Island of the Dolls tour in Xochimilco by trajinera

What the Island of the Dolls tour includes

This Island of the Dolls tour is private, lasts 3.5-4 hours and starts at Embarcadero Caltongo on Av. Nuevo Leon. A bilingual English guide travels with you, the round trajinera transfer is included, and so is the entrance to the island itself. The price starts at 1,699 pesos per person and the rating stands at 4.9 ★ (11 reviews).

The island is a canal-side chinampa, one of the hand-built farming plots that line the waterways, and the only way in is by boat. More than 4,000 dolls are left there, some of them brought by visitors from other countries. The operator runs the trip during the day, which is the sensible way round it: there is no lighting on the canals, and boats generally work from about 8:00 to 17:00 even though the docks stay open later.

On board you get Mexican snacks, a music speaker and a choice of tequila and beer or beer and pulque. Transport to the embarcadero is not part of the price. It can be added at 500 pesos per extra person round trip, or you make your own way to Caltongo, which is open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. all year and is home base for about 215 boats.

Caltongo follows traditional routes rather than the ecological ones, so the run out passes chinampas, plant nurseries and other trajineras rather than the protected natural zone. Board early in the day if you want the water quiet, and leave room for the 3.5-4 hour round trip before the boats stop at about 17:00.

What happens, step by step

1. Entry to the Island of the Dolls, with time on the chinampa 30 min
   The trajinera ties up at the island and your entry is covered, so you step off and walk the chinampa where the dolls are fixed to posts, fences and branches. The guide explains how the plot and its collection came together, and the pace is yours rather than a fixed loop. The rest of the 3.5-4 hours is the canal run there and back through the Xochimilco ecological reserve.

What is included

Meeting point, transport and ages

• Meeting point: Embarcadero Caltongo, Av. Nuevo Leon, Xochimilco.
• Caltongo opens 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the year and follows traditional canal routes rather than ecological ones.
• Transport to the embarcadero is not included; it can be added at 500 pesos per extra person round trip.
• Getting there under your own steam: Metro Taxquena on Line 2, then the Tren Ligero to Terminal Xochimilco, a single line of 18 stations over 13 km, about 30 minutes end to end with trains every four minutes.
• The light rail runs Monday to Friday 05:00-00:00, Saturdays 06:00-00:00, and Sundays and holidays 07:00-00:00.
• Ages: infant 0-1, adult 2 and over.
• The 18-passenger limit per trajinera is strict and counts children under four.

Other Island of the Dolls tour options compared

Four options reach the same part of the canals in different ways. The private trip on this page is the one with entry to the island, a guide in English and drinks on board; the 2 h 15 min version is the shortest and the lowest entry price at 1,100 pesos, the 5-hour sunrise kayak puts you in a paddle boat with breakfast from $99, and the 2.5-3 hour trajinera ride from 1,299 pesos stays on the water without the island stop.

Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 3 November 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.

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