The Guadalajara region offers so much more than just the city of Guadalajara itself. Escape the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan area on this weeklong roadtrip. This tour will take you into quiet countryside and forests, waterfalls and hot springs resorts, and small towns along the Lake Chapala shoreline. For even more relaxation, slow down the pace by adding a couple extra days at any stop along the way. A car makes this itinerary easier, but it can also be done by combining bus trips and taxi rides.

DAY 1
Depart Guadalajara for Lake Chapala by car, taxi, or bus. Check in to your Ajijic hotel, then spend the afternoon strolling Ajijic's shady plaza, the garden of the Neill James Library, and the Lake Chapala shore by the Ajijic pier. Families with children might substitute a couple of hours at the Tobolandia water park.

DAY 2
Have breakfast at your hotel, then drive, taxi, or bus east to Chapala town. In your walk around town, include the Chapala town plaza, the adjacent market, the pier downhill on the lakefront, the new railroad museum, and the Braniff mansion. After lunch, return to the Chapala pier and hire a boat to Isla de los Alacranes and Isla de Mezcala. Return back to Ajijic for dinner and a good night's sleep.

DAY 3
After an early breakfast, drive or bus two hours west to Tapalpa. Lunch on the plaza. From town, drive or taxi past the old paper mill and the trout farm and continue west to explore Las Piedrotas (The Big Rocks). If prepared, camp overnight; if not, return to Tapalpa for an evening stroll around the Tapalpa plaza and then retire to your hotel.

DAY 4
After breakfast, head south by taxi or car via Atacco to the canyon of the Río Nogal and a waterfall, El Salto del Nogal. Bring a picnic or buy lunch at a canyon-rim palapa restaurant. Hike downhill to the river and the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. If prepared, camp overnight; otherwise, return to your Tapalpa hotel.

DAY 5-6
Head an hour and a half west to the Bosque de Primavera and Río Caliente area. At the Río Caliente Spa, you can soak in the natural pools, enjoy massage and spa treatments, and sally out on guided strolls through the surrounding forest.

Alternatively, off-the-beaten-track adventurers might want to enjoy the outdoor opportunities available in the Bosque de Primavera that surrounds the Río Caliente Spa. In the luscious pine-oak wilderness forest, you can spread out with plenty of room (best on nonholiday weekdays) for either tenting or RV camping in the established campground. (The facilities are sparse, however, so bring everything.) You can enjoy plenty of hiking on pine-shadowed trails, soaking in the pools of the nearby local-style balnearios (bathing resorts), and unique wilderness camping opportunities right on the bank of the steaming Río Caliente.

DAY 7
From either Río Caliente Spa or the Bosque de Primavera, travel west an hour by car and spend a day (or more, if your schedule permits) exploring around the monumental Guachimontones archaeological zone. Those who prefer luxury can have it, with a one- or two-night stay at old-world-style Hacienda El Carmen. On the other hand, RVers and campers can set up at nearby Balneario El Rincón natural spring park, which kids would love. Alternatively, you could stay at the modest Hotel Las Fuentes, with a pool nearby, and simply visit Guachimontones and Balneario El Rincón during the day.