emersonn517, Mar 2025
Great kayaking and hiking on the volcano!
My husband and I (he's 71, I'm 65, in reasonable shape) joined Jupiter and another adventurer on a fantastic trip up Colima's volcano. Jupiter picked us up punctually in his air-conditioned van at 8am, and we set off for breakfast. The restaurant he'd intended to take us to in Cofradia de Suchitlan was closed unexpectedly, so we went to another one nearby. Once we were tanked up on sopes (small thick tortilla-like things) and coffee and local blackberry juice water, we continued up the slope of the volcano to La Becerrera, a small town purportedly filled with witches.
From there it was a short drive on cobblestones toward La Hierbabuena (a tiny indigenous town often evacuated when the volcano erupts) to the entrance to La Maria, a nice-size volcanic crater lake surrounded on three sides by mountains and on the fourth by cattail swamp. Jupiter got going inflating our two kayaks while we assembled oars and donned life jackets, then off we went. It's a beautiful lake, with lots of interesting birds and bugs and flora. The kayaking was very easy and peaceful, with the crown of the volcano in the distance, the bird calls, the chirping bugs and the gentle splash of our oars.
We paddled for about an hour in a very leisurely fashion, admiring the hanging roots and bamboos and fish basking in pools of dappled sunlight with their mouths open, hoping for tasty snacks. Then we docked and stepped out of our kayak, lifting it up easily so Jupiter could deflate, fold and tuck it in a plastic bin then stow it in the van.
Our next stop was a little cafe further up the slope towards La Hierbabuena, with delicious local coffee, from where we set off on our hike. Again, this was a leisurely slight-incline walk, not really a hike, but the scenery was breathtaking - the valley of Colima on one side, the peak of the volcano looming majestically on the other.
After about 45 minutes, we were back at the van and headed home, on schedule, pleasantly tired but awake enough to enjoy great conversation with Jupiter on the lovely 45-minute drive back.
It was a wonderful experience. We have lived here for 20 years, and this was our first time kayaking at La Maria - which we loved and have just bought our own inflatable kayak as a result. And Jupiter was a great and very knowledgeable guide. I highly recommend this adventure!
