A long, easy beach on Banderas Bay — and the whole bay within reach

Marietas Islands Boat Tour: Snorkel, Kayak, Playa Nopalera

A full morning or afternoon out to the protected Marietas Islands from the marina at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle — the nearest departure point to Bucerías. The listing includes snorkelling, kayaking and a stop at Playa Nopalera; check whether it includes the Hidden Beach, which has its own limited daily access.

• Departs from La Cruz, about 10 minutes from Bucerías
• Snorkelling and kayaking at the Marietas Islands
• Time on Playa Nopalera

From Nuevo Vallarta: Marietas Islands Hidden Beach Tour

A Marietas Islands tour from Nuevo Vallarta, 15 minutes from Bucerías, focused on the Hidden Beach — the sandy cove inside a collapsed crater that you reach by swimming through a short tunnel. Access is limited and controlled by the national park, so read the conditions on the listing carefully.

• Built around a visit to the Hidden Beach
• Snorkelling around the islands
• More than 80 reviews on GetYourGuide

Catamaran Whale Watching Cruise with Open Bar & Meals

A relaxed catamaran cruise into Banderas Bay during the humpback season, with food and drinks on board. A comfortable choice for families and first-timers. Seasonal — check dates on the listing.

• Humpback whale season, roughly December – March
• Stable catamaran with meals and open bar
• Well reviewed

Puerto Vallarta: Humpback Whale Research Adventure Tour

A whale-watching trip with a research focus: you learn how humpbacks are identified and studied while you watch them. Excellent reviews. Seasonal.

• Learn how researchers study the humpbacks
• Smaller-boat experience
• Rated 5.0

Puerto Vallarta: Baby Turtle Release in Conservation Area

A visit to a sea-turtle conservation area where you learn about the work and, in the nesting season, help release olive ridley hatchlings to the sea. Inexpensive, family-friendly and very well reviewed. Releases depend on nature.

• Visit a turtle conservation camp
• Release hatchlings in season
• Most reviewed experience on our list

Bucerías: Evening Taco Tour with Tastings

An evening food walk through the streets of Bucerías with taco tastings along the way. New on GetYourGuide with no reviews yet, but the only food tour listed in Bucerías itself.

• Taco tastings in Bucerías
• Evening walk through town
• No need to leave Bucerías

Sayulita: Canopy Tours with 13 Zip-Lines & 4 Bridges

A canopy course in the forested hills near Sayulita, with thirteen zip lines and four hanging bridges. Very well reviewed, and easy to combine with an afternoon in Sayulita.

• 13 zip lines and 4 bridges
• Jungle setting near Sayulita
• Rated around 4.9

From Puerto Vallarta: San Pancho & Sayulita Beach Day Trip

An inexpensive guided day to San Pancho and Sayulita. Reviews are mixed, so see it as convenient transport with free time on the beach rather than an in-depth tour.

• Two surf villages in one day
• Budget price
• Mixed reviews — mainly transport and free time

Playa Bucerías

A long, calm beach on the inner bay

Kilometres of soft sand on the sheltered northern shore of Banderas Bay, with gentle water for swimming in the morning and a reliable thermal breeze for kitesurfers on winter afternoons. Palapa restaurants, fishing boats and sunsets over the bay complete the picture.

Bucerías Centro & Art Walk

Cobbled streets, street stalls and galleries

The compact heart of town: the plaza and church, cobbled lanes lined with craft stalls, beachfront restaurants and a cluster of galleries that open for an Art Walk on Thursday evenings in the high season. Small enough to explore on foot in an hour — and to keep coming back to.

Whale Watching in Banderas Bay

Humpbacks from December to March

Every winter, humpback whales migrate to the warm, sheltered waters of Banderas Bay to mate, give birth and raise their calves. From roughly December to March, boats from Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta and La Cruz take visitors out to watch them breach, slap their tails and travel with their young.

Islas Marietas

Protected islands and the famous Hidden Beach

A small group of uninhabited volcanic islands off Punta de Mita, protected as a national park. Tours snorkel around their reefs and caves, watch the seabirds — including blue-footed boobies — and, with limited daily permits, swim through a tunnel to the Hidden Beach inside a collapsed crater.

Sayulita

The surf village with a bohemian streak

A lively surf town about 30–40 minutes north of Bucerías, with a curving beach full of learners, a colourful centre strung with papel picado, cafés, boutiques and a busy nightlife. Named one of Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos, it is the classic day trip up the coast.

La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

Fishing town, marina and Sunday market

Bucerías’ neighbour, ten minutes to the west: a fishing town with a large modern marina, a fish market where the boats sell their catch and, in the winter season, a popular Sunday market. It is also the closest departure point for many Marietas and whale-watching trips.