Private Tour: Mezcala Island, Chapala And Ajijic From Guadalajara

I took this tour in Dec 2025. Fernando was the guide. It was an amazing experience with lots of information and plenty of things to do (busy day). We started with the boat ride to Mezcala Island, including a tour of the fortress. We then walked around the town of Mezcala, stopped at the local museum near Chapala, had lunch in Chapala and walked along the Chapala waterfront. We then went to the cathedral in Chapala before visiting Ajijic. There were lots of local hidden gems that Fernando pointed out. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. Carlos did a good job driving as well. Overall five stars and I highly recommend!

We had an incredible experience on our private tour. Fernando was an amazing tour guide—friendly, informative, outgoing, and attentive to every detail. He made the experience engaging and enjoyable from start to finish. Our driver, Juan was equally impressive: professional, friendly, and made us feel safe and comfortable the entire time. The service was outstanding overall, and we highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a personalized and high-quality experience.

Fernando was friendly and informed. He enthusiastically shared his knowledge about the peoples and history of the area. We had an interesting day and are grateful for the experience.

We really enjoyed this trip. Fernando was very knowledgeable and ensured we had the perfect trip based upon our interests.

We were picked up promptly from our hotel by Fernando and our driver Hector. Fernando was so knowledgeable about everything and very entertaining to listen to. We learned so much about the history of Mezcala Island through Fernando and our guide of the island. We toured Lake Chapala and Ajijic and learned about the murals and land marks there. Fernando answered all of our questions and was so personable! We were so thankful to more about the Mexican culture through his perspective. We highly recommend this tour!!

Very informative, personalized and attentive tour. We particularly liked Fernando's explanations of the many murals in the towns around the lake.

Fernando and pollo were great tour guides. Very informative, easy going, and a pleasure to spend the day with. Thank you!

Fernando is an amazing tour guide and gives you a day to remember! Highly recommend this tour for any travelers seeking a private, curated experience!

The town of Chapala and island of Mezcala were highlights of our trip to GDL. Lots of interesting history on the island and the town itself was very nice and worth a visit. Both guides involved were great.

This tour is so much better than just visiting the common tourist sites of Chapala and Ajijic as other tours do. Yes, you visit them also but best of all you get to visit Mascala Island by boat and learn about the fascinating history of the island and it's indigenous people. The guide on Mescala Island shared great knowledge and some extra things like trying fruits and demonstrated rock throwing. Along the way, Fernando from Jalisco tours was there to translate and also guide. Fernando is an excellent guide. He is knowledgeable himself, full of energy and always is considerate in offering to take photos and asks how you are. A lovely lunch was had a local family restaurant overlooking the lake and transport was safe and comfortable. If you want to learn about real Mexican history and culture which isn't mentioned elsewhere then you should definitely take this tour, you won't be disappointed as it's a great day out.

We had a lovely day with our guide David! He picked us up from the hotel and told us all about the landmarks we were passing on our drive from Guadalajara to Mezcala. We loved the boat ride from Mezcala to the island. We learned so much from David about the history of the island and about the different plants that grew there. The island was the best part, and visiting the towns on the lake was also really fun. David was incredibly friendly and super knowledgeable, and also gave great recommendations for the rest of trip. Ask him for food recommendations!

Going on a boat to Mezcala Island and learning about the history of the island was definitely a highlight in the trip. Lake Chapala’s beauty followed us as our very knowledgeable tour guide, David drove us to Chapala and Ajijic. We were able to explore, eat, and see areas based on our preference. Being that it was a private tour with pickup and drop off from our hotel was also exceptional. Highly recommend!

The tour was amazing! Thank you David for a great experience, very personable and enjoy the rich knowledge of history.

