The diverse topography of the area around Banderas Bay provides a wide variety of land tours to choose from. The dense jungle with its lush vegetation and amazingly vivid tropical flowers, rivers that flow through huge gouged boulders, hidden waterfalls and exotic wildlife, offer visitors a trip into another world. Several movies were filmed in these jungles, and the sets are now restaurants and day parks. High above are the Sierra Madre mountains. Out of town are more arid locales. Visit a large man-made lake that offers ancient petroglyphs, camping, rock climbing and great bass fishing, or visit ranches, archeological sites, sunbaked brick factories, turtle farms. Stay in town and take a walking tour of the city, or take an air-conditioned plush coach ride through town that weaves its way through the streets of cliff-side communities, riverside towns, and luxury beach communities.
Best Way to Pamper Yourself: Mexico Boutique Hotels: There are many ways to honor that special someone in your life, but beyond the traditional gift ideas, why not surprise and amaze them with a once-in-a-lifetime experience they will cherish and talk about forever? Mexico Boutique Hotels is the guide to selecting upscale getaway destinations, which are maintained to the most stringent standards. Here are some local choices, guaranteed to impress.
Best Way to Occupy Your Green Thumb: Vallarta Orchid Society: Did you know that there are about 240 indigenous species of orchids growing wild in the greater Puerto Vallarta area? TJ Hartung, founder of the Vallarta Orchid Society, does. This society was inaugurated in 2006 with the goal of educating people about orchids, as well as rescuing and preserving the existing orchid species in our area.
Best Public Art Installation: The Art of Chase: “Recuerda Quién Eres” (Remember Who you Are), reads the message in a colorful mural located on the right just as you enter El Centro from the north. It was created by Chase, a successful Belgian artist, along with his talented colleague, Blue. In just 10 days, these graffiti artists transformed four previously neglected public walls around town, covering their rough surfaces.
Best New Paved Roads: Sayulita and San Sebastian: These two popular daytrip and overnight destinations have been begging for discovery for years. New access roads make this easier than ever. If driving to Sayulita, consider taking the Punta Mita route instead of Carr. 200 Norte. Once on the Punta Mita road, take a right onto the new Litibu road that connects with the recently paved Sayulita back entrance.
Best New Maritime Adventure: Sea Lion Encounters: The Vallarta area is well known for animal adventures such as swimming with dolphins and whale watching, but you may not know that you can now interact with sea lions and even go snorkeling with them.These grand whisker-faced creatures are extremely social, comical and mischievous by nature. They love to interact and play with humans, and being close to them is an exhilarating experience.
Best Festival Graphic Designer: Vallarta Wine Fest, Jalisco and Nayarit: Both elegant and convincing, the visual concept Vallarta Wine Fest implemented during its first two years has been pivotal in bringing the event to the forefront of Puerto Vallarta’s culinary activities. The campaign was designed by Cadena + Asociados Branding, under the direction of Ignacio Cadena’s son, who anchored the concept under a unifying theme: “A Cultural Fiesta.”
Discovering Off-Malecon in Vallarta: Every city has its hidden corners, its unseen treasures. While sculpture is featured on the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, those who know the city suggest that you not stop there. In fact, some of the more interesting corners are off the main drag. This piece focuses on Vallarta’s off -Malecon sculptures, as well as tidbits and stories related to them.
Bucerias Art Walk: An amazing array of arts set out along a charming cobblestone street is what made the Bucerias Art Walk a triumph in its inaugural 2006-2007 year. This season the art walk in this Nayarit pueblo on the beach is back, with more artists, more events and more special plans designed to entice visitors to come enjoy the abundance of excellent talent and fine crafts.
Best Free Nighttime Entertainment: The Malecón: Here in Vallarta, some of the best things in life truly are free! Visit the Malecon at night and immerse yourself in a beehive of activity and entertainment without needing to spend a peso. Experience a romantic sunset with a magnificent unobstructed view of the western sky. Nightly entertainment at Los Arcos Amphitheater includes hilarious clown shows and, from time to time.
Jogging in Paradise: Not only is Puerto Vallarta a great destination for enjoying beaches, nightlife and art, it’s also the perfect place to enjoy exercising! Both early in the morning and late in the afternoon, it’s quite common to see people running along the Malecon, whether on their own, as couples, in groups or with pets.
Marvel of the Sea: Long before jet skis and condominiums, ATVs and fishing trawlers, female sea turtles crawled from the oceans and bays along the Pacific coast of Mexico to fling away loose sand and construct their nests.
Best New Excuse to Walk Around Puerto Vallarta: Malecon Extension: Long a destination in itself, the Malecon meanders along the edge of Banderas Bay. And now it’s possible to stroll this “boardwalk” from the historic Hotel Rosita at the north end of town past the Los Muertos pier and farther south – all without having to shake sand out of shoes.
Best Place to Develop a Green Thumb: Botanical Gardens: Historically, a garden was not only an escape from the enclosed interiors of impersonal construction, but also a way of creating an Eden by including Mother Nature in the embracing environment. Bob Price of the Vallarta Botanical Gardens focuses on “bringing native Mexican plants into safe contact with us so we can see them face to face.”
Flyers by the Trees: These are two of more than 300 different bird species that can be spotted locally. Search for them on your own or visit
www.birdinginmexico.como to learn about professionally guided birding tours.
Botanical Gardens: A Natural New Getaway: Celebrating this area’s rich bounty of tropical flora and offering a pleasant respite from the bustling crowd is a new family-run botanical gardens a half-hour drive away.
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