Teacapan, Sinaloa

Teacapan is located on the Agua Bravo, one of the largest estuaries in Mexico which serves as the border line between Nayarit and Sinaloa.

The village is small and very rustic. There is hardly a car on the street.

One of the attractions is a botanical garden at the home of Antonio Haas - the creator of the Haas avocado. The complex has 2 houses, 3 ponds, ostiches, and a variety of plants and trees. You are welcome to visit here. It is suggested that you give the gardeners a tip of 10 pesos per visitor.

Another attraction is the birdwatching. Victor is a guide who offers boat trips in the estuary to view the birds in the mangrove wetlands. Victor has kayaks if you want a quieter journey through the wetlands. On the 6 hour trip you can visit the pyramid of the shells - a pile of shells about 3 stories high. Nobody knows how they got there but my friend's theory is that as the indians ate the oysters they threw the shells over their shoulders. The trip to the pile of shells is recommended only for the young and adventurous. You have to walk through the swamp for a couple hundred yards and it is very slippery - watch out for the quicksand!

There is a good hotel with a restaurant called Hotel Villas Maria Fernanda. It has 2 pools and is right on the estuary. They have some rooms with small kitchens and villas for up to 8 people as well as double rooms for 450 pesos. The owner, Delfino, is very helpful and can arrange sightseeing tours for you.

The ocean is couple miles away - the beaches are undeveloped and go on as far as the eye can see. There is a little beach on the estuary right by the 'malecon' which is fine for swimming but there is a strong current if you go out of the cove.

By Pat Cordes