Where's the best sightseeing in and around Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?

There are different areas around Ajijic that you can go to for sightseeing and each one has a different touch. You can go to Chapala where you can walk around and see a lot of Mexican people in the communities so you would really see the flavor of Mexico in Chapala more than in Ajijic because you would see more expats in Ajijic. 

 

The best sightseeing for me is the Monte Coxala, which is a spa located in San Juan Coxala, which is a place known for its...

There are different areas around Ajijic that you can go to for sightseeing and each one has a different touch. You can go to Chapala where you can walk around and see a lot of Mexican people in the communities so you would really see the flavor of Mexico in Chapala more than in Ajijic because you would see more expats in Ajijic. 

 

The best sightseeing for me is the Monte Coxala, which is a spa located in San Juan Coxala, which is a place known for its thermal waters, even at the top of the mountains. Going from Ajijic to the west, you have San Juan Coxala where the thermal waters are located. Another one is Thermal Coxala. They have wonderful hot springs and you can have a good massage at the spa. They have different kinds of spa baths. One of which is where they put certain types of flowers in the tub and those flowers make your skin beautiful. Another is where they put oats in the hot tub and as you know, oats are really good for the skin. Some tubs have mineral water and some have wine. You have different detox treatments to choose from. It is a lot of fun and it is inexpensive. It costs around US $50 to go in the hot tub and another $50 for a massage. It is a very relaxing experience.

 

There are other places to visit in the Chapala area, such as Jocotepec, which has a beautiful park near the lake. Jocotepec is a city near the lake but it has a different atmosphere because not a lot of gringos live there. Only a few expats live there and these are the expats who like living in a Mexican atmosphere. Jocotepec has a nice market and a lot of businesses. It is the agricultural provider of the region. They supply to the ranches around the area. There are also a lot of berry farms in Jocotepec that you can go to.

 

You can also go to Mazamitla, which is a beautiful mountainside town located around 1 hour and 45 minutes away from Ajijic. Some of the roads to Mazamitla are still under construction but it is worth going to as they have really good sightseeing. They have nice vegetation and many places where you can go to eat lamb. People go to Mazamitla when it is very hot because the temperature there is cooler compared to Ajijic. There is a certain time of the year where you can see beautiful wildflowers in Mazamitla.

 

There is also some good sightseeing in the towns surrounding Chapala and Ajijic in places such as Tapalpa where a lot of people have their holiday homes.

 

(Thermal Waters in San Juan Cosala, Mexico, pictured.)

There are so many things to see in Chapala and Ajijic that the best sightseeing just depends on how adventurous you are. If you are not adventurous at all, you can go to a nice restaurant on the mountain where you get a breathtaking view of the Lake Chapala.

 

If you go to the other side of the lake from Ajijic, there is a town called Mazamitla, which is located on Garcia Mountain an hour and a half away from Ajijic. Mazamitla is a very nice mountain town...

There are so many things to see in Chapala and Ajijic that the best sightseeing just depends on how adventurous you are. If you are not adventurous at all, you can go to a nice restaurant on the mountain where you get a breathtaking view of the Lake Chapala.

 

If you go to the other side of the lake from Ajijic, there is a town called Mazamitla, which is located on Garcia Mountain an hour and a half away from Ajijic. Mazamitla is a very nice mountain town where you would see a different kind of construction, which is mostly wood. The weather changes if it’s cooler there. You have different kinds of food to enjoy there, too. The regular food in Mazamitla is made differently as they make their food based on what they find locally. The tamales in Mazamitla are different. Here in Chapala and Ajijic, our food is more influenced by Guadalajara City. For example, as opposed to in Ajijic, in Mazamitla, you won’t find Thai food for sure. It’s mostly traditional Mexican food. You can go to Mazamitla, walk on nice narrow streets, enjoy the architecture of the church and see a completely Mexican town. It’s very nice and it’s a place that I recommend to visit.

 

If you’re an adventurer, you can walk up the mountain from Ajijic. There are lots of trails that you can go to and the trailhead is just less than a mile from the center of Ajijic. The street turns into a trail. There is a street in Ajijic called Tempisque located just a little bit to the west of the town center that pretty much becomes a trail in the mountain so it is a street that turns into a trail, too. These streets join at the top of the mountain.

 

There are plenty of trails that take you to places that are completely different when you go in the rainy season or in the non-rainy season (we only have two seasons here: rainy and non-rainy). In the rainy season, you will see waterfalls at the top of the mountain. When it’s not the rainy season, you won’t see waterfalls but you would see lots of animals. There is a very rich population of wild animals throughout the mountains. Sometimes they come and visit us. The view of the Lake Chapala from the mountain is beautiful. 

