If you’ve just booked your vacation in Puerto Vallarta, and you’ve never been before, then you’ll probably want to know just what activities there are to do in the city that will make your vacation special. Well Puerto Vallarta is a hot tourist spot for many reasons: the beaches, the weather, and the huge amount of wonderful attractions that are freely available in the area. If you don’t know too much about the city then you should read this blog post in full because here you’ll find a list of our top 10 activities and day trips in Puerto Vallarta.
Recommended Activities in Puerto Vallarta
- Sport Fishing
The sport fishermen in your party will be itching to get out on the water when they hear that species like Marlin, Red Snapper, Tuna, Sailfish and Dorado fish are common to the area. You can take a charter boat out, or pay for an established tour to take you out, but either way you’ll have a “whale” of a time. Just try not to catch one!
- Pirate Ship Antics
For the best pirate fun and activities on Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta’s replica pirate galleon (modelled on the Santa Maria, which was Columbus’s flagship in the 17th century) will take you out on both day and night time cruises. The Marigalante is undoubtedly one of the most popular waterborne activities in Puerto Vallarta and is known for its family friendly shows which include music, food and acrobatics!
- Whale Time (Nov – Mar)
If you’re lucky enough to be in Puerto Vallarta during the winter months then you’ll have the opportunity to see some of nature’s most majestic water dwelling mammals: whales. From November to March these wonderful creatures can be found off the Pacific coast of Mexico and there are plenty of licensed companies who will be happy to take you out to see them up close. Whale watching activities should be top of your list.
- Malecon Fun
The Malecon boardwalk in Puerto Vallarta is historic and well loved, but has recently been given an architectural face-lift (so to speak) that has been nothing but beneficial. Now you can enjoy those phenomenal sunrises and sunsets from the boardwalk with the benefit of plenty of lush fauna to provide color and shade. What’s more there are now spaces for street performers to make use of in the new Malecon. You can see street acrobats, rock balancers and the ever entertaining frozen human statues! You can’t get better than the malecon for a free activity.
- Los Arcos Rocky Formations
The Arcs geological formation is one of Mexico’s most iconic landmarks and it gets literally thousands of visitors a year for many reasons. Firstly because of its great beauty, but also because of the huge amount of wildlife in the area. If you feel like taking part in snorkelling or diving activities you’ll be able to see a huge amount of fish, and from the shore you can see marine mammals as well as migratory birds.
- Dance till Dawn
If you’re a bit of a party animal then Puerto Vallarta will definitely please you and your loved ones. You see whether you want to have a romantic meal on the beach, enjoy a lively night cruise, relax with your friends in a bar, or even get crazy in a club Puerto Vallarta will be able to offer you something to your tastes.
- Las Animas, Yelapa, and Quimixto
If you’d like to know what Puerto Vallarta might have looked like around 100 years ago then you can take a boat out to one of the many secluded fishing villages in the area (most of which can be found southward of the city). Most of these communities are close to the jungle and so make a great base camp for hiking and horseback expeditions.
- Golfing Activities
If you love golf then you really must make time to see the championship standard, world-class courses that are on offer in Puerto Vallarta.
- Rhythms of the Night Cruise
Las Caletas is one of the most popular day trip locations in Puerto Vallarta for activities after the pirate ship show. This secluded, private beach is surrounded by lush jungle and was once home to John Huston! Now, however, you can enjoy a nice, romantic dinner on the beach and watch a show that consists of Pre-Hispanic music, dancing and fire rituals.
- Canopy Activities
The best way to see the jungles and mountains of Puerto Vallarta is definitely from a zip-line. This is a heart racing way to see the sights.