Wildlife Encounters: Given Puerto Vallarta's tropical location, enjoying up-close and personal encounters with wildlife is not only inevitable; it is an invitation, and an opportunity you should not miss while visiting Banderas Bay. There are plenty of opportunities for young and old to marvel at the vast variety of species you will encounter here.
Markets, Mercados and Tianguis: A Mexican tradition that can be traced back to pre-hispanic times is the Tianguis, an open air market or bazaar usually held on the same day every week, where locals can purchase a variety of items, from fresh produce to clothing and so forth. In addition, traditional markets or mercados continue to draw customers in many cities large and small.
Explore Vallarta Restaurants: The restaurant scene in Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit and surrounding areas is so broad and diverse, you could easily dine out every evening for an entire year without returning to a previously-visited venue. In fact, few topics ignite conversation among visitors and locals as intensely as local restaurants do: what's open, what closed, new dishes, and so forth.
Take the Malecón Sculpture Tour: Puerto Vallarta features a vast collection of public sculptures, most of them installed along the city's scenic Malecón. A natural draw for visitors and locals, the sculptures can be enjoyed on your own. However, a guided sculpture tour will provide you with interesting historical and artistic insight on Puerto Vallarta in general.
Buzz the Treetops on a Zip-Line: It was around 2005 that the first zip line tours started appearing in Puerto Vallarta and surrounding areas. Since then, thousands of visitors have enjoyed the thrill of gliding briskly over treetops. Today, the select companies that offer zip line tours in the region compete with one another to provide the safest and most memorable experience.
Walk the Malecón: While many areas in Puerto Vallarta can be easily enjoyed on foot, walking the Malecón stands out as a must-do activity for visitors and locals. Day and night, alone or in a group, at a leisurely pace or even jogging, the Malecón is a social gathering place for visitors and locals that allows the opportunity of experiencing traditional Puerto Vallarta at its best.
Whale Watching: From November to April, Banderas Bay becomes the winter home and birthing ground for numerous humpback whales. Humpbacks are known for their acrobatic leaps and their unique “song,” which includes sounds such as grunts and squeaks. Watching a 40-ton creature leap almost completely out of the water is an experience that cannot be forgotten.
Enjoy the South Side Shuffle: The South Side Shuffle is a street party of sorts, a "shindig" that takes place in colonia Emiliano Zapata every other Friday from 6 to 10 pm, in the vicinity of Basilio Badillo and Constitución streets. Everyone is invited. The South Side Shuffle is an "open house," whose purpose is solely to promote the local businesses and to have fun.
Eat Like Locals Do: When you spend any time at a culinary mecca such as Puerto Vallarta, it is inevitable to develop curiosity about local food. At the same time, visitors have legitimate concerns about the legendary so-called "montezuma's revenge," and rightly so! After all, who wants to spend part of their well-deserved vacation recuperating from an unsolicited stomach-related illness?
