Lake Chapala Care Guide

Lake Chapala Care Guide | Kind Path Guide

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Lake Chapala Care Guide

Choosing a supported visit, a respite stay, or a care home at Lake Chapala, Mexico. Built for families who want to travel together, where one person needs real care and everyone else needs a rest.

Researched 27 August 2026  ·  Easy to find, easy to share, easy to follow  ·  Nothing you tick here is stored or sent anywhere unless you choose to send it

If something is happening right now

  • 911 is the emergency number across Mexico, the same as at home.
  • Cruz Roja Chapala ambulance, 376 765 2308. Paramedics 24 hours a day, González Gallo 1, Chapala Centro. They also run a walk in emergency room with X ray and casting, on a sliding scale.
  • Hospital San Antonio, 376 689 0911. Hidalgo 23, San Antonio Tlayacapan. The most capable hospital on the lake: emergency, intensive care, CT, MRI, dialysis, cardiac surgery.
  • Hospital Clínica Ajijic, 376 766 0662. Carretera Oriente 33 A, Ajijic. Open 24 hours.
  • Worth knowing before you need it: a private hospital will usually ask for a deposit of around 15,000 pesos, or proof of insurance, before it accepts an ambulance transfer. Have a card and a policy number where you can reach them.

Watch first

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Step 1

What kind of visit are you thinking about?

The shape of the trip

Pick the one that fits best. You can change it later.

What support does your person need?

Tick everything that applies.

What matters for the rest of you?

Tick everything that applies.

Step 2

What would you like to see?

Everything is switched on. Turn off what you do not need today.

Step 3

What I found

Step 4

My Lake Chapala list

My Lake Chapala list
Kind Path Guide · kindpathguide.com · Emergency 911 · Cruz Roja Chapala 376 765 2308 · Hospital San Antonio 376 689 0911

Everything you ticked, in one place

Tick anything you want to call and it gathers here. Printing gives you this list with the full descriptions, the timeline and the numbers, on a clean page.

Put in an address if you want it filled in for you, then choose where to write the email. Nothing is sent through this page.

Write it in Gmail Write it in Outlook Open my email app

Gmail and Outlook open a new tab with the list already written in. Open my email app only works if this device has one set up for email links, which many do not. If nothing happens, use Copy as text and paste the list into any email.

Print opens a clean copy in a new window with your list, the timeline and the numbers, and nothing else. Choose Save as PDF in the print dialog, and turn off Headers and footers if you would rather not have the date and web address along the edges.

Step 5

A timeline that works

Most families do this in a rush because they waited for a crisis. Here is the version with room to breathe. Work backwards from the date you want to travel.

1
Three months out

Write down what care actually looks like on a normal day

Hours of help, medications, what your person can do alone, what they cannot. Every place you call will ask, and a clear answer gets a clear quote. Ask their doctor for a short written summary and a current medication list.

2
Three months out

Message four or five homes on WhatsApp, not one

WhatsApp is how lakeside businesses actually reply. Almost nobody publishes a daily or weekly rate, so you have to ask. Ask all of them the same questions so you can compare, and ask for a video tour.

3
Ten to twelve weeks out

Book the family lodging, then the care

November to February is the busy season on the lake and rentals go early. La Floresta is the flattest, easiest neighbourhood to get around, and several care homes sit inside it.

4
Eight weeks out

Sort insurance and evacuation, before you sort flights

Medicare does not travel. Find out in writing what your policy covers outside the United States and what a flight home would cost if it came to that. This is the question people skip and later wish they had not.

5
Six weeks out

Ask the doctor for a letter of medical necessity

You may bring up to a ninety day supply of prescription medicine into Mexico, in the original labelled packaging, with the prescription and a doctor's letter. Anything controlled wants a Spanish translation. Sudafed and cannabis products are not allowed in at all.

6
Four weeks out

Arrange the airport transfer and any equipment

Ask the care home to arrange the transfer. Several run their own vehicles, and that is the most reliable route to something a wheelchair fits in. A wheelchair can be hired locally. A hospital bed or oxygen needs planning before you leave.

7
Two weeks out

Print the paperwork you may be asked for at the border

Since 2026 the six month visitor permit is no longer given out automatically. Officers grant the number of days that match your stated plans. Carry printed accommodation bookings covering the whole trip, return flights, and a letter from the care home confirming the booking.

8
First two days there

Go gently, and drink bottled water

Ajijic sits at about 5,000 feet. That is mild, but it is not sea level, so take the first couple of days slowly. Nobody drinks the tap water, including for brushing teeth. Twenty litre bottles are delivered for twenty to thirty pesos.

Good to know

Numbers worth writing down

What Where Number
Emergency, anywhere in Mexico National 911
Cruz Roja ambulance and emergency room Chapala Centro 376 765 2308
Hospital San Antonio San Antonio Tlayacapan 376 689 0911
Hospital Clínica Ajijic Ajijic 376 766 0662
Hospital Ribera Medical Center Ajijic to Chapala road 376 765 8200
Chapala Med, bilingual clinic Ajijic 376 766 4435
Chapala Med urgent care line Ajijic 331 605 9645
Doctor to your door Lakeside 322 220 4072
Lake Chapala Society Ajijic 376 766 1140
Lakeside DayBreak dementia support Lakeside 333 615 2177

Dialling from the United States or Canada, put 011 52 in front and drop nothing else. From a Mexican mobile, dial the ten digits as written.