Things to Do in Veracruz-A Menu of Activities

Time is a Luxury
From time to time I do tour guide work and have gotten to know a lot of the drivers as well as the bus companies here in Veracruz. I have also rented buses for personal use with friends for long trips, and they are fun.

What I´ve found is that most of all, you have the flexibility and freedom to stop anywhere, and you don´t have to plan your trip around a bus company schedule. It´s hard to be late and miss the bus when it´s yours.

On one trip, we stopped and picked watermelons to take home for about 20 minutes. Another time, our picnic got rained out and we picked everything up, and left early. On the way back we found another park that had more shelters, so we spent the rest of the afternoon there, and got home that evening at about the same time we had planned. I like renting buses.

Here in Veracruz, I came across a tour organizer the other day who had a problem I´ll share with you. Maybe at one time you may have had questions about renting a bus in Mexico.

A Headache for Trip Leaders
"John I have a real problem. Maybe through your contacts in Veracruz, you can help me." He had seen my sections on Renting a bus to Playa Hermosa, Veracruz.

It was Jim, the designated treasurer and trip organizer for a group of about 20 people. They were in town for a special event, and had 5 days free after the event was over. No one in the group had ever been to Mexico.

Several weeks before their trip to Veracruz, he had researched the internet, and they decided after the event to take the bus to Huatulco, Oaxaca for a couple of days at the beach, then another day or two in Oaxaca City, then on to Mexico City for 2 days before flying home to the States.

Jim´s Trip to Huatulco

The Dilemma
He had tried to reserve bus tickets with ADO before coming, but Ticket Bus service and ADO don´t have user friendly web pages and he couldn´t make the reservations on line from outside Mexico.

When he arrived in Veracruz he tried to make reservations for 20 people, and found that the only direct bus from Veracruz to Huatulco was full.

Compounding the problem he had already paid $3,000 in hotel reservation deposits.

He had read about renting a bus and contacted me.

My First Thoughts
We sat down at one of the tables in the mess hall at the event with maps and itineraries. My first impression was the large amount of downtime spent in travel on the road. From my own experience in driving, the trip from Veracruz to Huatulco takes about 10-12 hours; then from Oaxaca to Mexico City it´s about 8 hours. This kind of travel, especially if you have to change buses, leaves you exhausted for a couple of hours after you arrive at each destination.

The other thing is that in Huatulco you are only going to find beaches. In Oaxaca city you will find pyramids, and the Santo Domingo Church. Picturesque markets to browse are just about everywhere in Mexico.

As a first possibility, I suggested they stay in Veracruz, rent a bus by the day, and not waste a lot of time on the road. There´s lots to see here. Perhaps a more varied mix of things to do than in Oaxaca. He would make the most of his time since he is already here. For the return trip, Mexico City is about 5 hours from Veracruz by bus.

"Out of the question for now", he said. "The problem is the hotel deposits I´ve already made. I don´t want to lose them." I can understand that.

To Rent a Bus or Not
"I understand you know people who rent buses. Can you contact them for rates?"

That´s when I called my former English student and friend Moisés Hernández. He´s the travel organizer for the largest bus company here in Veracruz. They rent their luxury buses to cruise ships, conventions, and other events. They are even licensed to drive to the States, and can pick you up or drop you off in front of your house.

Over the phone Moisés gave me the following rates as possibilities for a bus which includes a bathroom, TV, video, and 5 2 lt. Cokes when they leave.

It turned out that from Veracruz to Huatulco to drop them off, and come back empty, tickets would be $1,100 pesos each, or about $96 US dollars for each person.

"That´s a solution, but it´s kind of expensive", said Jim.

"What are some other possibilities?" I asked Moisés. "After Huatulco, they still have to go to Oaxaca City, then on to Mexico City, and don´t have bus reservations."

It turned out that additional days are cheaper. For the whole 5 days, tickets would be $1,867 pesos each, or about $162 US dollars. If you divide it by 5 days, you get daily transportation costs of about $32 Dollars per day for each person.

"Yes, that sounds a whole lot better," said Jim.

"That way I won´t have to pay taxis from the hotel to the bus terminal and waste a lot of time waiting for the bus. Travelling like this with a bunch of people is sometimes really unconfortable for everybody."

