Colima is one of the smallest states and least visited places in all of Mexico but in my opinion it really doesn’t deserve to be so over looked.

Colima is magnificently beautiful and is really a very special place. If you’re considering taking a trip there and are wondering what to do in Colima, you’ve come to the right place as I’m going to help you figure out exactly what there is to do and how best to do it.

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Where is Colima?

Colima is located on the Central Pacific Coast of Mexico. It is almost entirely surrounded by Jalisco but has a small border with Michoacán too. If you plan on visiting Colima, it’s more than likely you’ll need to rent a car and you’ll probably be coming from Guadalajara, which is just 2hr30 away.

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​Brief introduction to Colima

📌 This small state is officially called El Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima (The Free and Sovereign State of Colima). Colima is the fourth smallest state in Mexico and has the second smallest population. It has one of the highest standards of living in the whole of Mexico.

❌ Colima has one of the highest crime rates in the country but I’ve been told by everyone I’ve spoken to about this that the problems are in the port areas where tourists never go.

Best time of year to visit Colima

🔆 The hot season is April – June

☔️ The rainy season runs approximately June – October (we visited during this time and had only one wet day)

❄️ December – February are the coolest months with lows of 13C (57F) and highs of 28C (83F)

What to do in Colima

Visit Comala – the gorgeous Pueblo Magico

Comala is a beautiful small town full of traditional architecture, character and charm.

It is just a short drive from the capital city, Colima. I highly recommend everyone spend at least a few hours strolling around here. 

Comala’s nickname is “the White Village of America” because in 1962 it was decided that all the buildings would be painted white and the roofs, red.

🏨 Check out the MexicoCassie recommended hotel, Hotel Casa Alvarada, or use the MexicoCassie interactive hotel finder map if you’re planning on staying in Comala.

Comala Plaza

Comala is particularly well known for its striking plaza and is considered to have been the inspiration for the famous literary work “Pedro Paramo” by Juan Rolfo.

🍹 While you’re strolling around here, look out for ponche – this is a very traditional drink in Comala. No, don’t worry, this isn’t the regular old Christmas ponche, but rather a local drink where they mix (any old) spirits with fruits and nuts. I’m not being quite fair – there are recipes, specific spirits get mixed with specific fruits so really, the only option is to try them all!

Ex-Hacienda Nogueres

A big draw in Comala is Ex-Hacienda Nogueres. We didn’t manage to get there as when we visited the road was entirely dug up and there was no way in. 

The main house of this hacienda dates from the 19th century and is the former home of the artist, Alejandro Rangel Hidalgo. Here you will find his works and pre-Columbian items that he curated over his lifetime.

We were also told that this is a great place to go with kids as there is space to run and plenty to see.

Suchitlán

Just outside of Comala is Suchitlán, a village famous for its Náhuatl handicrafts.

Where to eat in Comala

→ If you’re travelling with kids, be sure to open up the MexicoCassie guide to feeding kids in Mexico to take the stress out of mealtimes

🍽 AdoBe Pizza – we were actually very surprised by the quality of the pizza here. We were able to order half-half pizzas and everyone was happy with their options (the leftovers also made a great breakfast).

🍽 Oktil – we didn’t manage to eat at this Swiss restaurant but we had planned to. It gets rave reviews.

🍽 Don Comalon (the one on the plaza) – this is the original and I hear the food is great although, again we didn’t eat here, sadly. I believe it’s also a great place for drinks as the botanas (beer snacks) are fairly plentiful.

🍽 Bs Restaurant (#cozinhaportuguesa) – sadly this has permanently closed as it was truly excellent.

🍽 We also ate in some of the cocina economicas in the surrounding villages.

Visit Colima City, the capital of Colima

This city began as a Spanish settlement that was originally established further south in 1523 but moved to the current location in 1527. My overriding impressions are of a clean and obviously modern city with delicious food, coffee shops and a lot of statues. It’s really a beautiful place. 

Colima is home to an unusual event that combines bullfighting with a charreada (an old equestrian/livestock hacienda sport). This event is one of the oldest of its kind in northwest Mexico. It takes place inside a petatera, a temporary structure made of wood and petates (traditional mats of woven palm fronds).

🏨 Stay in the MexicoCassie recommended hotel: Hotel Concierge, or use the MexicoCassie interactive hotel finder map if you’re planning to stay in Colima.

What to see in Colima

Colima is an interesting place full of statues and sculptures and there are three main plazas:

Jardin Libertad: This central plaza has a bandstand and cafes all around the edges. Both the cathedral and the Museo Regional de Historia de Colima are on this plaza. The Catedral Basilica Minor de Colima (the Minor Basilica Cathedral) was locked up tight when I tried to get inside but was open again later when we were leaving to go home.

