Champotón

Champotón is a city of about 30,000 people (2020) in the state of Campeche, Mexico, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Champotón is a picturesque place that combines the peaceful atmosphere of a small town, natural attractions and tourist services.

Understand

The waterfront

This was a Maya city for hundreds of years before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500s. It is the third largest city in the state, after Campeche and Ciudad del Carmen, at about 30,000 people. Today it is mostly known for its fishing industry and seafood.

Fishermen at Champoton

Get in

By car

Champotón is about 65 km south-west of the state capital of Campeche by a modern highway, MEX-180D, which is a toll road. The drive should take less than an hour.

By bus

Autobuses Sur Mexico (known as Sur) has hourly buses from Campeche to Champoton. The second-class buses stop briefly in Seybaplaya and Villa Madero. The fare is less than M$100.

By combi

There are also combis that make the trip for M$40. Look for the red and white vans in Campeche that say "Champoton" on the windshield. Combis begin their trip in Campeche at Calle Republica del Salvador 72, in Colonia Santa Ana.

Get around

Champoton is a fairly compact city and walking is the best way to explore it (especially the malecon). Taxis are available to get you around town.

See

• The 1 Malecon is the city's waterfront with a wide seaside promenade for pedestrians to enjoy the sea breeze and views.
• Champotón River: With a length of 57 km, its immense natural attraction makes it the ideal place to practice sport fishing , photographic tours to appreciate the flora and fauna that inhabit the region and various ecotourism activities . In past times, the Champotón River was used as the only means of communication between the various towns that were on the river bank.
• In Champotón, there are outstanding examples of the region's colonial past, such as the Baluarte de San Antonio, an old fort from the colonial era, also known as Castillo de Moch-Cohuo, which dates back to the time when Campeche was plagued by dastardly English and French pirates.
• In the center of the town is the church of 2 Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, built by Franciscan missionaries in the 17th century; its stone façade is relatively unadorned but features a bell tower, the main church consists of a single nave with a barrel vault, the church preserves a number of old images, including a large painting of the Virgin Mary.
• In the surroundings of Champotón there are also some ex-haciendas, which are beautiful examples of civil architecture from the 19th and 20th centuries. The haciendas of Haltunchen, Ulumal, San José Carpizo and San Luis Carpizo stand out, the latter is on the outskirts of the town of Champotón and has been rebuilt to house facilities that are used in the training of Marine Infantry personnel.

Do

Champotón is a pleasant enough place to stop for a relaxing meal or an overnight sleep in basic accommodations while en route elsewhere, but has few attractions for visitors.

• Beaches: Although there are no proper beaches in the town of Champotón, approximately 15 km to the south begins an extensive sandy strip with important beach areas, such as Punta Xen and Chenkán, which have a turtle camp. The camps at these two sites are intended to carry out various actions aimed at the protection, conservation, research, environmental education, community participation, and monitoring of a joint area of ​​40 km of hawksbill and white turtle nesting beaches. The beautiful beaches of gentle waves in the municipality of Champotón are the ideal place for the arrival of thousands of turtles that come to lay their eggs.

Buy

• 1 Mercado Municipal, Calle 32 #3, Centro. 05:00 - 15:00. Traditional regional marketplace selling fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and especially locally caught seafood. A number of older women operate stands selling traditional Campechean cuisine, especially panchitos de mariscos. The market opens before dawn and is popular with locals looking for a filling breakfast that's cheap on the wallet and a fiesta on the tongue. (updated Sep 2023)

Eat

Fresh seafood is available at numerous restaurants along the coast. There are several good restaurants in town.

• 1 El Cachimbazo, Isla Aguada, Puente Champotón S/N. M-F 07:30-19:30, Sa-Su 07:00 - 19:00. Friendly seaside restaurant with excellent views of the Gulf of Mexico. Typical Mexican seafood dishes like camarones al mojo diablo or filetes de pescado, big shrimp cocktails, frozen margaritas, reasonable prices. 
• 2 El Timon, Waterfront, MEX 180, ☏ +52 982 731 9093. 08:00 - 20:00. Casual waterfront seafood restaurant with a large deck looking out over the Gulf of Mexico. Try the champotonero shrimp, a regional recipe and a house specialty. 
• 3 Doña Pirata, MEX 180, Arenal. 24 hours. This is the place to know if late night munchies attack. It's a full service seafood restaurant with dinner served any time day or night. Popular with truckers. Cash only (no credit cards). 

Sleep

There are a few small hotels and pensiones in town.

• 1 Lua Hotel, Av. Carlos Sansores Pérez S/N, Issste, ☏ +52 982 828 0553. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Pleasant hotel with gardens, outdoor swimming pool, secured parking area. Rooms are spacious, clean and comfortable. M$800 (Sept 2023). (updated Sep 2023)

• 2 Perla del Mar, Carr. Champotón-Campeche Km. 146, Ejido Paraíso, ☏ +52 982 105 6720. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Modern beachside hotel with palapa shelters and lounge chairs on the beach. On-site restaurant with beach tables. Rooms are air-conditioned but water in the room feels slick and brackish. M$1200 (Sept 2023). (updated Sep 2023)

• 3 Hotel Don Abel Champoton, Calle 30, #12, Centro, ☏ +52 982 828 0106. Check-in: 13:00, check-out: 12:00. Remodeled traditional in-town hotel with clean, comfortable rooms, swimming pool, Wi-Fi, off-street parking. M$800 (Sept 2023). (updated Sep 2023)

Connect

Celular coverage (Telcel) is good in Champotón, though it's mostly 4G as of 2023. It will often drop to 3G on the highways to nearby cities.

Go next

• Campeche to the north-east on Highway 180.
• Ciudad del Carmen to the south-west on Highway 180.
• To the south, 161 leads to the charmless crossroads town of Escarcega, which links to Quintana Roo and Chetumal to the east, and Palenque and Villahermosa to the west.