Visiting and Exploring the State of Veracruz

Three popular regions in Mexico provide an exciting coastal destination for adventurous RVers.

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Story and Photos by Dan Goy

The State of Veracruz, a crescent-shaped strip of land spanning approximately 650 km (400 mi) between the mountain range of Sierra Madre Oriental to the west and the Gulf of Mexico to the east, is a popular destination that offers a plethora of adventures for snowbirds. We have visited a variety of hot spots throughout the country on our caravan tours in recent years, but this region of eastern Mexico always creates fascinating memories for our members.

During a recent visit, it was Costa Esmeralda and the cities of Veracruz and Catemaco that provided an exemplary RV destination for our members with exciting entertainment, attractions, stunning waterfalls, scenic lagoons, and even a large fresh body of water - Lake Catemaco.

Costa Esmeralda

After taking Federal Highway 180 through Tamaulipas, our first stop was Costa Esmeralda (The Emerald Coast), which is known for its continuous 41 km (25 mi) stretch of beach north of the village of Nautla. The area is popular among locals from Veracruz and snowbirds who cross over from Texas for the winter. RV-friendly, Costa Esmeralda has a number of campgrounds along the coast that range in services and amenities. Most - if not all - have stunning views of the Gulf of Mexico.

We arrived at Costa Esmeralda and Sun Beach Trailer Park in the late afternoon. Located oceanside and reasonably priced at $9 USD/night the park had decent showers, a pool, power as well as a great view of the Gulf. Our original plan was to stay only three nights but it turned into four after an unexpected highway blockade took place in protest of the deplorable state of the local roads. In hindsight, we should have stayed only two as we would have missed the blockade and could’ve spent more time further south.

Even though we were in Mexico, it was early January so the ocean was a little chilly and the weather was on the cool side. But we did play some Bocce, celebrated a caravan member’s birthday and visited some local shops. In short, we made our fun among good company.

Veracruz

Our next stop was the State’s capital city, Veracruz. It has a population of approximately 750,000 and where the Spanish explorer, Hernán Cortés, stepped ashore and claimed what is now Mexico in 1519. It’s where he founded Veracruz, which is Mexico's oldest, largest, and most historical, significant port. Every major invasion of Mexico from the sea has taken place here.

Continuing our southbound journey on Federal Highway 180, we arrived in Boca Del Rio, which is just south of Veracruz, in the mid-afternoon and stopped at Rancho La Condesa that had comfortable grass sites and a variety of services. This was a wonderful drive with great seaside views and rural villages where we purchased fresh fruit, crayfish and tamales.

Rancho La Condesa was reasonable for just $10 USD/night. It had well-kept grounds where colourful peacocks and iguanas ran wild and it was near good shopping in Boca Del Rio.  After settling in, we visited Chedraui, a popular grocery and department store for essentials.

The next day, our group drove to the Hilton Hotel in Boca del Rio to join a guided tour of Fort San Juan de Ulúa with a very knowledgeable guide, Pablo. This historic attraction is known as the Castle of San Juan de Ulúa and consists of a large complex of fortresses, prisons and a former palace on an island with views of the seaport of Veracruz. Built between 1535 and 1769,  the fortress is steeped in history and officially opened as a museum in 1984.

Following the tour, we went to the El Café Gran Café de la Parroquia that dates back to 1808. The Great Café of the Parish is one of the most popular restaurants in the state, practises many traditions, and is known for its milk coffee, Lechero. It’s also been said that ‘going to Veracruz and not going to the Café de la Parroquia is like not having gone to Veracruz.’

We continued to enjoy the historic attractions of Veracruz the next day visiting Plaza de las Armas (the main town square), the Municipal Palace and the Virgen de la Asuncion Cathedral. Our group even went to the site where Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés first stepped ashore in Meso-America in 1519.

Following a day of sightseeing, we returned to the RV park where we socialized and even taught Roland how to prepare and eat crawdads. With clear blue skies, some members of the group enjoyed some downtime under the sun and wandered the grounds. On the last evening, some went back into Veracruz to enjoy the historic Zocalo and nightlife.

Catemaco

This was our last stop in Veracruz State and following another scenic drive with minimal traffic,  we veered off Federal Highway 180 to Tepetepan RV Park (that has since closed).  Although Catemaco is popular for the lake of the same name and lush rainforest, it’s known for its community of sorcery and witchcraft or ‘brujos (witches).’

Catemaco’s history dates back to the pre-Hispanic period and although sorcery is one of the main attractions, it’s not promoted as part of Halloween or Mexico’s Day of the Dead. The annual Congreso Nacional de Brujos de Catemaco, which is held on the first Friday of March and attracts crowds upwards of 5,000 along with hundreds of shamans, healers, and psychics, commemorates the variety of ‘magical practices.’

Witches and sorcery aside, the Tepetepan RV Park was a great campground that overlooked the Rio Grande de Catemaco. Approximately $12 USD/night, the park had Wi-Fi, a pool, and clean, well-maintained grounds. During our visit, the group took a tour of Monkey Island on Lake Catemaco. The island is named after the non-native, red-cheeked Changos monkeys that were brought to the area for research purposes by the University of Veracruz from Thailand. Tours are commonly available where you can observe the monkeys as well as crocodiles in their natural habitat.

Other members decided to stay back to visit the very ornate Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, which began construction in 1799 but wasn’t completed until 1961. This basilica contains an image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel that has been associated with miracles. It’s rivalled in devotion only by a shrine on an island in Lake Catemaco called El Tegal where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared.  We also visited the Zocalo, Municipal Palace, the Statue of the Fisherman, the Torre del Reloj (Clock Tower), the Brizuela Absalón House, the Gasca Blanco House and the Herrera García House.

Later that afternoon, we were told about live entertainment in town to commemorate the reopening of the Malecon celebration, which included a band and dancers from Mexico City.  The event attracted thousands and the crowds were shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and yes, the entertainment was loud.

Returning to the campground, we stopped at a local restaurant on the lake where more live entertainment ensued. Regardless of the type of activities and attractions that we experienced, they all combined to provide great memories and a wonderful caravan tour through the State of Veracruz.

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