Start here
Adventure & Nature
The sierra begins where the beach ends
Within a few kilometres you go from warm water to mountain jungle. Trails that leave from the sea and climb along rivers, ziplines over the canopy, and coves you can only reach by boat or on foot. You sleep near the trailhead, so you can start early.
Start here
Where to stay
Homes and villas chosen for this trip.
We're still adding homes for this trip.
Nothing with this character is published yet. Tell us the dates you have in mind and we'll let you know the moment something fits.
Start here
What to do
Experiences that sit well with this trip.
December to March
Humpback Whale Encounter
Every winter, humpback whales travel thousands of miles to give birth in the warm, protected water of Banderas Bay. A small-boat morning with a marine guide who reads behaviour rather than chases it — you keep a respectful distance, and the bay does the rest.
Custom Quote
Marietas Islands
A protected national park of volcanic islets where blue-footed boobies nest and the water turns an improbable clear blue. Access is capped by the park authority, so the day is planned around the permit — which is precisely what has kept it worth visiting.
Custom Quote
Los Arcos Snorkelling
Granite arches rising out of the water a few minutes south of the city, with a wall that drops away into deep blue. It is the closest thing Vallarta has to an aquarium you can swim in, and it works just as well for a first-timer as for someone with a hundred dives behind them.
Custom Quote
Boca de Tomatlán to Colomitos
A coastal path through jungle that opens, without warning, onto what is often called the smallest beach in Mexico. It is a short walk with real footing, and it ends somewhere you can only otherwise reach by water.
Custom Quote
Sierra Madre Canopy & Suspension Bridges
The mountains behind Vallarta are steep, green and much less visited than the coast. A day of suspension bridges and zip lines over a river canyon, with time to swim where the water pools.
Custom Quote
July to December
Sea Turtle Release
Olive ridley turtles nest along this coast from summer into autumn, and protected camps collect the nests before the tide and the dogs get to them. Releasing hatchlings at dusk is a short, quiet thing that children remember for years.
Custom Quote
Other trips
