Colima beaches: which one is worth it today?

About the coast of Colima

By Equipe editorial GTM Labs · Updated 10/08/2026

Colima's coast faces the Pacific Ocean, between Jalisco and Michoacán; the boundary with Michoacán is the Coahuayana River, which meets the sea at Boca de Apiza. Manzanillo opens onto two bays, Bahía de Manzanillo and Bahía de Santiago, and its port is the country's main container gateway. Southeast of Manzanillo, the Laguna de Cuyutlán runs parallel to the coast, between Bahía de Manzanillo and the Armería River. At Cuyutlán, between the lagoon and the sea, there are salt works and beaches of nearly black sand of volcanic origin. In Tecomán, Boca de Pascuales is known worldwide for its surf.

In Tecomán, the beaches of Boca de Apiza, El Chupadero and El Tecuanillo form a Ramsar site and are the state's main nesting beaches for olive ridley, leatherback and black sea turtles. The El Chupadero estuary keeps its mangroves and is a refuge for birds. Basins III and IV of the Laguna de Cuyutlán, with mangroves, are also a Ramsar site. Far offshore, the islands of Socorro, Clarión, San Benedicto and Roca Partida, in the Revillagigedo archipelago, are part of the municipality of Manzanillo. The archipelago has been a World Heritage Site since 2016 and a national park since 2017.

Sources: Wikipedia (es), Colima · Novella, R., 'La costa de Michoacán, Méjico, en el siglo XVI', Anales del Museo de América 4 (1996), Dialnet · ASIPONA Manzanillo, Ubicación y zona de influencia · Wikipedia (es), Manzanillo (Colima) · Wikipedia (en), Manzanillo, Colima · Visit México (SECTUR), Playa Santiago · Ficha Informativa Ramsar (FIR), Laguna de Cuyutlán vasos III y IV (sitio 1985) · Wikipedia (es), Laguna de Cuyutlán (abre el artículo sobre Cuyutlán) · Visit México (SECTUR), Cuyutlán · Visit México (SECTUR), Boca de Pascuales · Visit México (SECTUR), Tecomán · Wikipedia (es), Tecomán · Ficha Informativa Ramsar (FIR), Santuario Playa Boca de Apiza-El Chupadero-El Tecuanillo (sitio 1764) · Wikipedia (en), List of Ramsar sites in Mexico · Wikipedia (es), Islas Revillagigedo · DOF, 27/11/2017, Decreto por el que se declara como área natural protegida, con el carácter de parque nacional, la región conocida como Revillagigedo · SEMARNAT y Gobierno del Estado de Colima, ProAire Colima 2017-2021, Programa de Gestión para Mejorar la Calidad del Aire del Estado de Colima (gob.mx)