Jalcomulco

Jalcomulco is a small village on the banks of the Río Pescados, the stretch of the La Antigua river that runs through a canyon southeast of Coatepec. It sits much lower than Coatepec, so the cool coffee hills give way to sugarcane, mango trees, and a warm climate that averages around 24 °C. Its name comes from Nahuatl and is usually read as "in the corner of the sand."

Since the early 1990s the village has lived largely from adventure tourism. The Pescados has class III and IV rapids and can be run all year, with the biggest water in the rainy season, and more than a dozen outfitters and lodges line the river. Besides rafting they offer rappelling, climbing, ziplines, mountain biking, hikes into the canyon, and a temazcal, the traditional steam bath, to finish the day.

The area also has a film connection: much of Romancing the Stone (1984) was shot around here. Many trips end right in the village, where you can climb out of the raft and sit down to river fish and a cold drink.