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    Satellite view of La Alberca de Tacámbaro, Michoacán

    Photo by EOX IT Services, Copernicus Sentinel data 2016, CC BY 4.0, via EOxCloudless

    La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    Lake Tacámbaro, Michoacán Municipality of Tacámbaro

    A round, emerald lake filling an extinct volcanic crater just south of town, protected as a natural area.

    From Pátzcuaro: 55 min by car (59 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

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    Plan your visit to La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    Where to stay near La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    Tacámbaro, 3 km away, is the closest town with places to stay.

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in La Alberca de Tacámbaro.

    Hotels in Tacámbaro Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    Day trips and guided outings from Tacámbaro often include La Alberca de Tacámbaro; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Tours from Morelia Morelia City Tour ★ 4.9 (115) · From US$33
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide Tours from Tacámbaro

    How to get to La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    • From Pátzcuaro: about 55 min by road (~59 km)
    • 3 km south of Tacámbaro
    • Nearest airport: Uruapan (UPN), 1 h 29 min by car to Tacámbaro
    Rent a car at UPN Flights to UPN

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Tours from Morelia, near La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    Morelia City Tour ★ 4.9 (115) 3 h From US$33
    Monarch Butterfly Tour (Departing from Morelia) ★ 5.0 (63) 9–10 h From US$200
    Pátzcuaro Tour From Morelia ★ 5.0 (43) 8 h From US$113
    Patzcuaro & Janitzio Private Tour ★ 5.0 (33) 8 h From US$83
    Monarch Butterfly Private Tour (Morelia) ★ 5.0 (32) 8 h From US$371

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    La Alberca, "the pool," is a lake that fills the crater of an extinct volcano a few kilometers south of Tacámbaro's center. It is one of only three crater lakes in Michoacán: almost perfectly round, about 300 meters across and up to 28 meters deep, sitting at the bottom of steep, wooded walls.

    The crater is a protected natural area of about 45 hectares, and it is botanically unusual. Tacámbaro sits where the pine-covered highlands meet the hot lowlands of Tierra Caliente, and the crater walls hold both: pine and oak forest alongside tropical dry forest. Researchers from UNAM have recorded some 450 plant species here, roughly a third of them found only in Mexico.

    For visitors it is simply a lovely, quiet spot close to town, with a path down to the water, green reflections on still days, and local stories that give the lake an air of legend.

    How to get to La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    Drive from Pátzcuaro: 55 min, 59 km

    The La Alberca crater is about 3 km south of Tacámbaro's main square, around 6 minutes by car or taxi; the last stretch is an access road that climbs to the rim and drops to the water, so ask in town for the way in. To reach Tacámbaro from Pátzcuaro, take Highway 120 and then Highway 41, about 54 km or roughly 50 minutes. From Morelia it is about 86 km on Highway 14 and the state road through Tiripetío, roughly 1 h 30 min. Without a car, Autovías La Línea buses run from Pátzcuaro to Tacámbaro, and a taxi covers the rest.

    3 km south of Tacámbaro

    Directions from Tacámbaro on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Where to stay Hotels in Tacámbaro Tacámbaro, 3 km away, is the closest town with places to stay. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to La Alberca de Tacámbaro: hours, prices and tips

    Guide or tour
    You explore on your own: walk the trails around the crater or take a boat ride on the lake. Food and Pleasure · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting La Alberca de Tacámbaro: what to see and do

    Walk down to the shore and around the crater lake.
    Look up at the crater walls, where pine forest and tropical dry forest grow side by side.
    Come early in the morning for still water and birdsong.
    Combine it with Laguna La Magdalena and the Cerro Hueco park, all on the edge of town.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around La Alberca de Tacámbaro.

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
    Vacation rentals on Vrbo Airbnb

    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Tacámbaro often include La Alberca de Tacámbaro; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at UPN (Uruapan): about 1 h 29 min by road to Tacámbaro, then 3 km more to La Alberca de Tacámbaro, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Uruapan (UPN), about 1 h 29 min by road from Tacámbaro, the base for La Alberca de Tacámbaro.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    If you plan on swimming or kayaking at La Alberca de Tacámbaro, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Tacámbaro: download a map of the way to La Alberca de Tacámbaro before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    When to go to La Alberca de Tacámbaro mild

    La Alberca de Tacámbaro shares the climate of Tacámbaro, 3 km away. The best months to visit are January, March, April, and December.

    La Alberca de Tacámbaro is best for swimming and time on the water in the warmest months (March, April, and May); in the rainiest ones (July, August, and September) expect storms in the afternoon.

    See the month-by-month climate of Tacámbaro

    Make Tacámbaro your base

    The main plaza and church of Tacámbaro lit up at night, Michoacán mild
    Michoacán Tacámbaro

    La Alberca de Tacámbaro is an easy trip from Tacámbaro, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Also close to

    Closest to La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    All 5 towns and sights around Tacámbaro →

    Near La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Lists with La Alberca de Tacámbaro

    Lakes and Lagoons in Michoacán · 5 Lakes and Lagoons near Pátzcuaro · 3 Lakes and Lagoons near Tzintzuntzan · 4

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    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.