Top Things to do in Central Mexico and Gulf Coast
Top Hotels in Central Mexico and Gulf Coast
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The 9 Best Volcanos in Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast
Discover the best top things to do in Central Mexico and Gulf Coast, Central Mexico and Gulf Coast including Popocatepetl, Sierra Negra Volcano, Iztaccihuatl, The Stirrup Volcano (Volcan del Estribo Grande), Paricutin Volcano, Pico De Orizaba, Volcan La Malinche, Nevado de Toluca, Cuexcomate.
Restaurants in Central Mexico and Gulf Coast
1. Popocatepetl
2. Sierra Negra Volcano
3. Iztaccihuatl
4. The Stirrup Volcano (Volcan del Estribo Grande)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 44 reviews
Located just outside of town, this small volcano provides excellent views of Patzcuaro.
Reviewed By ChineseBabe - Corvallis, United States
In Patzcuaro, this uphill walk is called El Estribo, and as others have said, it is easy to find the main rocky road. When we travel, we like to workout to get a dose of daily exercise, and in Patzcuaro, El Estribo is an outstanding outdoors option. The start is a little rough with a rocky road climbing through a poor but friendly neighborhood. There is lots of commerce and fellow exercisers on the road to El Estribo making one feel safe. The upper part of the climb is a beautiful, tree-lined road that leads to a fabulous lookout and picnic area. A steep set of 300-400 stairs takes climbers to the very top of the volcano. However, the lookout/ gazebo area has the best view. In our 7 days in Patzcuaro, we sweated up El Estribo 3 times and loved every 2-hour roundtrip walk. Non-walkers could take a taxi to the lookout area and gazebo to enjoy the fantastic views and appreciate the beauty of Lake Patzcuaro.
5. Paricutin Volcano
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 96 reviews
This volcano was born on March 4, 1943 and is one of the youngest volcanoes in the world.
Reviewed By 431marekd
Despite our preparation, we still were surprised by realities. We climbed the volcano at late December 2019. Arriving from Uruapan at the headtrail location called Centro Turistico De Angahuan is a challenge itself: the road through the town to actual place you meet guides is pretty rough. That ‘tourist centre’ is actually a place with ‘view point’ (El Mirador Del Volcan Paricutin) and provided nothing: no information, no maps, no word on options and prices. It’s not a tourist centre, rather a meeting point of people and horses and a place where you can park your car safely (cost 15Mxn per adult). There are also sleeping cabins for rent. The moment you enter the town, guides on horses spot you and will try to sell you a horse trip right under the volcano. Our plan was to climb up to the top and we weren’t interested in ride on horses. When asked, it costed more than 1000 Mxn per horse plus guide. For our hike, after a bit of bargaining we paid 600 Mxn for guide who led us the shortest way to the top. The hike is very difficult. It took us 4 hours to the cone. After easy walk through forest, the tough part started when you walk over sea of lava rocks. We needed to be very careful every step we took. Lava rocks are sharp and edgy. Shoes with sturdy sole are ‘a must’. After tiresome lava walk, the hardest part: climbing the volcano itself. It was about 1,5 hr. of very, very steep hike on small lava rocks then - last few hundred meters - on lava ash, which made every step even more difficult. Imagine climbing sandy dunes: it like that but very vertical and on high elevation. We actually climbed up to 2600m. Descending volcano is rather easy part: you walk ‘big steps’ down, almost ‘sliding’ down on path of ash. The whole trip down took us around 20 minutes. There are benches and couple kiosks where you can rest and buy some refreshments. Then, a 12 km walk back to the centre. This is the route horses use. It was easy but long and monotonous walk. On a way back you should visit ruins of the former church submerged by lava. Stunning experience. Around ruins you’ll find food kiosks offering hot meals, tasty local specialties. And a cold beer tastes fantastic after hours of walking. From the church there are about 3 km to ‘the tourist centre’. The whole climb took us 8 hours, including meal at the ruins. We started at 9am and were at the car at 5pm. We reached our hotel in Uruapan after dark. It seems we did volcano the hard way - climbing is not an easy option. I think we were the only ones who hiked that day. Others used horses. That day it wasn’t busy at the volcano: on the crater and on a way back we met maybe 25 people. There were many more people at the church’s ruins. Strangely enough, we saw number of cars (SUVs and pickups) at the volcano base, meaning locals know the way how to reach the place by car. Horses are not a bad idea if you OK with riding a horse for long hours to and from volcano base and then climb it from the other side which seems easier compare to the side we climbed. Don’t forget water, snacks and extra layer of clothes: it will be windy and may be cold at the top. Is it worth? As you probably know, it’s one of the 7th natural wonders of the world, so it explains all.
