Marietas Islands Tours from Puerto Vallarta
The Marietas Islands, a national park off the north of Banderas Bay, are about an hour by boat from Puerto Vallarta. Tours snorkel among the islands and some visit the Hidden Beach.
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Most excursions from Puerto Vallarta go by boat across Banderas Bay: north to the Marietas Islands, south to Los Arcos, Yelapa and Las Caletas. Inland lie hot springs and mountain towns.
The Marietas Islands, a national park off the north of Banderas Bay, are about an hour by boat from Puerto Vallarta. Tours snorkel among the islands and some visit the Hidden Beach.
Los Arcos, rock islets in a protected marine park south of Puerto Vallarta, is the bay's classic snorkeling spot. Full-day boat trips add Las Ánimas beach and the Quimixto waterfall.
Yelapa is a fishing village on the south shore of Banderas Bay, reached by boat from Puerto Vallarta. Tours hike to its waterfall, relax on the beach and snorkel at Majahuitas cove.
Las Caletas is a secluded cove on the south shore of Banderas Bay, once film director John Huston's home and reached only by boat. Days there mix snorkeling, kayaking and intro dives.
Majahuitas is a small cove on the south shore of Banderas Bay, reached only by boat, with a beach club. Days there come by pirate ship or catamaran; some add the Quimixto waterfall.
Mexico's Magical Towns ring Puerto Vallarta: San Sebastián del Oeste, an old silver-mining town, Mascota and Talpa de Allende in the Sierra Madre, Tequila inland and Sayulita.
Guided hikes leave Puerto Vallarta on foot or by local bus: along the coast to hidden beaches and Las Ánimas, up jungle rivers to waterfalls, into the Sierra Madre or to see wild macaws.
Volcanic hot springs lie in the hills inland from Puerto Vallarta, at Nuevo Ixtlán and on a ranch in the Mascota River canyon. Trips pair a soak with a Mexican barbecue or a jungle hike.
The Vallarta Botanical Garden, known for its orchids, sits in the jungle south of Puerto Vallarta near the Los Veranos and Eco Orbit zip-line parks. Trips add a swim in the river.
