Banderas Bay, beginning to end.
Sunset sails and hidden-beach snorkels, taco walks through the Zona Romantica, ATV runs into the Sierra Madre and the long boat out to Yelapa. What each one is really like, what it costs, and where to book.
Seven you won’t regret booking.
First trip or fifth, these carry the week: the all-inclusive catamaran everyone talks about, the downtown taco tour that wins its own awards, and the ATV run over the El Jorullo bridge.
Mega Yacht ALL INCLUSIVE Yelapa Waterfall & Snorkeling Adventure
All-inclusive Mega Yacht cruise from Puerto Vallarta to Yelapa Waterfall plus snorkeling and water toys, with an open bar and fajita lunch.
From $117 per person
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★ 5.0Books out fastFood & Mixology Tour:Tequila,Tacos, Mezcal and Agave CocktailsFrom $981,884 reviews
★ 5.0Traveller favouriteOutdoor Ziplining, Waterfalls & Speed boat in Puerto VallartaFrom $1291,796 reviews
★ 4.5Crowd favouriteRhythms of the night, Sunset Cruise, Candlelit Dinner & Alma Show1,667 reviews
★ 4.5Sells out earlyBoat and Snorkel Tour to 5 Islands of Los ArcosFrom $481,176 reviews
★ 5.0Easy yesPrivate Tour: Puerto Vallarta ATV AdventureFrom $1181,100 reviews
★ 5.0Worth the early startMarietas Islands Snorkel Tour & Hidden BeachFrom $99981 reviews
One boat, the whole bay.
Catch the morning panga out to the Marietas, drop through the sea cave onto the hidden beach, then snorkel the reef and eat lunch off the transom. The pelicans keep pace the whole way. This is the day people fly in for.
Which boat day is yours?
Nearly everyone books a day on the water; the right one depends on your crew. Three ways to do it, from the all-inclusive party deck to the quiet cove nobody can drive to. Pick the one that sounds like you, and every option behind it is already priced.
All aboard
The party catamaran
5 hours (approx.) · from $120 · 3,786 reviews
Open bar from the moment you step on, music, a waterslide off the top deck, and a beach stop for lunch. Big boat, big group, all-inclusive. The classic Banderas Bay day out when the point is to switch off and let the crew run it.
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Mask on
The snorkel run
6 hours (approx.) · from $117 · 2,515 reviews
A smaller boat, the pinnacles at Los Arcos, and the reef around the Marietas where the water turns glass-clear. Cliff jumps if you want them, calm coves if you do not. For the day the water itself is the whole point.
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Off the grid
The cove escape
6 hours (approx.) · from $117 · 2,515 reviews
No road reaches Yelapa, Las Animas or Quimixto, so the only way in is by water. A jungle waterfall behind the village, a long beach lunch, and the south shore that most day trips never see. For travellers who want the quiet end of the bay.
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The bay glows once the sun drops.
Rhythms of the Night runs a boat across to a cove with no electric light, candles and a fire show under the stars. Back in town the Zona Romantica fills up for tacos after dark and a mezcal flight. The best nights here start on the water.
Tacos are a full itinerary.
Puerto Vallarta eats late and eats well. A guide walks you from birria stand to al pastor trompo through the old town, with mezcal and agave cocktails between stops. If you book three food hours here, book these.
Engines, cables, canyon air.
The Sierra Madre climbs straight up behind the bay. Ride a RZR to the El Jorullo suspension bridge, clip onto a canopy line above the river, and finish with a raicilla pour at a mountain palapa. Wear shoes you can lose to the mud.
Pueblos, a day at a time.
Sayulita for the surf breaks and the papel picado over the streets, San Sebastian del Oeste for cobblestones and a silver-town that time forgot up in the mountains, Punta de Mita for the point and the whales offshore. Each one is a morning’s drive and a different Mexico.
Pick your corner of the bay.
The coast works in pockets, and each one is a day. The Marietas for the reef and the sea cave. Sayulita for the surf. The Malecon for sunset and the sculptures. Yelapa for the waterfall you reach by boat.
Know your kind of day?
Twelve ways to spend one on the bay. Pick the one that sounds like you, and every option behind it is already reviewed and priced.
A tank of gas, a new town.
The highway north follows the coast into Riviera Nayarit and the road east climbs into the Sierra. Surf towns, a colonial silver village, a Sunday market and a beach point are all a morning’s drive from the bay.
Three days, one bay.
You can’t do all of Banderas Bay in one trip; you can absolutely do the right three days. This is the sequence we’d hand a friend landing at the PVR airport tomorrow.
Day 1
Settle into the old town
The Malecon sculptures and the church with the crown, tacos through the Zona Romantica, then sunset from the Los Muertos pier. Easy pace, feet on cobblestones.
Plan day one →
Day 2
A day on the water
Morning boat to Los Arcos or the Marietas, snorkel the pinnacles, lunch on a hidden beach, then a sunset sail back across the bay with a drink in hand.
Plan day two →
Day 3
Up into the Sierra
An ATV or zipline morning over the El Jorullo bridge and a waterfall swim, or the long boat south to Yelapa. Save the tequila tasting for the ride down.
Plan day three →
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