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Discovering Catemaco, Veracruz
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Story & photos by Gene Gaudi
My life in Catemaco started out with my travel agent
friend, Judith, asking if I would be interested in
joining a tour to Catemaco (population 45,000). I love
Mexico and had been searching for the right spot for
sometime so of course I said 'YES!'. We spent several
days in Catemaco and the surrounding Los Tuxtlas area
(Catemaco, San Andrews, Santiago) visiting the
ecological preserves, beaches and of course Lake
Catemaco.
Lake Catemaco in Veracruz
Volcanic ridges from sea level to nearly 6,000 feet
in elevation surround the area, nestled among the
peaks is Lake Catemaco. Lake Catemaco is 7 miles
long, nearly 4 miles wide, and up to 98 feet deep. The
lake was formed from the calderas of several extinct
volcanoes. Mojarra (Black Bass) is caught in the lake
and sold fresh daily at many of the restaurants along
the lake.
Before the tour bus even left to return to the Texas
border I was making plans to return to this beautiful,
quiet town on the edge of the rain forest. Less than 2
months later I am heading south on Highway 180 to
Catemaco. Driving to Catemaco is an easy 2 day drive
from Brownsville or McAllen. Once you are south of the
city of Veracruz start looking for the mountains in
the horizon. The tallest peak you see will be the San
Martin volcano at over 5,500 feet. After about an
hours drive in the mountains you will arrive in
Catemaco.
Catemaco is blessed with an enlightened attitude
toward the environment and the people realise the
importance of the rain forests and the nearly deserted
beaches. Although mostly undiscovered by tourists from
the U.S., it is no secret to the 10's of thousands of
Europeans and Mexican nationals who visit the area
every year. In fact, 3 - 5 tour busses a week of
Europeans is a regular occurrence. The foremost
attraction that nearly everyone partakes of is the
boat tour of the lake with visitors getting to see
Monkey Island, Garza Island, Crocodile Island and of
course a stop at Nanciyaga Ecological Park. In fact ,
the film 'The Medicine Man' with Sean Connery was
filmed at Nanciyaga and Poza Reyna, another ecological
preserve about 40 minutes from Catemaco. At Poza
Reyna there are beautiful water falls where you can
swim in the pools below the falls, snorkelling,
camping, and kayaking. These waterfalls are just few of
the several within an hour or so from Catemaco. The
largest by far is Salto de Eyipantla, which is formed
by the waters exiting the lake.
The Salto de Eyipantla waterfalls
A visit to Catemaco would not be complete without a
visit to La Barra beach. To reach La Barra the easiest
way is to take your car or a taxi to Santecomapan, a
small town about 15 minutes from Catemaco. From there
you board a boat taxi for another 15 minute trip
across the Laguna to the beach. Remember the name of
your boat, tell the driver what time to pick you up
and find a spot under one of the palapas.
Refreshments, cold beer, and food is served there so
just bring you sunscreen and towel. At the agreed upon
time your boat taxi will arrive and return you to
Santecomapan. Although La Barra is the easiest and
closest beach to get to it is by no means the most
scenic as there a number of beaches along this section
of the Gulf of Mexico.
The local church in Catemaco
Among the other areas of interest is birdwatching
and butterfly watching. Before I moved here I had
little interest in the above activities but with over
560 species of birds documented it's hard not to have
at least a passing interest. Sport fishing is also a
great pass time in both fresh water and salt water.
The Black Bass in Lake Catemaco are of above average
size (there are stories of huge bass) and the salt
water fishing is even more prolific.
Living in Catemaco is far different than in one of
the communities of Playa del Carmen or Lake Chapala.
Although the Federal Government and the State of
Veracruz are investing millions of dollars in
infrastructure, it may well be several years until the
retirees from the U.S. is a factor. There are well
over 450 hotel rooms in town and more on the way,
dozens of restaurants (many along the lake), lots along
the lake for sale and numerous long term rental
apartments. Catemaco is a great place to spend a
vacation, the winter or retire in and will continue to
grow as one of the most popular ecological areas of
Mexico.
Editor's Note: Gene Gaudi has retired in Catemaco and
was kind enough to write this informative article. He
can also answer your questions about the area.
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