843 Best Sights in Mexico

The most accessible beach at Punta de Mita and considered to be surf central is El Anclote, whose name means "the big anchorage." Just a few minutes past the gated entrance to the tony Four Seasons and St. Regis hotels, the popular beach has a string of restaurants—once simple shacks but today of increasing sophistication and price. This is a primo spot for viewing a sunset. The surf is calmed by several rock jetties and is shallow for quite a way out, so it's a good spot for children and average to not-strong swimmers; however, the jetties have also robbed sand from the beach. There's a long, slow wave for beginning surfers; you can rent boards and take lessons from outfitters in town. Most of the jewelry and serape sellers and fishermen looking for customers have moved—or been moved—off the beach to more official digs in buildings along the same strip or facing the Four Seasons. Accessible from El Anclote (or the adjacent town of Corral del Risco), more than half a dozen great surf spots pump year-round; most are accessible only by boat. Punta de Mita is the northernmost point of Banderas Bay, about 40 km (25 mi) north of Puerto Vallarta. Facilities: Fishing, snorkeling, surfing, paddle surfing; food concessions, showers, parking. Best for: snorkeling; surfing; sunset.

You know how in New York they reserved a huge piece of much-coveted land for Central Park? Well, something like that happened in Puerto Vallarta with the Estero El Salado. This estuary right in the middle of the city has been declared a protected area featuring spectacular examples of biodiversity. Boat tours go deep into El Salado from Tuesday to Saturday at 11 am and 3 pm. Get ready to see plenty of crocodiles up close and personal in their natural habitat, as well as a variety of birds and impressive vegetation. There is a museum and a tower offering stunning views of the estuary and the city. Call or write ahead (via the website) to book a tour.

Officially known as Nuevo Vallarta Norte, Flamingos, as called by locals, is the only beach in the Riviera Nayarit holding the coveted international Blue Flag certification. Located between Nuevo Vallarta and Bucerías, Flamingos is a string of relatively new hotels facing the broad, brown-sand beach that is virtually identical to those of its neighbors to the north and south. Shacks on the sand rent water-sports equipment, while showers serve to clean up guests returning to their high-rise, mainly all-inclusive hotels. At the south end of the beach, driftwood and the occasional scurrying crab are more obvious than in the manicured areas by the hotels. As one approaches Nuevo Vallarta, elaborate homes begin to spring up like solitary mushrooms, inhabited by those who can afford and desire privacy. Facilities: Boogie boards, banana-boat rides, Jet Skis, parasailing; lifeguard, restrooms, showers, food concessions, beachclub, handicap accessible. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing.

Since Jacques Cousteau pointed out the amazing biodiversity of this pair of small islands, they've been designated a protected area by the Mexican government and have become a must for snorkelers and divers who favor the relatively clear waters and abundance of fish and coral. In winter, especially January through March, these islands, about a half hour offshore from El Anclote, are also a good place to spot orcas and humpback whales, which come to mate and give birth. Las Marietas is the destination for fishing, diving, and snorkeling; in addition, sea-life-viewing expeditions set out from El Anclote and Corral de Risco as well as from points up and down Banderas Bay. Don't miss the Love Beach, a secluded stretch of sand only accessible by swimming or snorkeling; the legend says that it was created during a weapon test by the Mexican army, which made a hole in the island and created a unique beach. Truth or not, it's a piece of beauty. Facilities: None. Best for: snorkeling; solitude; swimming.

Contiguous with Guayabitos, at the north end of the Jaltemba Bay, La Peñita has fewer hotels and a beach that's often abandoned save for a few fishermen. Its name means "little rock." The center for area business, La Peñita has banks, shoe stores, and ice cream shops; a typical market held each Thursday offers knock-off CDs, polyester clothing, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Facilities: None. Best for: walking; swimming.

About 8 km (5 mi) north of San Pancho, Lo de Marcos is a humble town of quiet, wide streets. It fills up on weekends and holidays with Mexican families renting the bungalow-style motel rooms that predominate; a few RV parks on the beach attract long-term snowbirds. The town's main beach is flat and dark, but the sand is generally clean. There are small waves, not big enough for surfing but just right for splashing around. A small restaurant on the beach serves sodas, snacks, and the usual seafood suspects. Note that the once-popular playas Las Minitas and Los Venados are closed for private development. Facilities: Food concessions. Best for: walking; swimming.

