When I first arrived in Mexico City, this was one of the most frequently recommended places to visit. “It’s kind of like Mexico’s version of Venice” somebody told me.
After a quick image search I saw that it was lots of colourful boats floating down a river, so that’s what I imagined: a calm, quiet, lazy-river-style experience. It’s not. It’s so much more than that. First of all, it’s not just one river, but a labyrinth of connecting rivers and islands on a lake. And it’s not quiet and calm, oh no. Each boat fits 15 or so people, and a speaker, so you can play music from your phone, and dance. It’s a boat party more than anything else, and it’s amazing. Smaller boats come by selling food and decorations. There’s even Mariachi boats who’ll come and serenade anyone who asks. Other people’s boats pass and greet you and often join in the singing and dancing.
Boats bump into each other which makes everyone laugh, and it’s just a great, lively atmosphere overall. And it’s not just tourists, most of the boats in fact are filled with other Mexican people, often celebrating birthdays or out for a fun family experience. There’s toilet stops along the way, where you can also top up on drinks and snacks.
The islands are occupied by people, sometimes houses, sometimes small allotments and greenhouses. (I should note that there are an enormous number of stray dogs, but they are all generally well fed, either by the residents or the passing visitors.) Depending on how far you go on the boat there is “The Island of Dolls”, an island off the river where a man has put hundreds of toy dolls (now mostly deteriorating and rather creepy) in honour of a girl he found drowned in the lake. Some say it’s haunted and are scared to go near it, others find it really intriguing.
I, like everyone else, would recommend visiting Xochimilco (pronounced sochi-mealco, by the way). It’s a great place to take photos and to hang out with a group, and the local residents rely on the tourism economy. The only thing I would say is to go with a trusted tour provider or with a local who knows the place. It’s about 45 mins away from the actually centre of the city and on your way there people will try to sell you passes or lead you to an entrance where they can charge you a higher fee, it’s a classic tourist trap, but if you’re in the know then you can find another entrance where you just pay the normal cost per head for the renting of the boat.
