A region of Veracruz
A knot of volcanoes on the southern Gulf coast of Veracruz, covered in some of the northernmost tropical rainforest in the Americas and protected as a biosphere reserve. Lake Catemaco fills a basin in the middle; San Andrés Tuxtla is the cigar-making market town and Santiago Tuxtla keeps Olmec heads in its museum and plaza. Around them are the Salto de Eyipantla, the mangroves of Sontecomapan and the quiet beaches of Montepío.
18 places to visit
Map
Places to visit in Los Tuxtlas 18
18 places with their own page, grouped by kind.
Villages · 8 Towns · 3 Beaches · 1 Cities · 1 Lagoons · 1 Lakes · 1 Nature reserves · 1 Archaeological sites · 1 Waterfalls · 1
Villages
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Buena Vista · Village · Veracruz
Highland Popoluca village, the second largest in Soteapan, 500 metres up; basketry, palm weaving, home-made guitars and feasts in May and June. -
Calería · Village · Veracruz
Los Tuxtlas village 3 km from San Andrés Tuxtla, joined to Sihuapan and next to Matacapan, on the way to the Eyipantla falls. -
El Escobillal · Village · Veracruz
Ejido village on the Sotavento plain, 4 km from the town of Ángel R. Cabada; founded in 1939, close to the area's spring-fed swimming spots. -
Huazuntlán · Village · Veracruz
Nahua village of Mecayapan below the Sierra de Santa Marta, with the Huazuntlán river and its bathing spot; about 40 minutes from Minatitlán. -
Juan Díaz Covarrubias · Village · Veracruz
A sugar town on the Gulf Coast highway, born as San Juan Sugar beside the Cuatotolapan mill, with its arched bridge and the Loma de los Ingleses. -
La Florida · Village · Veracruz
Lowland village below Los Tuxtlas, 11 km from Ángel R. Cabada, with its own swimming-pool resort and more spring-fed pools nearby. -
Sihuapan · Village · Veracruz
Los Tuxtlas village on Highway 180 between San Andrés Tuxtla and Catemaco, joined to Calería and 8 km from the Eyipantla falls. -
Sontecomapan · Village · Veracruz
Fishing village on the mangrove lagoon of Sontecomapan, a Ramsar wetland; launches run through the mangroves to the sea at La Barra.
Towns
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Catemaco · Town · Veracruz
Lakeside town in the hills of Los Tuxtlas, known across Mexico for its brujos, its boat trips on the lake and the first Friday of March. -
Santiago Tuxtla · Town · Veracruz
Old colonial town of Los Tuxtlas with Olmec colossal heads on its main plaza and the INAH's Museo Tuxteco facing it. -
Tatahuicapan · Town · Veracruz
Nahua municipal seat in the Santa Marta hills south of Los Tuxtlas; its Yuribia dam supplies Coatzacoalcos. San Gabriel feast, 21-25 March.
Beaches
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Montepío · Beach · Veracruz
A Los Tuxtlas beach hamlet where two rivers off the San Martín volcano meet the Gulf; fish palapas about 40 km from Catemaco.
Cities
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San Andrés Tuxtla · City · Veracruz
The largest city of Los Tuxtlas, under the San Martín volcano, and the centre of Mexico's fine cigar tobacco since the 19th century.
Lagoons
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Laguna Sontecomapan · Lagoon · Veracruz
A mangrove-lined coastal lagoon in Los Tuxtlas, a Ramsar site since 2004, joined to the Gulf by a winding channel and visited by migrating birds.
Lakes
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Laguna de Catemaco · Lake · Veracruz
A volcanic lake of about 72 km² ringed by the hills of Los Tuxtlas, with launches out to islands of herons and stump-tailed macaques.
Nature reserves
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Nanciyaga · Nature reserve · Veracruz
Private rainforest reserve on the shore of Lake Catemaco with jungle walks, a mineral spring, mud masks and temazcal; Apocalypto was shot here.
Archaeological sites
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Tres Zapotes · Archaeological site · Veracruz
Olmec and Epi-Olmec centre occupied for some 2,000 years; its village museum keeps a colossal head and Stela C, with one of the oldest Long Count dates.
Waterfalls
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Salto de Eyipantla · Waterfall · Veracruz
The biggest waterfall in Los Tuxtlas, about 40 m wide and 50 m high, reached down 244 steps; a location for Apocalypto.
Top tours in Los Tuxtlas
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
Getting around Los Tuxtlas
Fly into Oaxaca (OAX) and Veracruz (VER).
Cities to start from: San Andrés Tuxtla
Most of the region is reached by road: a rental car is the easiest way to see several places in a day, and buses link the larger towns.
When to visit Los Tuxtlas
Most of Los Tuxtlas is at its best in February, March, April, and December.
Month-by-month climate on each Pueblo Mágico's page: Huautla, Capulálpam de Méndez, Córdoba