Lake Chapala

The largest freshwater lake in Mexico, Lake Chapala sits in a rift valley between the Sierra Madre ranges south of Guadalajara. The shoreline town of Ajijic, known for its arts community, and the larger lakeside city of Chapala have attracted foreign residents for over a century. The lake surface reflects the surrounding mountains and often exhibits a flat-calm mirror effect at dawn, and winter sunsets over the western mountains are a local institution.