Between the beaches of Quimixto and Yelapa and about 35 minutes by boat from Boca de Tomatlán, this small beach is the playground of people on day tours and guests of the exclusive Majahuitas Resort. There are no services for the average José; the lounge chairs and toilets are for hotel guests only. Palm trees shade the white beach of broken, sea-buffed shells. The blue-green water is clear, and there's sometimes good snorkeling around the rocky shore. Facilities: None. Best for: snorkeling; swimming.

Mandinga is 8 km (5 mi) south of Boca del Río, and is less frequented by tourists.

This group of small islands laying just in front of Punta Mita at the northern end of Banderas Bay has been called "the most idyllic bomb site," because they were once used for military testing by the Mexican government. But the incredible caves created by the bombings are now the delight of tourists. Today the islands are protected, declared an area of great biodiversity by world-famous oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. Only a 20-minute boat trip away from Punta Mita, here you can practice snorkeling, scuba diving, and paddle surfing, and visit "Love Beach," a hidden artificial beach only accesible for those willing to get off the boat and swim to reach it. During winter season, a visit to the islands almost certainly guarantees a glimpse of humpback whales rejoicing in the warm waters of Banderas Bay.

Also referred to as either Mercado Zona Rosa or Mercado Londres, this is the neighborhood's large crafts market. Vendors here can be aggressive, calling you to their stalls with promises of low prices (which you may or may not find). Opposite the market's Londres entrance is Plaza del Angel, a small, upscale shopping mall, the halls of which are crowded by antiques vendors on weekends.

South of Playa Mora on Tenacatita Bay, this beach (whose name means "Mouth of the Iguanas") of fine gray-blond sand is wide and flat, and it stretches for several kilometers. Gentle waves make it great for swimming, boogie boarding, and snorkeling, but beware the undertow. Some enthusiasts fish from shore. It's a great place for jogging or walking on the beach, as there's no slope. There are a couple of beach restaurants and an RV park here. The entrance is at Km 17. The place goes completely bananas every year during one weekend in August when the International Beach Festival Boca de Iguanas takes place. Facilities: Snorkeling; camping facilities, restrooms, showers, food concessions. Best for: swimming; snorkeling; surfing.

Eight kilometers (5 miles) north of Nuevo Vallarta, the substantial town of Bucerías attracts flocks of snowbirds, and this has encouraged the establishment of rental apartments and good restaurants. The surf is usually gentle enough for swimming, and a small shore break is sometimes suitable for body surfing. Beginning surfers occasionally arrive with their longboards. It's Banderas Bay's chosen beach for kite surfing, and hosts the largest national tournament of this sport in May. Backed by a fringe of beautiful coconut palms, the long beach is wide enough that it remains viable even at high tide. There are beautiful views of the arms of blue Banderas Bay to the north and south. The town is divided by an arroyo (dry river bed). On the north side, small shops face the main street, Avenida del Pacífico, while restaurants face the beach; many have tables on the sand. As the bay curves north toward La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, these businesses soon give way to small hotels, condo complexes, and single-family homes. If you have a car, parking is easiest south of the arroyo, where streets off the main beach access road, Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas, dead-end at the beach. From the south end of Bucerías you can walk all the way south to the Nayarit–Jalisco state line, created by the Ameca River. This walk of several hours takes you past the high-rise hotel developments at Flamingos and Nuevo Vallarta. Bucerías beach has been recently certificated by the federal government as a "Clean Beach." Facilities: Food concessions, restrooms, lifeguard, trash bins. Best for: walking; swimming; windsurfing.

About 11 km (6½ mi) south of Bahía Chamela, this beach is named for the careyes (hawksbill) turtles that lay eggs here. It's a lovely soft-sand beach framed by headlands. When the water's not too rough, snorkeling is good around the rocks, where you can also fish. There's a small restaurant at the north end of the beach, and often you can arrange to go out with a local fisherman (about $25 per hour). Water-loving birds can be spotted around the lagoon that forms at the south end of the bay. Facilities: Birding, fishing, snorkeling; food concessions. Best for: swimming; snorkeling.