6. Pico De Orizaba
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 58 reviews
This glaciated volcano offers a challenging climb for experienced climbers.
Reviewed By O3649NNroberta
We coordinated a travel itinerary with Roberto Flores, who owns & operates Orizaba Mountain Guides, to include an acclimatization Hike to Malinche and then a summit attempt on Pico de Orizaba. We were picked up at our Mexico City hotel and transported to the base of Malinche for a self-guided acclimatization hike. Upon return from the hike, our driver offered snacks, fruit, and water. We then drove to the OMG lodge at San Miguel Zoapan. The accommodations at Zoapan were excellent, with comfortable beds, hot showers, and nourishing meals prepared by (2) wonderful ladies at the lodge. The next morning we woke up for breakfast, selected and packed our climbing gear, and met our climbing guide, Julio. We then drove for about 2 hrs from the lodge up to the Grande Piedra hut at about 13,800’. We then went for a 1-hr acclimatization hike with Julio, learned basic self-arrest technique with the ice axe, and became familiar with the use of the crampons. After this initial training, we had a wonderful dinner prepared by Julio and his assistant, Juan. We then hung out for a bit, cleaned the dishes, prepped our gear, and waited for sunset to get some rest. After a sleepless yet restful night, we woke up at midnight for a 1 am departure. Julio is an excellent guide and will allow you to dictate the pace, within reason. We reached the summit around 7:30 am and returned to the hut around 11:30 am. After a bit of time to rest at the hut, the 4WD picked us up to deliver us back to the lodge in Zoapan. We were allowed to shower, pack our bags, and have lunch, before returning to Mexico City. I highly recommend Orizaba Mountain Guides should you plan to embark upon any high altitude adventures in Central Mexico.
7. Volcan La Malinche
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 70 reviews
Reviewed By farmar1 - Coventry, United Kingdom
This was a last minute thing which I did with a friend who had found a local guide (we had to pay him the tickets there and back, and food). We took a bus to the ADO station early morning. Then another to Huamantla from where we took a taxi to the entrance of the park (it was sunday and with colectivos not working as usual, we had to take the cab to save time). The experience was very good although it is tough going up. At 4000m height it is quite high, even though the climb starts from around 2000m. I climbed Kilimanjaro the year before, for 7 days and so I though this would be easy (without any training) to do in 1 day....wrong. It is tough, v tough. There are 2 routes you can take (from where I started, from near Huamantla). A direct one (very steep), and a winding one(less steep but still tough). This through the first part which is a forest terrain. The two paths meet at the end of the forest, where the rocky terrain starts. And when I mean rocky, I mean sandy rocky. In 7 days climbing Kilimanjaro I never experienced this. It feels that you are taking 2 steps up and one down all the time. In the end we did not make it up to the top of the mountain (due to time constraints as last colectivo back is at 4 and it takes around 1.5-2 hrs to climb down) but just the first peak, which is 400m lower. From there to the top is another 45 mins climb on the ridge and then you also have to clamber to go to the top. Reminded me of Snowdonia but 10 times more difficult and big. However, as I was making the last steps to the first peak, huffing an puffing, the tiredness and aching went away when the view came out over the top...WOW. You have Puebla on one side and Tlaxcala on the other, with the Popocatepetl and Izzacchihuatl mountains in between. On the other side, the snow-capped volcano added to the amazing view. All in all an amazing experience.
8. Nevado de Toluca
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 393 reviews
Reviewed By oer2018 - Annecy, France
You need a car! I couldnt find any tours. Bus will drop you off at the beginning of the road but this is too long to start walking unless you wanna camp. I can recommend driver Israel Miranda. His number is 7292841703. He picked us up (2persons) from hotel and drove all the way to the last parking spot (1.5hours). He waited for us for 6 hours and drove us back to the hotel. He recommended great local breakfast and lunch spots. All of this costed 1000 pesos (50dollars). The hike it self: if you wanna do the simple one its easy (going down to the lakes and back). If you wanna reach the top you'll need a guide or good climbing skills. I didnt climb the last top and wouldnt recommend it unless you dont give a thing about dying because you are all alone up there. Hike to the top and back is 6-8hours. Leave your hotel early for this, like 7-8am. Its cold up there. Enjoy!
