The Many Sides of Puerto Vallarta – Riviera Nayarit

Puerto Vallarta has it all, whether it’s surfing, food tours, golfing, or any other adventurous event.  Traveling has a way of bringing out our adventure side.

If we want to lay on the beach and get that perfect tan, try to brave the waves in the water, or do anything else we wouldn’t have the courage to test, if that sounds like you, welcome to Riviera Nayarit, a resort city, of Puerto Vallarta and the seaside state of Nayarit. It features luxurious resorts and spas, charming shops, world-class cuisine, and anything adventurous. Championship golf, surfing, jungle adventures, mountain villages, tropical islands, and whale watching together form the perfect destination to satisfy each of our many travel personalities.

PUEBLO HOPPING

Reserve a day and head into Pueblo Magicos, or magic villages, which are towns in the Sierra Madre known for their beauty and role in the historic city of Sierra Madre, known for its natural beauty, cultural richness, historical relevance, and cuisine. The town retains all its charm, with cobblestone streets lined with stately haciendas, charming squares, and moss-covered buildings.

The town of Bucerias rivals for attention with its colorful architecture, cobblestone streets, tall palms, and white sandy beaches. You don’t want to leave without visiting the open-air market where local artists sell colorful wares.   A few miles up the road, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle is an authentic fishing village with an ultramodern yacht marina. Plan your trip to La Cruz Market on the waterfront with local fishermen selling their daily catch. The variety is remarkable, from fresh-off-the-boat tuna, mahi-mahi, shrimp, lobsters, and oysters.

LUXUARY & LINKS AT PUNTA MITA

In the Pacific is the tiny peninsula of Punta Mita, which offers a down-to-earth variety of charming restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops. Further out on the peninsula, extravagance spills into the sea with 5-star resorts, multi-million-dollar homes, private beach clubs, pristine beaches, and unbeatable views, better known as where celebrities stay—home to Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses. Pacifico course is home to the “Tail of the Whale,” the world’s only natural island golf green. Some call Punta Mita paradise for its natural beauty, luxury living, and the best Mexican hospitality in the world.”

GET IN ON THE ACTION

With the ocean, mountains, and jungle around you, the opportunities for adventure are endless. Scuba diving, paddle boarding, kayaking, ziplining, and all-terrain vehicles it’s easy to satisfy your adrenaline fix. Amstar, an in-destination full-service company, has excursions to cover them all. One of the most intense is their Extreme Adventure excursion, which offers five hours of hair-raising thrills, which includes cruising the jungle in your all-terrain vehicle, indoor skydiving, and a canopy course that provides Mexico’s longest and fastest zipline.

HUICHOL ART

The Huichol people migrated to an area known as Wixarika.  The Huichol people, known for their roots and religious beliefs, are also known for intricate and colorful bead and yarn art.  Each piece has a spititual significance:  jewelry, bowls, masks, animal figures, and wall art.  To visit the Riviera Nayarit without coming across these colorful pieces is impossible.  Some of the best places to buy Huichol art are open markets in towns and villages.

ISLAS MARIETAS: THE MEXICAN GALAPAGOS  

Located just 5 miles off the coast at the entrance to Banderas Bay, the Marietas are home to an incredible wealth of wildlife and over 115 species of fish, jellyfish, sharks, and sting rays. During the winter, it is also the breeding ground for the humpback whale. You’ll find iguanas, lizards, land and sea turtles, and rattlesnakes on land. The islands are also a bird-watching paradise and the breeding ground for more than 90 species, including the comical blue-footed booby.

As impressive as it is, the star attraction is the Playa del Amor, also known as Hidden Beach. Ironically, Love Beach is the result of Mexican military explosives testing that left massive craters on the islands. Invisible from the outside, swimming through an archway and tunnel is the only way to get in. It may not be easy to get to, but you’ll find it even harder to leave.

