The BEST Beaches in Puerto Vallarta
I have been coming to Puerto Vallarta for years and have fallen in love with this quaint beach town so much! The moment I touch down at that airport, yes, you know the vibes… its on.
As you may know, Playa Los Muertos is the most popular beach in Vallarta, but have you branched out from the usual and gone off the beaten path, and headed south? I recently took the bus from the Basilo Badillo bus station, linked here, and headed to the village of Boca de Tomatlan, where I went on the “off the beaten path hike.” Guys, I was GOBSMACKED. It was the most beautiful hike I’ve truly ever been on. The bus ride was 10 pesos and took about 45 minutes… but it was WELL WORTH IT. You can also Uber or Taxi to Boca and just get out at the main part of the village and then walk over to the trail. But I wanted the full experience.
This is the map that shows you the extent of the hike you’re about to embark on. Its about 3 miles or 4.8 kilometers to Las Animas Beach on the hike.
You’ll want to grab water and make sure you’re wearing tennis shoes — sturdy shoes on this hike. But the views are worth the extra effort.
Overlook at Boca
Above you’ll see the overlook at Boca, there was a gorgeous area where you can sit for a bit — if you’re already tired — and take in the views! But let’s not linger for too long…
This was a sample of the terrain. It wasn’t all like this, but this particular part was the scariest part. I said a prayer, and I don’t really pray lol.
Once you’re over that, you’re almost at the first viewpoint — and Playa Colomitos.
My shirt came off immediately. It was hot AF… Also recommend wearing a hat.
One thing to note, this is in the jungle. Typically in Mexico, jungles have all sorts of wildlife. So, you may see some along the way. I didn’t see anything CRAZY but I did see this big guy:
Nearly scared the sh*t out of me… lolz
Once we moved past this guy — it was on to the next beaches: Madasgar, La Troza, and Los Caballos.
I go into more details on what happened in the video below… you’ll wanna watch this to get the REAL TEA…
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And, to celebrate the moment I had to take my butt to El Coral Restaurant at Las Animas and enjoy this tasty meal… it was fish topped with shrimp in a tomato based cream sauce with a light side salad and buttery garlic bread — all cooked to absolute perfection. Sorrryyyyy… I know you’re drooling HARD over this:
I forget what it was called but it was absolutely DIVINE!!!! El Coral restaurant in Las Animas Beach, Puerto Vallarta
And you’re gonna wanna wash it all down with this passion fruit margarita… Which, to be honest, I wish was a bit sweeter, but these are a Mexican staple. So, that’s what we had.
Passionfruit Margarita at El Coral restaurant in Las Animas Beach, Puerto Vallarta
So, if you’re in PV, TAKE THE BUS. Get on it.. and head to Boca and do this hike. Trust me, you won’t regret it. Let me know what you thought by emailing me nick@nickguillory.com. Would love to hear from ya! Have fun and be safe… :)