ATV & Dune Buggy Tours in Puerto Vallarta

There's an increasing number of ATV, dune buggy, and jeep tours heading to the hills around Puerto Vallarta. Sharing a vehicle with a partner means a significant savings. Also take into consideration location; some head south of PV proper, others to the north. Most rides are to small communities, ranches, and rivers north, south, and east of Puerto Vallarta.

Logistics

A valid driver's license and a major credit card are required. Wear lightweight long pants, sturdy shoes, bandanna (some operators provide one as a keepsake) and/or tight-fitting hat, sunglasses, and both sunscreen and mosquito repellent. In rainy season (July-October) it's hotter and wetter—ideal for splashing through puddles and streams; the rest of the year is cooler but dusty. In either season, prepare to get dirty. Four-hour tours go for $75-$120; full-day trips to San Sebastián cost about $165 for one or $175 for two riders.

Outfitters

Adventure ATV Jungle Treks (Basilio Badillo 400, Col. E. Zapata. 322/223-0392) leads daily three-hour dune buggy tours ($120 for one or two riders) and ATV tours ($75 for one rider or $95 for two) that head into the hills behind Vallarta. Convenient to Marina Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta, Best Tours (Orquidia 117, Col. Villa Las Flores. 322/221-3066) runs custom tours in addition to twice-daily, three-hour ATV ($75 one rider, $95 two riders) and dune buggy ($120) tours; kids under 11 ride free with a parent.

Wild Vallarta (322/222-8928; 877/314-9453 from the U.S. and Canada. www.wildvallarta.com) has full-day and half-day tours in Honda four-wheel ATVs and open-frame, five-speed buggies with VW engines. The long and rugged ATV tour to San Sebastián, high in the Sierra, requires some experience, but four-hour trips are fine for beginners. (Consider riding two per ATV for the tequila tasting, solving the drinking-and-driving conundrum if you plan to gulp rather than sip.)

Multi-Adventure Outfitters

Don't see what you want here? Try one of these outfitters, whose multitude of tours includes bird-watching, ATV tours, whale-watching, biking, hot-air ballooning, sailing, and much, much more.

Ecotours (322/223-3130 or 322/222-6606. www.ecotoursvallarta.com). Immersion Adventures (La Manzanilla. 315/351-5341. www.immersionadventures.com).

Tours Soltero (San Patricio Melaque. 315/355-6777. raystoursmelaque@yahoo.com). Vallarta Adventures (322/297-1212 Nuevo Vallarta; 322/221-0657 Marina Vallarta; 888/303-2653 from U.S. and Canada. www.vallarta-adventures.com). Wild Vallarta (322/222-8928; 877/314-9453 from the U.S. and Canada. www.wildvallarta.com).