Banderas Bay guides

The questions we get every day, answered properly: when the whales arrive, how you get to Yelapa, what a boat actually costs, and why the water glows at night. We're local — this is what we know.

Whale watching season in Puerto Vallarta

Every winter, humpback whales swim about 6,000 km from Alaska to Banderas Bay to mate and give birth. Here is exactly when they arrive, when they leave, and how to see them without wasting a day.

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How to get to Yelapa from Puerto Vallarta

Yelapa is a fishing village on the south side of Banderas Bay with a waterfall, a beach, and no road in. Everyone arrives by boat. Here are your three options, honestly compared.

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What a private boat tour costs in Puerto Vallarta

Quotes in this town are hard to compare because everyone prices differently — per hour, per person, per boat, plus extras. Here is how to read them, and what we charge.

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Snorkeling at Los Arcos marine park

Los Arcos is the cluster of granite islands you can see from the beach south of town — arches, caves and tunnels above the water, and a drop-off below it. It has been protected since 1975, and it is the single best snorkel stop in Banderas Bay.

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Seeing bioluminescence in Puerto Vallarta

On the right night, the water in Banderas Bay lights up blue-green around anything that moves through it. It is not a light show someone installed — it is plankton, and you can swim in the middle of it.

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Learning to surf in Puerto Vallarta

Banderas Bay has warm water and waves all year, but almost none of them break in front of the city. Here is where the surf actually is, when each season works, and what a first lesson costs — so you book the right day instead of the closest one.

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