 

You could also go to Jocotepec, which is a municipality located west from Ajijic. There are groups in Jocotepec that would take you 1 or 2 hours away where you can go water rappelling or white water rafting. If you are into that kind of adventure, there are companies that offer that service and could take you from here. But if you want to spare yourself from that then you can just enjoy the nature that is right at your hand’s reach in Ajijic. You can go to the malecon (boardwalk), sit on a bench, and look out to the lake for hours.

 

You can also go to the ocean beaches, which are just 3 hours away from Ajijic. So if you’re tired of the lake, you can go and look for something else.

 

There are many different places that you can go from here which are located 3 hours way going any direction. You can go visit Aguascalientes, which is a very popular city 3 hours away from Ajijic. It has a very special fair that has been going on for more than 100 years every April during spring break. It is something worth visiting. There are also archeological sites nearby. You can go to Queretaro or other known cities in Jalisco like Los Altos, Arandas, or go to Tequila and see what it is all about. You might drink tequila but not know where it comes from, how it is made, or its history. In order to be properly called “tequila”, it has to have a certificacion de origen, which is why the drink is called tequila in only seven municipalities. Only these municipalities can make tequila. If that drink is not made in those seven municipalities, it has to be called something else – for example, a raicilla or something else other than tequila.   

 

(Cabin in Mazamitla, Mexico, pictured.)

The best sightseeing in Chapala is around the lake. You could go to the malecon (boardwalk) and just go sightseeing and buy some souvenirs. I like the malecon in Ajijic better though the malecon in Jocotepec is also nice even though there are not a lot of things to buy in that area.

 

The best place to go to buy souvenirs is still in the malecon in Chapala. People who come from other places, even the ones from Guadalajara, love seeing Lake Chapala. For...

The best sightseeing in Chapala is around the lake. You could go to the malecon (boardwalk) and just go sightseeing and buy some souvenirs. I like the malecon in Ajijic better though the malecon in Jocotepec is also nice even though there are not a lot of things to buy in that area.

 

The best place to go to buy souvenirs is still in the malecon in Chapala. People who come from other places, even the ones from Guadalajara, love seeing Lake Chapala. For locals who live around the lake, it is something usual as we see it every day but for visitors, it is great sightseeing. The same is true for Jocotepec. This is why they built the boardwalks in these places; so people could come and enjoy sightseeing by the lake. 

 

Another thing that people like about Ajijic are the galleries. We have a lot of art galleries here and we have many people who like art. There’s actually more of that in Ajijic than in Chapala. People teach kids the significance of art and so they built more art galleries. 

 

(Mirna Seguro's children playing on the malecon, Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.) 

There are many 1-day trip options to choose from in Chapala and Ajijic. For example, you can go to Mazamitla, or you can just pick one of the many towns that are around the lake, and you will find that every town has a different and very unique flavor or things to offer, such as Zacoalco de Torres. Zacoalco de Torres is located around the lake, and is where the equipale chairs are manufactured.  Equipales are the typical Mexican chairs for having...

There are many 1-day trip options to choose from in Chapala and Ajijic. For example, you can go to Mazamitla, or you can just pick one of the many towns that are around the lake, and you will find that every town has a different and very unique flavor or things to offer, such as Zacoalco de Torres. Zacoalco de Torres is located around the lake, and is where the equipale chairs are manufactured.  Equipales are the typical Mexican chairs for having tequila,.   

 

If you drive to Mezcala, another town around the lake that has Scorpion Island and is close to Chapala, you will find a beautiful island that has three stages in the story of Mexico. You will also see the Rupestre caverns on the hill. If you want to drive a little bit more, you can drive to Tequila Town, which is in Jalisco, a Pueblo Mágico, and you can visit all the destilerías where they produce the tequilas. There are a lot of things around that you can do in driving for a day.

 

(Equipale chairs for resale at Make It Cash, Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)

For sightseeing in and around Chapala and Ajijic, I like the other side of Lake Chapala and I especially like it up in the hills in the town called Mazamitla, which is a small, beautiful town. It is called "The Little Switzerland". There is another similar town to Mazamitla called Talpa. 

 

One of the advantages of Chapala and Ajijic is that Guadalajara is not that far away. There are places in Guadalajara that are very interesting. There are...

For sightseeing in and around Chapala and Ajijic, I like the other side of Lake Chapala and I especially like it up in the hills in the town called Mazamitla, which is a small, beautiful town. It is called "The Little Switzerland". There is another similar town to Mazamitla called Talpa. 

 

One of the advantages of Chapala and Ajijic is that Guadalajara is not that far away. There are places in Guadalajara that are very interesting. There are concerts, theaters, and a lot of other happenings in Guadalajara. The big market called Tonala market is where a lot of handcrafted items are sold. Mexicans are incredibly artistic. It is just amazing to see all the beautiful things being sold in this market that's made by hand. 

 

The coast is not that far away from Chapala and Ajijic, about three-and-a-half hours' drive. People like to go down to the beach.  

 

(Shield of Tonala, Mexico, pictured.)