Lake Chapala Visitor and Newcomer Resources

Lake Chapala in Mexico is one of the fastest growing retirement destinations in the world. On lakeside and including the nearby city of Guadalajara, nearly 25,000 North American retirees call this area home for at least part of the year.

Is it time you joined them? There are two very compelling reasons why you should. And another nine that offer really strong support.

But, this place is not paradise (do you know any place that is?) .. in the article after this, I will review the difficulties of settling into a new culture. But first, let's review all the positives.

1. Climate

The debate rages whether Lake Chapala has the nicest climate in the world, but all that's relevant is that the climate is as close to ideal as you will find.

Take a peek at the map below.

You'll notice that Lake Chapala is well inland, well away from the heat and humidity of the coast. What the map does not show is that you're also a mile high, nestled into the Sierra Madre mountain range.

Being in the mountains, you enjoy the benefits of the cool night mountain air. You're protected from the hurricanes that annually pound the western coast. The worst seen here when a hurricane is on the coast is cloudy weather and maybe some daytime rain.

And being on the lake (Mexico's largest, at 85 kms long), moderation is the key: daytime highs average 25° C; on the rare day in May, you might see 30° C. Night-time temperatures seldom fall below 15° C, except in December and January, when it's possible to dip down to 8 or 9° C on really cold nights.

The days are almost always sunny. Rain, when it comes in the months of June through September, normally falls at night.

Comfortable temperatures. Sunny skies. No humidity. Every day is much like the warm May days in Ontario that I used to enjoy so much. It’s hard to imagine weather being any nicer.

2. The setting

The Sierra Madres rise about 1,000 feet above the lake. Gentle breezes flow from the lake during the day; and then down from the mountains at night. Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular.

Everything grows in this climate, and in a quantity and size not known in Canada. So, wherever you go, you're surrounded by a natural beauty - bougainvillea, birds of paradise, hibiscus, fruit trees, palm trees .. and all sorts of plants that I haven't even heard of before.

Climate and setting pack a powerful one-two punch that is hard for the written word to describe. Dispositions are sunnier. You sleep well at night. You feel like doing more down here. Stress never elevates to the levels we remember in Canada. You just feel really good here .. and the two main reasons for this are Chapala's climate and its natural beauty, 365 days a year. For some, the two reasons above are enough. But, in addition, I see nine other very good reasons why people decide to move to the Lake Chapala area. In no particular order, let's take a brief look at each.

3. You're never far away

That is, you're never far away from home .. it's a 30 minute drive from lakeside to the Guadalajara international airport, with daily flights to Canada and the U.S.

Nor are you far away from world class shopping, theatre and entertainment. The nearby city of Guadalajara has over 5 million people, and like any large city, has just about anything that you would ever want. For example, the week that I write this, the Vienna Boys Choir is here as part of their world tour. There's always something going on.

And finally, you're never far from a trip to the west coast, to spend a weekend by the sea on some of Mexico's beautiful beaches. The fun and lively Puerto Vallarta is about a 5 hour drive away by car or bus (the luxury bus will cost you about Cdn$35). The more sedate and laid back Manzanillo is about a 4 hour drive away.

4. You're not isolated

I often hear about the "isolation effect" from people who talk to me about retiring to an island. Down here, that never happens because whenever the urge hits, if you don't like flying, you can just get in the car, and drive home. From Ontario, you're closer to Lake Chapala than you are to Vancouver.

It's an easy 5 day drive back to Ontario from Lake Chapala, 3 if you really wanted to push it. From Lake Chapala to the US border crossing is a 10 hour drive.

There are toll roads almost all the way up to the border. These roads are excellent, and you make very good time on them. Yes, you can save money using the secondary (non toll) highways, and most of these roads are not bad. But the secondary road system has some difficult mountain travel, and a lot more traffic (the Mexicans generally will not pay the tolls), so you will add a lot of hours and extra stress to your trip if you don't use the toll roads.

5. No bugs (well, hardly any)

Believe it or not, you rarely see a fly or a mosquito down here. When you do, it tends to be in the wet season from June to September. I presume that the dryness is a natural population control.

