Colima is one of Mexico’s smallest states. In size, it falls between the U.S. states of Rhode Island and Delaware, but harbors enough delightful outdoor sites “to fill a book,” according to local guide Sergi Gómez.
“You have a live volcano, high limestone mountains, jungles, beaches, lakes, waterfalls, canyons and salt flats,” says Gómez, who operates Aventura Camp Colima, which offers excursions of all kinds as well as training in canyoning and caving. Below are a few of Gómez’s favorite spots.
El Salto Cascade
Imagine an absolutely gorgeous waterfall tumbling over a delicately colored sheer cliff, into a pool of cool, crystal clear water, all in full view of an ideal camping spot on a small, sandy beach next to a river made to be swum in. Here you’ll find colorful butterflies, crash-diving kingfishers and flocks of small wild parrots, squawking and clowning. Add canyon walls to give the place privacy, and you’ve got El Salto. Here, Gómez offers a Canyoning for Beginners excursion, including a rappel of 35 meters. Come on a weekday, and you will probably have all of this to yourself.
The Juluapan Piedra: treasure with a view
“Many climbers have heard of the Peña de Bernal,” Gómez told me over a cold Noche Buena beer. “It is said to be the biggest monolith in Mexico, but here in Colima, we have the Piedra de Juluapan. It rises to an altitude of 1,466 meters above sea level, and many local people believe it is Mexico’s second-biggest monolith.”
While Bernal is located next to a highway, Gómez pointed out that reaching Juluapan includes a two-hour hike (one way) through a jungle-like environment, with a total elevation gain of 680 meters. “The route is beautiful,” he tells us, “and always green because here only half the trees lose their leaves. You walk through copal, elephant-ear and silk-cotton trees, but the most striking is the árbol de primavera or pink poui tree.
“Of course, the main attraction is the rocky peak, from which you get a magnificent view of the surrounding hills. People in good shape, with a bit of climbing experience, will find this easy.”
It is said that somewhere beneath the Piedra de Juluapan is buried the treasure of el Indio Alonso, a legendary bandit, as well as the body (and treasure, of course) of legendary King Colimán, after whom, they say, Colima is named.
This is a round-trip walk of 7.1 kilometers, perhaps lasting four hours.
Manantlán, home of the jaguar
The Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve is extraordinary. Somehow it combines the qualities of a high-elevation pine forest with the exuberance of a coastal jungle. A 90-minute drive from Colima City takes you to the pueblito of Terrero, where you can rent a cabin in the woods. Walking along a path anywhere up here, you’ll pass through trees covered with lichen and moss, their branches heavy with orchids and bromeliads. Beneath the trees, you will see wildflowers and truly exotic mushrooms of every hue, including blue. When you return to your cabin, you may find it completely shrouded in fog.
In these limestone mountains, there are hundreds of caves, most of them vertical pits up to 200 meters deep. This is the home of jaguars, mighty waterfalls and Zea diploperenis, the plant from which native peoples hybridized corn, long, long ago. There are five ecosystems in Manantlán and over 2,900 species of plants have been identified here, as well as 110 species of mammals and 336 species of birds. “This is a truly unique site,” says Sergi Gómez. “I’ve traveled around to all of Mexico’s national parks, and in my book, Manantlán is the most beautiful.”
Want to escape from your daily drudgery? One night in Manantlán will give you a whole new outlook on life. As Aldo Santana, a local villager, says, “Come, touch the land, feel the wind; drink where the deer drink; listen to the melodies of the mountain which change with every season; immerse yourself in a work of art that could only have been created by La Gran Madre who, in this very place, gave us the gift of maize.”
The Fire Volcano
El Volcán de Fuego is Mexico’s most active volcano, its last eruption occurring in 2023. For a good look at the volcano — from a safe distance — you may want to rent a cabin on the shores of lovely Laguna la María, a crater lake only eleven kilometers away. By night, you may see streams of lava coursing down the volcano’s slopes (if it’s in active mode), and by day, you can visit one of many small coffee farms in its shadow. Near here, Sergi Gómez leads a walk through the Suchitlán Barranca (ravine) to a humble organic coffee plantation. A cup of their volcanic java will help soothe your nerves as you cross two hanging bridges on this route. This excursion takes five to six hours altogether, and you walk six kilometers.
The Zacualpan Springs
These are karst springs of crystal-clear water originating in the mountains of Manantlán. This beautiful canyon is a great place for hiking, biking, rock-climbing or horseback riding, and guided tours can be arranged to several picturesque places. All these activities end, of course, with a refreshing splash in the river, where the local people have created pools by building simple dams of rock walls.
To have the place to yourself, Sergi Gómez recommends heading there at 8 a.m. and returning at around 1 p.m. The drive from Colima City takes about 25 minutes.
John Pint has lived near Guadalajara, Jalisco, for more than 30 years and is the author of “A Guide to West Mexico’s Guachimontones and Surrounding Area” and co-author of “Outdoors in Western Mexico.” More of his writing can be found on his website.