Jardin Torres Quintero: This square is on just the other side of the cathedral. We sat and watched life go by while the kids played on the climbing frame we found in one corner.

Jardin Núñez: Slightly further away. The Colima city letters are here.

La Piedra Lisa: This is a popular park in Colima with green spaces to enjoy and a big playground for kids.

Where to eat in Colima City?

We ate a sum total of one meal in Colima City so I’m not really in any position to claim I know a ton but we did very much enjoy the meal we ate in El Charco de la Higuera. The food was great and the staff were very friendly and kind. If you’re heading into Colima City I highly recommend stopping to taste the local cuisine.

→ If you’re travelling with kids, be sure to open up the MexicoCassie guide to feeding kids in Mexico to take the stress out of mealtimes

Visit the Volcán de Colima

Our primary reason for visiting Colima was really the desire to see the Colima volcano. Once I started reading about it and seeing pictures of this very active volcano I knew that he and I needed to meet (yeah, this volcano is male. He has a female counterpart who/that is apparently very, very dormant, a bit like the two volcanoes outside Cholula/Puebla, Popocatapetl and Iztaccíhuatl.

🌋 The volcano is generally known as Volcán de Colima or Volcán de Fuego but its Náhuatl name is actually Tonaltepetl – Sacred Mountain of Fire. The “female” counterpart is called Nevado de Colima.

🌋 If you’re going to follow in our footsteps and visit the volcano, you need to take a guide.

Volcano tour details

The volcano day includes

🌋 Volcano view points including El Guardián Tree – somewhere you can’t get to without an official guide.

Note that if you’re interested in a full day trekking tour then you can get closer to the volcano than this but with our small kids we weren’t able to do the trek. We opted to view the volcano and then explore around the area.

☕️ Colima’s Coffee Route – Visit a coffee plantation with its own tiny coffee shop in the middle of the actual nowhere. The coffee plantation is owned by Ramon and his family and is called Cafe La Yerbabuena Colima.

Did you know that Comala is actually a coffee-producing region? I didn’t. The coffee was delicious and, quite honestly, a total surprise.

💧 Crater Lakes (Laguna de Carrrizalillo) – Stop at the Crater Lakes for beautiful views and time to enjoy a walk in natural surroundings.

Archaeological sites in Colima state

Just outside of Colima City there are two archaeological sites, both dating to pre-hispanic times.

El Chanel and La Campana

Both of these sites are very pleasant green spaces with a lot to walk around and explore but they aren’t monumentally magnificent like the ruins in Yucatan. That said, I absolutely recommend going to check out both sites. Our kids loved exploring both and we thought that El Chanel was a bit like a mini Monte Alban in Oaxaca. La Campana is a big site and we read that only 1% of it has actually been explored properly so it’s clearly enormous.

Visit popular beach town, Manzanillo

Manzanillo is the main beach town in Colima as well as Mexico’s main pacific coast port. It is mostly popular with local tourists and sports fishermen.

This coastal city is just 1hr30 from Comala so an easy day trip in either direction. The main beaches in Manzanillo are: Ventanas, El Viejo, San Pedrito, Las Brisas, Playa Azul and Salagua. 

📌 People head to Manzanillo to fish, enjoy water sports, hang out on beaches and to take off-road tours. A short drive out of town also offers large eco-parks and waterfalls where you can enjoy more green space and even zipline.

🏨 Stay in the gorgeous beach front Mar Celeste, or use the MexicoCassie interactive hotel finder map if you’re thinking of staying in Manzanillo.

​Enjoy swimming at balnearios and waterparks

Balneario Los Amiales

About forty minutes from Comala is this fabulous river spot that was probably one of the highlights of our entire trip. Upon arrival you’ll find a row of small, casual restaurants, that open out on to the river. In all honesty, it doesn’t much matter which one you pick. We stopped at the very first because we had no idea and there was parking available. I’m glad we did.

Pay to rent the table and then it’s yours for as long as you like. You can either take a picnic or order food and drinks from the cafes. Each restaurant has its own section of the river but you can easily swim between them. You can rent rubber rings to enjoy in the water.

💧 Balneario El Hiervidero and Agua Caliente are two other balnearios worth checking out. Agua Caliente is a collection of pools alongside the Río Salado. There are also swings, trampolines and a camp site here

Waterparks in Colima

💧 El Cahuite is a waterpark with five pools, small sides and an on site restaurant.

💧 Summerland also has pools and slides.

Final note on what to do in Colima

For such a small, under-touristed state, Colima has plenty to offer visitors who love to find off-the beaten track adventures in Mexico. We had a wonderful time exploring the state and hope you do too.