A sylvan beach with no services lies down a rutted dirt road about 82 km (50 miles) south of El Tuito and 115 km (70 miles) south of PV. The road is negotiable only by high-clearance passenger cars and smallish RVs. The reward for 8 km (5 miles) of bone-jarring travel is a beautiful rocky point, Punta Chalacatepec, with a sweep of protected white-sand beach to the north that's perfect for swimming and bodysurfing. There's a fish camp here, so you may find some rather scraggly-looking dudes on this isolated beach. Admire the tidal pools at the point during low tide. Take a walk along the open-ocean beach south of the point, where waves crash more dramatically and discourage swimming. To get here, turn toward the beach at the town of José María Morelos (at Km 88). Just after 8 km (5 miles), leave the main road (which bears right) and head to the beach over a smaller track. From here it's less than 1½ km (1 mile) to the beach. At this writing, an airport was being built near the county seat, Tomatlán, and the beach was slated for hotels not yet named. Facilities: None. Best for: swimming; surfing; walking.

Ten minutes north of Sayulita is the town of San Francisco, known to most people by its nickname, San Pancho. Its beach stretches between headlands to the north and south and is accessed at the end of the town's main road, Avenida Tercer Mundo. At the end of this road, on the beach, a couple of casual restaurants have shaded café tables on the sand where locals and visitors congregate. You'll sometimes see men fishing from shore with nets as you walk the 1½-km-long (1-mile-long) stretch of coarse beige sand. There's an undertow that should discourage less-experienced swimmers. A small reef break sometimes generates miniature waves for surfing (especially in September), but this isn't a surf spot. In fact the undertow and the waves, which are too big for family splashing and too small for surfing, have probably helped maintain the town's innocence—until now. Popular with a hip crowd, San Pancho has just a few hotels but a growing number of good restaurants. Facilities: Food concessions, showers, toilets. Best for: surfing; walking; sunset.

The increasingly popular town and beach of Sayulita is about 45 minutes north of PV on Carretera 200, just about 19 km (12 mi) north of Bucerías and 35 km (22 mi) north of the airport. Despite the growth, this small town is still laid-back and retains its surfer-friendly vibe. Fringed in lanky palms, Sayulita's curvaceous beach hugs the small bay. A decent shore break here is good for beginning or novice surfers; the left point break is more challenging. Skiffs on the beach have good rates for surfing or fishing safaris in area waters, and you can rent surfboards and snorkeling gear. Facilities: Fishing, snorkeling, surfing; food concessions, restrooms, showers. Best for: surfing; partiers; walking.

On this crescent of soft, gold sand half a mile long, kids play in the shallow water while their parents float in the calm green water without a care. Cold drinks and so-so food are served at several seafood shacks on the sand. Protected by the Piedra Blanca headland to the north, the beach is at the northernmost edge of the town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. Named for a cross made of superresilient wood (huanacaxtle, which translates to "ear pod," "elephant ear," or "monkey ear tree"), most people simply call the town "La Cruz." What was a rough little fishing village now has a 400-slip private marina aptly named Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz (www.marinarivieranayarit.com). It was launched in 2008 as part of the Riviera Nayarit development plan. Like it or not, homey La Cruz is growing and becoming more sophisticated. Facilities: Beach umbrellas, boating, fishing, inner tubes; food concessions, parking. Best for: walking; sunset.

This beautiful, 2-km-long (1-mi-long) beach is little more than a kilometer (half a mile) in from the highway, near the southern edge of Bahía de Tenacatita, 193 km (120 mi) south of PV and 25 km (15½ mi) north of Barra de Navidad (at Km 14). Informal hotels and restaurants are interspersed with small businesses and modest houses along the town's main street. Rocks dot the gray-gold sands and edge both ends of the wide beach; facing the sand are attractive, unpretentious vacation homes favoring a Venetian palate of ochre and brick red. The bay is calm. At the beach road's north end, gigantic, rubbery-looking crocodiles lie heaped together just out of harm's way in a mangrove swamp. The fishing here is excellent; boat owners on the beach can take you out for snapper, sea bass, and other pescado for $20–$25 an hour. Facilities: Fishing; food concessions. Best for: swimming; walking; sunset.

