Puerto Vallarta Beaches and Activities

Almost 25 miles of protected coastline make up Puerto Vallarta Beaches. Ranging from secluded, pristine, white sandy beaches to tropical forests with palm trees that reach the shoreline, there is plenty of variety in the beaches in Puerto Vallarta.

With that variety, Puerto Vallarta beaches offer an endless number of things to do, just about any activity you can think of, on a Puerto Vallarta beach. Take a Jet Ski out and ride the waves, or test your nerve and skill in a kayak or at wind surfing. Explore the many underwater sites, swim among tropical fish, and check out caverns and caves.

Feel at one with the marine mammals by swimming with dolphins in the wild or go whale watching. For thrill seekers there is parasailing from the beach or boat. You can even ride a big yellow banana at Puerto Vallarta beaches! 

Jet Skis-Available at nearly all beaches in Puerto Vallarta. Rented by the half or full hour. State-of-the-art machines in one, two and three people styles as well as Jet boat rentals. 

Kayaking-Combination adventure packages available to kayak river, estuary or bay waters. Many tours stop for snorkeling or swimming at secluded beaches. Meals and transportation included. 

Parasailing-Offered at nearly every one of the Puerto Vallarta beaches in the area. Choose from either beach or boat takeoffs. Enjoy the unique vantage point from the sky as you float above the beach, bay and town. 

Snorkeling / Scuba Diving-There are professional tours for the underwater enthusiast of every skill level. Numerous excursions leave each day to remote locales, underwater marine parks, estuaries, rivers and the open waters. 

Surfing / Windsurfing-The waters off the northern shores of Nayarit offer some of the best surfing in North America. Boards and other gear are located at several surf shops and beach vendors along the coast. 

Puerto Vallarta Beaches


Punta de Mita, the northernmost of our Puerto Vallarta beaches, is located at the northern tip of the Bahia de Banderas, 26 miles from Puerto Vallarta on the Punta Mita Highway. This once remote, beach side-fishing village is now experiencing the opening of the new Four Seasons Punta de Mita Resort.

The beach itself is fairly rocky but offers beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre Mountains that frame the Bay. Sports, tours and amenities off all kinds are available. The area is known as a great surfing beach with excellent snorkeling and diving, especially along the Marietas islands just off the shore, as seen above.

Destiladeras and Los Venaderos are two of the more enjoyable beaches in the northern area. This beautiful beach area comes alive on Sundays when locals bring their families for a day at the shore. Its long shallow shoreline is perfect for body surfing, boogie boarding, surfing and shell collecting. This stretch of white sand beaches is the longest along the Bay of Banderas.

Nuevo Vallarta

The clean white sand beaches here are endless. The beaches of Nuevo Vallarta are located only about 4 miles north of the airport. Activities abound here, where visitors and locals alike can board surf, body surf, wind surf, Jet Ski, water ski, parasail or even ride a big yellow banana.

The hotels and mega resorts of the area offer many amenities including beach side cafes and bars.

The Puerto Vallarta beaches along the Hotel Zone are the most active of the beaches in Puerto Vallarta, stretching south from the municipal marina nearly to the downtown area. This beach fronts many of the hotel resorts of Puerto Vallarta and offers a wide variety of sport activities from para-sailing to banana boat rides as well as beach venders selling everything from Silver to hair beading.

Playa los Muertos - "The Beach of the Dead" - South of downtown, was named for a battle fought a century ago between gold and silver smugglers from the mines of the Rio Cuale and the natives who tried take their stolen bounty from them. At the end of the conflict, the beach was strewn with bodies - hence the name.

Despite its notorious history it remains the most popular beach in town. Los Muertos offers spectacular sunsets that can be enjoyed from upscale beach restaurants to funky jazz joints with night clubbing along the shore. 

Mismaloya The beaches of Mismaloya are probably the most well know Puerto Vallarta beaches, due to the filming of "Night of the Iguana" here in l963. This 500 meter long beach sits at the very edge of the jungle where the Mismaloya creek meets the sea.

The shallow surf makes it a good place to swim and thus popular with families.

There are Jet Ski, para-sails and boat rentals available and so are water taxis to remote beaches. The original movie set is now a restaurant at the far end of the beach and several palapa style eateries line the beach that offer an array of delights for eating and drinking.

Mismaloya beach is located 7 miles south of town on highway 200. The entrance is at the bottom of the hill between The La Jolla de Mismaloya Resort and the bridge.

Majahuitas Beach Located on a remote, secluded cove south of Puerto Vallarta, Majahuitas beach is accessible only by boat, i.e. water taxi.

This idyllic spot has 18 acres of paradise to discover in a private resort setting that offers a "rustic elegance" with full amenities, activities and lodging.

Yelapa, the southern-most of our Puerto Vallarta beaches, is the largest of the remote beaches, accessible only by boat. Tour boats as well as small skiffs or pangas leave for Yelapa daily with afternoon returns. This tiny village is a true escape from civilization. With no electricity or telephones one can really get away from it all. At night generators supply the power for the small hotel and restaurant that is nestled into the jungle side. During the day there are several beach side eateries to choose from while partaking in a favorite beach activity. A waterfall over 100 feet high, that cascades down through the thick jungle is a great hiking and horseback destination, complete with hillside cafe that overlooks the falls pool.