group wore “cute” clothes, and one person even wore flip-flops. Michael and I adopted a different approach, and felt safer and more comfortable in understated athletic wear (me) and a tee with linen shorts (him), both wearing sneakers. See everything I packed for my trip to Mexico City here.
You’ll want to stay hydrated during your visit both for the heat and the altitude. Take the steps up and down slower than you think, as you might be surprised how much the altitude affects you. And if possible, book your tour on a weekday for thinner crowds.
If an Airbnb Experience sounds like your kind of thing, you can take $15 off your first $50+ Experience by using my referral link (I’ll receive credit from Airbnb in return). Note: you can only take advantage of this sign-up discount if you’re creating an Airbnb account for the first time. This offer is no longer available. Thanks for your support of Wayward!
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Have you ever used Airbnb Experiences before? Do you have any questions about visiting Teotihuacan? Let me know in the comments below!