There's lots to do besides sunbathe at this beach and town 15 minutes south of Boca de Tomatlán. Framed in oak, coconut, and pink-flowering amapa trees, the brown-sand beach is named "The Souls" because pirate graves were reportedly located here many years ago. Along the 1-km-long (½-mi-long) beach are piles of smooth, strange rocks looking an awful lot like petrified elephant poo. Because of its very shallow waters, Las Animas is often referred to as la playa de los niños (children's beach), and it tends to fill up with families on weekends and holidays. They come by water taxi or as part of half- or full-day bay cruises. Five or six seafood eateries line the sand; a few will lend their clients volleyballs to use on sand courts out front. You can also rent Jet Skis, ride a banana boat, or soar up into the sky behind a speedboat while dangling from a colorful parachute. Facilities: Banana-boat rides, boating, Jet Skis, parasailing; food concessions. Best for: swimming; walking; sunset.

Playa los Ayala has a level beach, mild surf, and an excellent view of Isla del Coral, to which glass-bottom boats ferry passengers for about $9 (100 pesos) per person. There are small hotels and plenty of seaside palapas for shade and basic sustenance. On weekends, holidays, and in high season take a ride on a banana boat; most any time you can find a skiff owner to take you to Playa Frideritas or Playa del Toro, two pretty beaches for bathing that lie around the headland to the south and are accessible only by boat. You can walk, however, over the hill at the south end of the beach to a seafood restaurant on a small scallop of beach called Playa Frideras. Facilities: Banana-boat rides, boating; food concessions. Best for: swimming; walking.

Thirty-eight kilometers (23 miles) down a passable road from El Tuito, this gorgeous beach is several miles long, embraced on either end by a rocky point. The sand is grainy but clean and slopes down to meet the rough to semirough surf. Despite the slope of the beach, this is a great place for a long walk or shore fishing. In late summer and fall there's a turtle camp where volunteers protect the eggs of the black and olive Ridley turtles that nest here. The Hotel de Mayto has rooms at modest prices and offers massage; next door, the friendly folks of El Rinconcito have a small store and a few rooms to rent as well as four-wheelers and horses (200 pesos per hour for either). Facilities: ATVs, horseback riding, kayaking; food concessions, camping. Best for: solitude; walking; sunset.

Twenty-one kilometers (13 mi) south of La Manzanilla, Bahía de Navidad represents the end of the Costalegre at the border with Colima State. First up (from north to south) is San Patricio–Melaque, the coast's most populous town, with about 12,000 people. (It's actually two towns that have now met in the middle.) While parts of town look dilapidated or abandoned, its long, coarse-white-sand beach is beautiful and has gentle waves. Restaurants, small hotels, homes, and tall palms line the beach, which slopes down to the water. About 5 km (3½ mi) east of Barra de Navidad, which shares Navidad Bay, Melaque's beach curves around for several kilometers to end in a series of jagged rocks poking from the water. If you plop down in a seat under a shade umbrella its owner will soon show up. Pay about $5 and stay as long as you like. Fishermen here will take anglers out in search of dorado, tuna, wahoo, swordfish, mackerel, and others. The best swimming and boogie boarding are about half the length of town, in front of El Dorado restaurant.Facilities: Banana-boat rides, boogie boarding, fishing, Jet Skis, kayaking, snorkeling, beach umbrellas. Best for: surfing; swimming; snorkeling.

Near the north end of Playa Tenacatita, this pretty stretch of sand has a coral reef close to the beach, making it an excellent place to snorkel. Local fishermen take interested parties out on their boats, either fishing for tuna, dorado, or bonita or searching for wildlife such as dolphins and turtles. Facilities: Fishing, snorkeling; food concessions. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; walking.

Also on Bahía de Chamela, this lovely beach is fringed in lanky coconut palms and backed by blue foothills. There are camping and RV accommodations and plenty of opportunities for shore fishing, swimming, and snorkeling. Almost every pretty beach in Mexico has its own humble restaurant; this one is no exception. Facilities: Fishing, snorkeling; camping facilities, food concessions. Best for: swimming; snorkeling; walking.

The handful of islands just off lovely Bahía de Chamela, about 131 km (81 mi) south of PV, protects the beaches from strong surf. The best place on the bay for swimming is wide, flat Playa Perula (turnoff at Km 76, then 3 km [2 mi] on dirt road), in the protective embrace of a cove just below the Punta Perula headland. Fishermen there take visitors out to snorkel around the islands (about $45 for up to 10 people) or to hunt for dorado, tuna, and mackerel (about $23 per hour for one to four people); restaurants on the soft beige sand sell the same as fresh fillets and ceviche. Facilities: Fishing, snorkeling; food concessions. Best for: swimming; snorkeling.

