Champotón

Champotón is a city of about 30,000 people (2020) in the state of Campeche, Mexico, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Champotón is a picturesque place that combines the peaceful atmosphere of a small town, natural attractions and tourist services.

Understand
This was a Maya city for hundreds of years before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500s. It is the third largest city in the state, after Campeche and Ciudad del Carmen, at about 30,000 people. Today it is mostly known for its fishing industry and seafood.

By car
Champotón is about 65 km south-west of the state capital of Campeche by a modern highway, MEX-180D, which is a toll road. The drive should take less than an hour.

By bus
Autobuses Sur Mexico (known as Sur) has hourly buses from Campeche to Champoton. The second-class buses stop briefly in Seybaplaya and Villa Madero. The fare is less than M$100.

By combi
There are also combis that make the trip for M$40. Look for the red and white vans in Campeche that say "Champoton" on the windshield. Combis begin their trip in Campeche at Calle Republica del Salvador 72, in Colonia Santa Ana.

Get around
Champoton is a fairly compact city and walking is the best way to explore it (especially the malecon). Taxis are available to get you around town.

See

 * The is the city's waterfront with a wide seaside promenade for pedestrians to enjoy the sea breeze and views.
 * Champotón River: With a length of 57 km, its immense natural attraction makes it the ideal place to practice sport fishing, photographic tours to appreciate the flora and fauna that inhabit the region and various ecotourism activities . In past times, the Champotón River was used as the only means of communication between the various towns that were on the river bank.
 * In Champotón, there are outstanding examples of the region's colonial past, such as the Baluarte de San Antonio, an old fort from the colonial era, also known as Castillo de Moch-Cohuo, which dates back to the time when Campeche was plagued by dastardly English and French pirates.
 * In the center of the town is the church of, built by Franciscan missionaries in the 17th century; its stone façade is relatively unadorned but features a bell tower, the main church consists of a single nave with a barrel vault, the church preserves a number of old images, including a large painting of the Virgin Mary.
 * In the surroundings of Champotón there are also some ex-haciendas, which are beautiful examples of civil architecture from the 19th and 20th centuries. The haciendas of Haltunchen, Ulumal, San José Carpizo and San Luis Carpizo stand out, the latter is on the outskirts of the town of Champotón and has been rebuilt to house facilities that are used in the training of Marine Infantry personnel.

Do
Champotón is a pleasant enough place to stop for a relaxing meal or an overnight sleep in basic accommodations while en route elsewhere, but has few attractions for visitors.
 * Beaches: Although there are no proper beaches in the town of Champotón, approximately 15 km to the south begins an extensive sandy strip with important beach areas, such as Punta Xen and Chenkán, which have a turtle camp. The camps at these two sites are intended to carry out various actions aimed at the protection, conservation, research, environmental education, community participation, and monitoring of a joint area of ​​40 km of hawksbill and white turtle nesting beaches. The beautiful beaches of gentle waves in the municipality of Champotón are the ideal place for the arrival of thousands of turtles that come to lay their eggs.

Eat
Fresh seafood is available at numerous restaurants along the coast. There are several good restaurants in town.



Sleep
There are a few small hotels and pensiones in town.







Connect
Celular coverage (Telcel) is good in Champotón, though it's mostly 4G as of 2023. It will often drop to 3G on the highways to nearby cities.

Go next

 * Campeche to the north-east on Highway 180.
 * Ciudad del Carmen to the south-west on Highway 180.
 * To the south, 161 leads to the charmless crossroads town of Escarcega, which links to Quintana Roo and Chetumal to the east, and Palenque and Villahermosa to the west.