We still put screens on our doors and windows, but most of the time, we leave the house wide open. In Canada, you learn to tolerate the bugs, but you'll be surprised just how pleasant it is not having flies and mosquitoes to worry about. And it's just one more thing that gets you outdoors more, and adds to the overall enjoyment level down here.

6. (Relatively) inexpensive

Everybody that promotes this area, from the local realtors to major international retirement magazines, will tell you how cheap this area is. Well, maybe ..

It's been our experience that although Lake Chapala is certainly not expensive, neither is it all that cheap either. Excluding rent, since many people end up owning their home, I estimate that a couple can plan on US $1,200 to $1,500 a month to live well down here.

I will dedicate an upcoming separate article to discuss cost of living in depth. Different lifestyles can lead to vastly different spending patterns. Taxes are a related issue, and this too will require a separate article.

7. No worries about health care

This topic, too, will be the focus of a separate article. For the sake of this introductory article, I will just say this: I consider health care to be a strong positive in favour of the region.

The Mexican National Health system is easy and inexpensive to join (about Cdn $325 each per year). You have supplemental insurance, to cover you for things like emergency air evacuations, access to the Mexican specialist of your choice (and they are exceptional), and free access to the hospital of your choice (and there are two in Guadalajara that, in my opinion, are better than anything I have ever experienced in Canada).

Personally, my wife and I feel that our health needs will be looked after a lot better in Mexico than in the under-funded, over-burdened system in Canada.

8. Less need for health care

I think people are healthier down here than in Canada. I know we certainly are.

And it makes sense: you benefit from the clean mountain air, the year round supply of fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables, the benefit of the gorgeous climate and the peaceful, tranquil setting. You tend to more active - there's no ice, snow or rain to keep you indoors.

I have heard dozens of stories from people who journey to Lake Chapala for one reason: to feel better … and it's the climate, the nearby hot thermal springs and the way of life that does it.

9. Acceptance by the locals

On the whole, we have found the Mexican people to be warm, friendly, gracious and very patient with we gringos. They accept the North American presence; indeed, most welcome it, because that presence translates into a lot of jobs locally.

We all have gardeners and maids, some only for a few hours a week; others for the entire week. The price paid varies by community - some communities stick to the "rule" of paying their help just minimum wage (about Cdn 65 cents per hour); most of us pay the peso equivalent of US $1.00 an hour.

My wife and I live out in the "country", 10 km from the town of Chapala, where crime is virtually non existent - the worst I have seen is some petty theft. There seems to be more crime in the two towns where the North Americans live, Chapala and Ajijic. You do hear of the occasional car being stolen, and every now and again, even an armed robbery .. crime does exist, just as it does in Canada.

We feel very safe in Mexico, every bit as safe as we felt living in Canada.

10. North American comforts

You may be living in Mexico, but you don't lose any of the comforts of home.

If you chose your locale wisely, your home will be built with all the conveniences and all the quality that you're used to in Canada.

Where we live, for example, we have fibre optic telephone lines, 200 amp electrical, the latest septic system technology from the U.S., 24 hour water supply (of quality as good as we were used to in Canada), and inside our home, we have every appliance we had in Canada. Satellite TV is common. Fibre optic cable TV lines are coming this year.

We have nearby golf courses and tennis courts, ATM banking, community theatre, and our choice of at least 40 English language organizations to choose from if we want to get involved.

The Price Club, WalMart, Office Depot, Radio Shack and Ace Hardware (and dozens more North American franchises) are all just 1 hour away, whenever we want to buy North-American style.

As far as comfort and conveniences go, we lack for nothing.

11. Comfort in numbers

For some, it's also comforting just having so many North Americans in the area. There's an active community involvement here, with all sorts of clubs and activities.

Knowing this also helps people in the beginning of their retirement review process to realize that maybe Mexico is not a land of desperados, filthy water and poverty after all. Gee, how could American TV get it so wrong?

There are many retirees that have never learned Spanish, but get along just fine, because in a very real sense you live in a North American community here.

There you have it .. 11 good reasons to consider Lake Chapala as a place to retire. At least now you'll understand a little better why thousands of retirees have already decided that yes, this is the place.

But do remember: although it's very, very pleasant living here, it's not paradise. Next month, I'll explain why.