Fernando was a wonderful guide and he was very responsive to my questions prior to booking. He is knowledgeable and flexible and adjusted the tour to our interests--as well as providing great suggestions on lunch--he gave us some options and we are glad that we went with his recommendation! We really enjoyed the boardwalks at Ajijic and Lake Chapala and Mezcala Island was fun as well. Polo was an excellent driver and we enjoyed their company. Very glad that we went with Fernando instead of a bus tour!

We had a fantastic day with our tour guide Fernando. We saw many interesting sites and also had very informative conversations. We learned a great deal about the people of the area, the history and culture. A rewarding excursion- highly recommended!

Guides were knowledgeable, friendly, and flexible. They made sure everyone was satisfied. We missed a couple sights because we spent a little extra time at other sights so be sure to prioritize.

This trip was one of the best I have ever done in Mexico. Pick up was prompt at the agreed time and we first set off to Mezcala with Guillermo as our driver and Fernando as our guide. At Mezcala we were met by a local guide called Pedro, a lovely young boy, who took us to and around the island and helped explain the interesting history of Mezcala Island and its significance to the Independence war. Once back to shore they even opened up the local museum for us as we were interested in learning more about the history of the town. Next we went to lunch at El Carnal which was on the shore of the lake and served the best seafood. Finally we visited both Ajijic and Chapala town and broadwalk where Fernando explained the history of the towns. We came back to Guadalajara after a long but very interesting day. I highly recommend taking this trip when you visit Guadalajara and can’t thank Fernando and Memo enough for the experience.

We can't recommend this tour enough! We were able to visit all the sites with ample time to enjoy taking pictures, eat at great restaurants, enjoy the architecture and meet some of the sweetest and most knowledgeable locals ❤. The trip out to the island is one of the most impressive highlights but we were blessed while visiting Ajiji when by sheer luck a folkloric dance troupe was presenting. Although this is not part of the - it was just luck, we loved every minute of it. The guides were absolutely perfect and patient. Definitely one to do!

Easily one of the best things I’ve done on my trip to Guadalajara. Guillermo and Fernando weren’t just great guides but also great company. I particularly enjoyed seeing and hearing about the history of Mezcala Island, a must see if you are in the area. The trip is truly worth the time and cost as everything is tailored to what you want to do in this area. If you are interested in Mexican history, this tour will definitely give you a new outlook on the rich culture in this region. Thank you again to Guillermo for the safe driving and Fernando for sharing his deep knowledge of Chapala.

We had an absolutely fantastic day!!!!!!!! David arrived to pick us up early, and it was like we all had met before. The drive to Mezcala was a wonderful one in which David shared knowledge of the country and the areas to which we traveled throughout the day. He answered every question we had. When we arrived at Mezcala Island we were given hats to wear because we had forgotten ours. As we visited each of the areas during the day, David provided many facts and was extremely patient as we explored each area. The entire day was wonderful, and David was awesome. This is definitely a trip that all should consider. It is worth it!!!!! Ask for David to be your guide. You will not be disappointed.

The tour was great. Learning the hisyory and breakfast were my favorite parts. The winery couple weee super cool too! A great day!!!

We had an amazing time with our tour guide David. He was very thorough and was very detailed in his presentation. We learned so much about the places we visited. He picked us up on time From our hotel and He was prepared with snacks and drinks for the trip and scheduled a nice lunch in one of the cities we visited. We highly recommend this tour to anyone who is interested in learning more about Jalisco state.

Great day trip with both guides super helpful & created a comfortable and friendly environment while showing me around Lake Chapala & the distillery. Really enjoyable day & I recommend it for anyone that wants a more service based tour. The guides offer plenty of attention so you can’t not enjoy yourself.

I really enjoyed getting around Jalisco and seeing local towns. The distillery tour was nice; highlight was the tasting. Delicious and interesting tequilas! Fernando is knowledgeable and engaging as a guide and takes good care of everyone. Lake Chapala is impressive, and we enjoyed the boardwalk very much. We ended the tour with an excellent lunch at a restaurant overlooking the lake. Highly recommend this tour!