WHALE BREACHING AND TURTLE BREEDING

Riviera Nayarit has numerous opportunities for you to bask in nature.  The waters of Banderas Bay are home to hundreds of fish species and a significant breeding ground for the humpback whale.  About 680 humpbacks migrate from Northern California and British Columbia to Puerto Vallarta for mating and calving.  The population peaks from December through January.  The best way to see a whale is with an experience guide.  Amstar offers a Whale Photo Safari, a three-hour adventure in a small inflatable boat to get a portrait-quality shot.

From Playa de Los Muertos in Puerto Vallarta to Sayulita in the north and beyond, thousands of turtles visit these beaches every summer to lay their eggs.  And 45 days later, the babies hatch and begin their dramatic journey to the sea.  Today, the Puerto Vallarta Sea Turtle Conservation Program collects the eggs and takes them to hatcheries until they are released.  Tourists can participate in night or morning patrols and spotting where the nests have been placed.  Once they have hatched at sunset you can join in the release process and watch the flotilla of tiny turtles scuttle down the beach and into the ocean.

SURF’S UP

Some of the best surfing in the world starts at Punta Mita, where you’ll find good surfing and a wave year-round that suits your level. 

The town of Sayulita has something for everyone and every level.  From beginner-size waves at Playa de Los Muertos to monster rolls on the outskirts, regardless of your level, you will find It here. Located further up the coast, San Blas is reserved for the more experienced surfer. Here, the Guinness Book of World Records registered as the most extended surfable wave in the world.

EAT LIKE A LOCAL

Forget your preconceived notions of Mexican food. Riviera Nayarit didn’t become a world-class food destination by serving only tacos and burritos. The area produces coconuts, beans, corn, and wheat, and it’s also the largest producer of bananas, mangos, and sugar cane in Mexico. The rich waters of the Pacific add every type of fish and seafood imaginable. Up and down the coast, young c Forget your preconceived notions of Mexican food. Riviera Nayarit didn’t become a world-class food destination by serving only tacos and burritos. The area produces coconuts, beans, corn, and wheat, and it’s also the largest producer of bananas, mangos, and sugar cane in Mexico. The rich waters of the Pacific add every type of fish and seafood imaginable. Up and down the coast, young chefs serve a cuisine that always surprises and delights.

In Puerto Vallarta, the recently opened Food Park is an eclectic selection of a dozen trucks and converted containers selling everything from fresh sushi and seafood to tacos, ceviche, burgers, pizza, coffee, and drinks. The food is excellent, usually live music and a friendly atmosphere or romantic beachfront dining.    

No matter what you choose, don’t leave Riviera Nayarit without trying its most famous dish, Huachinango Zaradeado, marinated red snapper grilled over coals. Fresh off the boat, grilled, and served on the beach, nothing is better. For a sweet treat, try cañas asadas or grilled sugarcane. In many towns during the harvest or “safra” (October – June), vendors sell bags of tender, peeled, cooked sugarcane.

Whatever you choose, indulge in all the sides of Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit. One day, it may be paddleboard yoga and shopping: the next, whale watching and ziplining through the jungle. No matter who you wake up to, the evening color transforms when the sun sets fire-engine red, yellow, and orange over the Pacific Ocean; it’s such a beautiful sight it’ll bring you to tears.hefs serve a cuisine that always surprises and delights.

In Puerto Vallarta, the recently opened Food Park is an eclectic selection of a dozen trucks and converted containers selling everything from fresh sushi and seafood to tacos, ceviche, burgers, pizza, coffee, and drinks. The food is excellent, usually live music and a friendly atmosphere or romantic beachfront dining.     

No matter what you choose, don’t leave Riviera Nayarit without trying its most famous dish, Huachinango Zaradeado, marinated red snapper grilled over coals. Fresh off the boat, grilled, and served on the beach, nothing is better. For a sweet treat, try cañas asadas or grilled sugarcane. In many towns during the harvest or “safra,” (October – June), vendors sell bags of tender, peeled, cooked sugarcane.

Whatever you choose, indulge in all the sides of Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit. One day, it may be paddleboard yoga and shopping; the next, whale watching and ziplining through the jungle. No matter who you wake up to, the evening color transforms when the sun sets fire-engine red, yellow, and orange over the Pacific Ocean; it’s such a beautiful sight it’ll bring you to tears.