5 Day Trips You Ought to Do While You’re in PV

We spent two weeks in Puerto Vallarta (PV) and actually stayed in the adjoining new town of resorts, Nuevo Vallarta. In the first week, we combed the two towns and wrote about the 10 Reasons Puerto Vallarta Wins Many Hearts. In the second week, we explored the Bay of Banderas and the Sierra Madre Mountains. As promised, here is my post on the five day-trips you ought to do while you’re in PV.

Los Arcos

The lovely Los Arcos is part of a protected national park called Los Arcos National Marine Park. The granite arches stand out from the Bay of Banderas and can be seen at a distance from downtown Puerto Vallarta. But to appreciate their sheer size and stunning beauty, you need to get up close to them. Many boats can ferry you to this beautiful backdrop for snorkeling and other water adventures. Caves, deep tunnels, and coral reefs give you a taste of the tropical flora and fauna of the beautiful Bay.

But we didn’t go by boat. We saw the Arcos from the Mirador (Viewpoint) on the road to Mismaloya Beach, east from town. Even from there, we got the chance to spot a Whiptail stingray swimming close to the shore. Actually, we were on the way to see the abandoned set of the famous movie, The Night of the Iguana that starred Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The two legends both left a legacy of their love in the Gringo Gulch of Puerto Vallarta. Alas, the set was no longer to be found.

Marietas Islands

There are also two uninhabited islands on the Bay of Banderas, northwest of Puerto Vallarta, that are world-famous and also part of a National Marine Park/Reserve. The islands have been declared a Natural World Heritage Site, a UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve. Actually, they are only a fifteen-minute motorboat ride from Punta de Mita which was just an hour north of Nuevo Vallarta where we were staying, closer by four miles than from Puerto Vallarta.

bird islands

The Marietas Islands were an untouched pair of islands until an innocent Facebook photo went viral. That sparked droves of tourists that destroyed its delicate balance. Fortunately, the local environmental protection authorities commissioned scientific studies and the help of environmental advocates. Now they are once again available but in a very controlled manner.

Bill snorkeled at the smaller Round Island with most of those on our motorboat as long as they did not go beyond the yellow buoys that demarcated it. On the other hand, I went down to explore the “hidden beach” on Long Island where we were allowed to land as long as we were barefoot. But the real Hidden Beach (Lovers Beach) on Round Island is the main attraction. Only 116 people per day can enter it if they can swim through a 50-foot-long small tunnel carved by the sea through the rock that leads to the beach on a crater. I didn’t know how to swim and Bill did not want to go without me.

humpback whales

Since it was March, humpback whales were still in the bay. They come in December to give birth to their calves. And we saw two such whales, one on the way to and then another on the way back from the islands. There were also instagrammable features like the Lion Head. The islands are a protected bird reserve, too, and many are white with bird poop. They are home to the world-famous Galapagos Blue-footed booby and large frigate birds.

Sayulita

Sayulita

Sayulita is a beach town that was declared a Magico Pueblo in 2015. This program is led by Mexico’s Secretariat of Tourism designating towns in the country that give its visitors a “magical experience by reason of natural beauty, cultural richness, traditions, folklore, historical relevance, cuisine, arts & crafts, and hospitality.” 

Sayulita began as six or seven little houses whose inhabitants worked for the Jaltemba farm that extracted coconut oil from the ubiquitous palm trees of the region. The oil was shipped from the small port of Sayulita.

In 1936, the land was expropriated by the government and the ejido was born. In the forties, coconut production declined considerably and the locals resorted to agriculture and fishing. In 1965 a highway was built and with it, tourism was born because the waves at the beach are ideal for surfing. A few years later, an expansion and tourism development project paved streets and rebuilt a pretty town square. Soon shops and eateries flourished  It also became a center of Huichol arts and crafts. Sayulita has become a backpackers’ paradise. It was a wow experience to descend upon streets all bedecked with banderitas.

San Sebastian del Oeste

Aside from the bay, the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range also provides more to be explored in the area. The former mining town of San Sebastián del Oeste was declared a Magico Pueblo in 2011. It was founded in 1605 during the early Spanish colonial period. More than 25 mines and a number of foundries produced gold, silver, and lead that were sent directly to Spain. In its heyday, the population was 20,000. Today, it is 700, all involved in tourism. Recent road improvements reduced transit time from Puerto Vallarta to less than 2 hours. From our hotel in Nuevo Vallarta, it was an hour and a half.

San Sebastian del Oeste

This mountain town’s well-preserved historical character gives a visitor a magical experience. The Church of Saint Sebastian, whose original construction was in 1608, was designed in the colonial Spanish Baroque style with Corinthian columns and ceiling vault frescos. City structures, built of cut red and white stone and/or adobe in the 19th and earlier centuries, remain unchanged. Bridges, including the curved Puente, are made of stone and the streets, of cobblestones. It is reminiscent of Old Spain with narrow alleys and old haciendas that have been restored in recent decades as hotels, restaurants, and stores. In the middle of town is a lovely Square with a quaint gazebo. We loved the authentic Mexican food served in its restaurants.

Canopy River

the infinity pool at Canopy River

The Direccion Turismo office in the Zona Romantica urged us to visit Canopy River, a private extreme adventure company carved out of the Sierra Madres where the Rio Cuale that flows through downtown Puerto Vallarta originates. It is a great place for ziplining, rappelling, ATV rides through the Jorullo Bridge, reputedly the longest suspension bridge in the world, horseback riding, hiking, and even diving and swimming in a pristine waterfall. Septuagenarians like us could not do any of these things anymore but we loved the late lunch at their expansive native hut of a restaurant overlooking the exclusive and magical infinity pool in the mountains. We loved our time, the food, and drinks there.

These day-trips complete the reasons why PV wins many hearts. Now you can understand why many people even opt to stay.  

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