Catemaco



Catemaco is a county and city in Veracruz State, Mexico. The ecotourism is really big in the region around here. Lakes, rivers, waterfalls, Gulf of Mexico, mangroves, birdwatching, all abound and are ready for you to enjoy. Take a boat trip on Lake Catemaco or the Laguna de Sontecomapan. Check out the beaches of the gulf with coves and small bays awaiting your discovery.

Get in
Catemaco is located on Highway 180, also known as The Gulf Coast Highway, about 3-3½ hours south of Veracruz city by car.

Get around

 * Taxis are numerous and cheap, starting at around M$15 (pesos).
 * Local buses run in the town during the day and connect with San Andres Tuxla and other small towns.
 * Bike rental: You can rent a bike for some hours and ride around a little. The streets are not too bad for that.
 * rural taxis (or 'mixtos') are pickup trucks which operate like collective taxis and can be flagged down at any point. These are good for getting to places not serviced by bus. They are not the most comfortable option but are good value at M$10.

Eat
There are numerous restaurants along the Malecon (lakefront), but be aware that most of them close at 19:00 and your options will be somewhat more limited after that.

Try one of the Memelas which are famous in Catemaco. Those really big tortillas are made like a Quesadita. Only that they are bigger and filled with ham and beans or anything the cook has to offer. And they are really big.



Sleep
Since Catemaco is not that big you can find many of those hotels located at the zocalo. Both bus stations are in walking distance.

Connect
You can find small internet cafes located near the Zocalo.

Go next
There are two bus stations which connect Catemaco to bigger Mexican cities. The ADO terminal, which services buses to the city of Veracruz, is located at the Eastern end of the Malecon, and is about 10 minutes' walk from the Zocalo.


 * San Andrés Tuxtla - A nice, real Mexican city with less tourism. It can be reached by bus.

In the west you can find a station for the rural taxis or Mixtos. Alternatively you can flag these down at any point along their route. Some of the many destinations are:


 * Sontecomapan - This is a village next to a beautiful lagoon about 20 km northeast of Catemaco. It will cost M$10 to get there by rural taxi. Once there you can take a boat (or 'lancha') out to the cost ('la barra') for M$40 each way.
 * Montepio - Montepio lies directly at the beach of the Gulf of Mexico. There is no supermarket, Internet or ATM available.