Mexico's most active volcano has been spewing ash and lava for millions of years. Located in Nevado National Park along the northern border with Jalisco, Volcan de Colima is a rumbling 13,488-foot giant surrounded by majestic mountains and wild terrain. Volcan de Colima's dormant neighbor, the 14,000-foot Nevado de Colima, features snowcapped peaks that rise in stark contrast to the nearby fireworks. Visitors can explore the area around the volcano by horseback or on hiking trails. Full-day and half-day tours are offered. In addition to the smoky plumes and flowing lava of Volcan de Colima, visitors can stop by Lake Maria, an extinct volcanic crater lake thought to be more than 2,000 feet deep. Mango, coffee, banana and sugar cane plantations rim the trails around the volcano and numerous local restaurants in the town of Comala are a favorite stop for a fresh corn tortilla meal.
Colima retains an Old Mexico feel thanks in part to its preservation and respect for its past. The Sea Salt Museum in Cuyutlan, a coastal village 30 miles south of Manzanillo, displays the process and history behind making sea salt from its location inside a hundred-year old storage shed. 'The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe' was filmed here in 1951 and the museum also displays photos from the production of the movie. It's hard to walk in to a gift shop anywhere in Colima and not find an artisan's interpretation of the Xolo, or Colima Dog. Dating back thousands of years to the Aztecs, the Xolo is a hairless cousin of the Chihuahua and thought to be the original dog of the Americas. The Xolo is revered in Mexican history as a protector and is prevalent throughout Colima's many shaft-tomb attractions of the Colima, Aztec, Mayan, Zapoteca and Toltec Indians. Numerous museums and historical sites can be found throughout Colima.
Manzanillo stands in stark contrast to the rest of Colima's simple charm. The bustling port city on the Pacific Ocean is the region's tourism capital. Visitors flock to Manzanillo's beaches and surrounding waters to surf, dive, fish and sail. Miles of beaches provide a golden necklace of sand along Manzanillo's two bays and resort-riddled peninsula. Take your pick between beaches that are perfect for surfing or tranquil enough for a relaxing sail. Often billing themselves as the Sailfish Capital of the World, fishing charters are plentiful for those seeking to tangle with deep water monsters. Scuba diving in the warm Pacific waters is also a large draw and there's plenty of action close to shore by exploring some of the numerous wrecks and reefs that reside in Manzanillo's bays.