I could see Jim´s mind thinking about the logistics of finding 5 taxis for his 20 people at each transfer point along the way. Taxi fares like this add up, too.

Another advantage to renting a bus in Mexico is you can stop anytime along the way at cute restaurants or take little side trips to explore villages along the way or pick watermelons. The bus time is yours.

Jim´s Trip to Huatulco

Rent a Bus for Day Trips Around Veracruz
What if Jim´s groups decides to stay in Veracruz, and wants to take side trips on their own?

It turned out that tickets for groups of 20 or more are $307 pesos each, or about $27 US dollars a day.

Not bad!

"Where do people go around Veracruz? Can you give me an idea?" Jim said.

"Sure, here´s what a lot of people do":

Day 1 - Getting your feet on the ground. 6-8 Hours with Lunch
Centro Historico, San Juan de Ulua, and the Aquarium. Boca del Rio, and lunch in Mandinga. Do a Walking Tour of Downtown. Nothing heavy the first day to get your feet on the ground and get the lay of the land.

Day 2 The Route of Hernán Cortés - 6 hours
Quiahuiztlán-Villa Rica, pyramids at Cempoala, lunch in Antigua.

Day 3 Xalapa - Former El Camino Real 8 hours
Restored Hacienda at El Lencero and Museum of Anthropology in Xalapa. Lunch at el Mirador on the way back.

Day 4 - Los Tuxtlas and Lake Catemaco - 12 hours
Tlacotalpan or the Falls at Eyipantla, Lake Catemaco, boat ride to Nanciyaga. Lunch at La Ceiba restaurant in Catemaco.

Day 5 - Beaches and Boat Rides Roca Partida and Playa Hermosa - 12 hours
Roca Partida and Playa Hermosa are new areas where you have everything to yourself. No tourists. Pristine jungle river next to a blue beach cove. Boat trips to Pirates cave at Roca Partida. After seafood lunch you can relax in a hammock at Fautino´s place.

Day 6 - Rafting at Jalcomulco and El Carrizal Hot Springs 7 hours
Jalcomulco Rafting and Hot Springs at El Carrizal for those interested or relax in warm thermal waters and hammocks. Lunch at the restaurant in El Carrizal.

Moisés said these excursions are the most frequent destinations for local day trips. The distance limits are Alvarado on the south, Xalapa on the west, and Quiahuiztlán/Villa Rica on the north. Roughly anything an hour or so from Veracruz.

Drop Offs to Mexico City are Frequent
Mexico City is about 5 hours from Veracruz, and Moisés said frequently groups of people need to be picked up here in Veracruz and dropped off at their hotel or the airport in Mexico City. Tickets are about $660 pesos each, or about $57 US Dollars for the trip to Mexico City.

A 4 Day Shopping Trip to McAllen, Texas
During our conversation, Moisés told us about one group here in Veracruz who organized a shopping trip over the Día de los Muertos weekend. Tickets are $2,267 pesos ($197 Dollars) which turns out to be less than $50 dollars a day. For me, McAllen, Texas is a 12 hour drive from Veracruz. Moisés says he sends a relief driver on the long trips so they make good time.

"These are bus rental rates, so don´t forget to add entrance fees, tour guides, toll roads, or lunch costs", he added.

A Happy Ending
Jim and I talked about all the options and he decided to stay with his original plan to go to Oaxaca. He wanted to rent a bus for 5 days.

I called Moisés back and he said he needed 50% down and the balance could be paid when the people boarded the bus to leave for Oaxaca. That sounded good, so we agreed to meet at Jim´s hotel that evening.

Moisés arrived on time and had a sales contract form. He filled it out agreeing for the bus to leave day after tomorrow at 11:30 PM Friday night. At the conclusion, we all shook hands, and Jim heaved a sigh of relief.

"Let´s go get a pizza at Domino´s. I´m inviting!" I like sausage and pepperoni with extra cheese, so off we went. One less headache for a trip organizer.

Moisés told us later that prices may change a little according to the price of oil and other variables. He also said he has vans with drivers for smaller groups.

If you are with a group of more than 20 people, and need any more information, or want to contact Moisés at the bus company, send me an e-mail.

Email: jtoddjr@lycos.com

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