Lake Chapala and Ajijic Day Trip with Boat Ride from Guadalajara

Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake

Lake Chapala stretches about 80 kilometres from east to west in the highlands of Jalisco and Michoacan, at around 1,500 metres above sea level. Fed by the Lerma River and drained by the Santiago, it is the largest natural freshwater lake in Mexico and a vital water source for Guadalajara, about 45 kilometres to the north.

Its mild, spring-like climate all year has drawn visitors and new residents for more than a century, and its shores are lined with fishing villages, gardens and old villas. The best time to visit Lake Chapala is from November to May, when the skies are clear and white pelicans spend the winter on the water. This Lake Chapala day trip from Guadalajara shows you three of its most loved shoreline towns in one easy day.

San Juan Cosala and the boat ride on the lake

On the western shore, San Juan Cosala is a quiet lakeside village known for its natural hot springs. Here the tour stops at a lakeside seafood restaurant, where you can order fresh fish and regional dishes at your own expense, enjoying the view over the water before boarding the boat.

The boat ride lasts about 30 minutes on the open lake, with music on board and a soft drink included. From the water you see the mountains that rise behind the shore, the villages strung along it and the herons and egrets feeding in the shallows. A Lake Chapala boat ride is the best way to feel the size of the lake, which looks almost like an inland sea on a clear day.

Ajijic, a magic town on the lake

Ajijic was named a Pueblo Magico, one of Mexico's officially recognised magic towns, for its charm and heritage. Its cobbled streets are lined with houses painted in bright colours, bougainvillea spilling over the walls, murals on almost every corner and small galleries and craft shops, as the town has long attracted painters and writers.

You have about an hour of free time to stroll from the plaza and the old church down to the lakeside boardwalk, browse the arts and crafts and take photos of the colourful lanes. Is Ajijic worth visiting? For many travellers it is the highlight of the day: small, walkable and full of character. An Ajijic tour from Guadalajara is often combined with Chapala, exactly as on this trip.

Chapala town and its boardwalk

Chapala is the main town on the lake and became a fashionable retreat for Guadalajara's families in the early 1900s, when grand villas were built along the shore. Today its malecon, the lakeside promenade, is the meeting place of the town, with two piers reaching into the lake, shaded benches, vendors and small boats waiting at the water's edge.

You spend about an hour here at the end of the day, often with the sunset over the lake. Try the local snacks the region is known for (own expense): crispy fried charales, tiny lake fish eaten with lime and chilli, and nieve de garrafa, a traditional hand-churned sorbet. Then the van takes you back to Guadalajara, about an hour's drive.