A sylvan beach with no services, Playa Chalacatepec lies down a packed dirt road about 82 km (50 mi) south of El Tuito and 115 km (70 mi) south of Puerto Vallarta. The road to the beach is rutted and negotiable only by high-clearance passenger cars and smallish RVs. The reward for 8 km (5 mi) of bone-jarring travel is a beautiful rocky point, Punta Chalacatepec, with a sweep of protected white-sand beach to the north perfect for swimming, bodysurfing, and hunting for shells. Admire the tidepools at the point during low tide; take a walk of several kilometers along the open-ocean beach south of the point, where waves crash more dramatically, discouraging swimming. To get here, turn right into the town of José María Morelos (at Km 88). Just after 8 km (5 mi), leave the main road (which bears right) and head to the beach over a smaller track. From there it's less than a 1½ km (1 mi) to the beach.
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