Named for the bay on which it lies, Tenacatita is a lovely beach of soft sand about 34 km (20 mi) north of San Patricio–Melaque and 172 km (106 mi) south of PV. Dozens of identical seafood shacks line the shore; birds cruise the miles of beach, searching for their own fish. Waves crash against clumps of jagged rocks at the north end of the beach, which curves gracefully around to a headland. The water is sparkling blue. There's camping for RVs and tents at Punta Hermanos, where the water is calm and good for snorkeling, and local men offer fishing excursions ($50–$60 for one to four people) and tours of the mangroves ($27). Of the string of restaurants on the beach, we recommend La Fiesta Mexicana.Facilities: Fishing, snorkeling; camping facilities, food concessions. Best for: swimming; snorkeling; walking.

Here, you can walk south from Playa Careyes along the dunes, although guards protect sea turtle nests by barring visitors during the summer and fall nesting seasons. A road from the highway at Km 49.5 gains access to Playa Teopa by car; ask the guard for permission to enter this way, as you'll need to pass through private property to gain access to the beach. Facilities: None. Best for: swimming; walking.

On 20 acres of land 19 km (12 miles) south of town, the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens features more than 3,000 species of plants. Set within the tropical dry forest at 1,300 feet above sea level, its trails lead to a stream where you can swim. You can also see palm, agave, and rose gardens; a tree fern grotto; an orchid house; and displays of Mexican wildflowers and carnivorous plants. There is free parking and a free guided tour daily at 1 pm, from December through Easter. The lovely, open-sided Hacienda de Oro restaurant serves an array of starters as well as pizza and Mexican dishes. Beverages include wine and a full bar. Visit the website to arrange a four-hour birding (via ATV) or hiking tour with lunch, for $85 per person. A taxi here will cost about $20, but for less than a dollar, you can take the "El Tuito" bus from the corner of Aguacate and Venustiano Carranza streets. Slather on insect repellent before you go, and take some with you. This is the jungle, and jejenes (no-see-ums), mosquitoes, and other biting bugs will definitely attack.

Between the sandy stretches of Las Ánimas and Majahuitas, and about 20 minutes by boat from Boca de Tomatlán, Quimixto has a narrow, rocky shoreline that attracts few bathers. Tour boats stop here, and their clients usually have a meal at one of the seafood eateries facing the beach. Horses by the dozens are standing by to take passengers to Quimixto Falls (about $13 round-trip). It's only slightly longer than the 25-minute ride to walk there. You can bathe at the base of the energetic falls; the pool is enclosed by sheer rock walls. Be careful of the current during the rainy season, when the water crashing into the pool tends to push swimmers toward the rock walls. Before proceeding to the falls, have a cool drink at the casual restaurant; consuming something is obligatory to gain access. During stormy weather or a full moon there's a fun, fast wave at Quimixto's reef, popular with surfers but, because of its inaccessibility, rarely crowded. Facilities: Horseback riding, surfing; food concessions, toilets. Best for: surfing; walking.

A little over a mile north of Los Ayala along the highway, Guayabitos bustles with legions of Mexican families on weekends and holidays; foreigners take up residence during the winter months. The main street, Avenida Nuevo Sol, has modest hotels, inexpensive restaurants, and scores of shops that all seem to sell the same cheap bathing suits and plastic beach toys. One block closer to the sea are more hotels along with some vacation homes right on the sand. Colorfully painted stands on the beach sell fresh chilled fruit and coconuts; others serve up fresh grilled fish on the cheap. This lovely beach bounded by headlands and the ocean is tranquil and perfectly suited for swimming. You can also arrange turtle and whale-watching excursions as well as boat rides to explore the coast or to Isla del Coral, just offshore. The boatmen who ferry passengers for a few hours' sunbathing on Isla del Coral may fail to mention that the restaurant there opens only in high season. Although there's usually a lady or two on the sand selling ceviche, bring a picnic lunch just in case. Facilities: Boating, fishing, snorkeling; food concessions. Best for: swimming; snorkeling; walking.