| Dams of Catemaco Tour Catemaco, Veracruz |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| This novel exploration of the Catemaco environment requires fortitude and preferably an SUV and a life jacket. You will be entering the Catemaco neighborhood of Tepetapan and proceeding to the Tepetapan dam, along a partially horrendous dirt road strewn with garbage. On proceeding, your first impression will be a bridge which may be, may not be, or maybe a little impassible depending on weather conditions. Depending on rain patterns you may also get a whiff of the neighboring Catemaco sewage plant. Detour to the dam's control station and enjoy some gorgeous views of the Tepetapan laguna and the neighboring brujo mountain of Mono Blanco. The station is also the trail head for a walk to Laguna Chalchoapan. The dam station receives all of the water leaving Laguna Catemaco, minus the water escaping through its leaky dam, and overflow during the apex of the rainy season. The remaining water is channelled along a 2 mile concrete lined spillway to the Chilapan hydroelectric plant in San Andrés Tuxtla. Continuing inland, along a manageable dirt service road at the side of the canal, opens huge vistas of the Rio Grande Valley and luscious vegetation along the spillway. At the end arises another small lake formed by the dam at Chilapan. If you park and work your way to the opposite side of the spillway, moree photo opportunities arise at the subsidiary dam that spills its waters into another spillway leading to the actual Rio Grande de Catemaco. Water from the Chilapan dam is channelled through a giant tube directly to the 36 mega watt Chilapan hydroelectric plant completed in 1960. Leaving the dam and turning right brings you to the military base and electric plant storage facilities at the edge of the actual Rio Grande. At times the military prohibits entry and you are screwed into a return trip to Catemaco. Leaving the base you cross the Rio Grande. About 1/2 a mile ahead, a turnoff to the left leads to a badly maintained dirt road to Las Pozas, a small attractive spring fed balneario above the Rio Grande. The balneario charges admission, but usually waives it if you buy a refreshment and leave. A few hundred meters below the balneario you can view the Rio Grande and its shore fishermen. Returning to the Chilapan road brings you the main carretera returning you to Catemaco. A recommended pit stop is the gas station and its coffee stand which is about as close as you can get to a Starbuck in Catemaco. Thereafter, a pleasurable side trip is down to the Matacalcintla Balneario, at an unmarked exit to a miserable downhill dirt road. |
| Tip for suicidal visitors |
| You can enter the spillway at Tepetapan, hopefully dressed in a life jacket and float two miles along a rapid current to Chilapan. Use of an inner tube will help considerably. |
| Access |
| Relevant Links |
| catemaco.info - Las Pozas catemaco.info - Matacalcintla catemaco.info - Rio Grande de Catemaco (soon, again) catemaco.info - Tours of Los Tuxtlas |
| Slideshow |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| The only other dams worth visiting, that I know of are the Presa Yuribia in Tatahuicapan, and the small dam above Las Margaritas above Laguna Catremaco. See Dams of Los Tuxtlas |