Mexico

Today you’ll fly into the beautiful city of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Your guide will meet you at the airport and escort you to your beachside hotel where you can settle in while you get acquainted with your new home. Take the afternoon to explore the shoreline and the surrounding “Historic District” or just relax by the pool before dinner at a local restaurant. That evening the time is yours. Choose to stay in, explore the area or simply walk along the beach while the waves gently crash at your feet.

You will experience your first full day in Mexico as much in the air as on the ground. After a hearty breakfast, depart Puerto Vallarta for the day to explore the jungles of Las Juntas Los Veranos … from above.

This is Mexico’s most popular canopy tour, stretching over two miles with 14 zip lines. In this lush, tropical location, you will glide effortlessly at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour and over 500 feet above the jungle floor through the tropical canopy. Experience the rush while you take in stunning views of the beautiful Orquidias River and its surrounding landscape.

After the tour, relax and have lunch overlooking the river and swim in this verdant tropicalia which includes rope swings, a waterfall and a water slide. You will also have the opportunity to sample varieties of Tequila from the bar, enjoy a complimentary soft drink, shop at the boutique and meet the resident pythons, toucans and parrots.

Grab a swimsuit and snorkeling gear and heading out to the bay in Puerto Vallarta. On Boca de Tomatlan and Colomitos Beaches in Puerto Vallarta, where the water’s shade of turquoise starkly contrasts with the white sands of the bay’s many beaches, you will swim, snorkel and kayak through one of the most beautiful parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Marine life is abundant, and your naturalist guide will help you identify some of the species you might encounter, including multicolored tropical fish of all sizes, sea turtles, manta rays and eagle rays.

Today, experienced trainers will allow you into the pool with the dolphins to interact with them in the water. You will have the opportunity to feel their unique skin, give them a handshake, and pose for photos as your dolphin gives you a kiss on the cheek. You’ll have plenty of free time to swim around with them culminating in a thrilling ride across the pool on your dolphin’s belly!
For the rest of the afternoon, you can explore the park. View native birds and other wildlife or glide down water slides for an afternoon in the Puerto Vallarta sunshine.

The day is yours! Relax by the water or choose from an array of thrilling activities including whale-watching, mountain-biking, snorkeling with sea lions, horseback-riding, hiking, a cruise to Las Calestas, ATV tour, dune buggy tour or instructional scuba diving.

Tonight, we will meet back up as a group for dinner and drinks on a “pirate ship.” Pirates swing from the crow’s nest on ropes, sing pirate songs, and even take prisoners! Arrghhhh! You will enjoy a gourmet dinner while participating in innovative Aztec festivities. End the night celebrating with pirates at the open bar.

Whale-watching

Sail across the serene Banderas Bay while mighty humpback whales surface. These gentle giants typically reach lengths of 40 to 50 feet in length and an incredible 80,000 pounds. Aboard your classic sailing vessel, there is no engine noise to scare off the whales, and you may even be lucky enough to see them “breach” (jump out of the water), or to spot a baby humpback.

Mountain-biking

For advanced riders, this awesome singletrack ride will get your heart racing. Glide over a suspension bridge, where you cut loose, and churn up the trail to its culmination at a waterfall, where you can cool off and catch your breath. Then the real fun begins, as you rip back down the trail.

Bay cruise to Las Caletas and snorkel with sea lions

Only accessible by sea, Las Caletas is a wonderland where you can relax in hammocks on the beach, snorkel, kayak, take guided nature walks, visit an exclusive spa, and even snorkel with sea lions!

ATV tour

This tour begins downtown, and takes you through seldom-seen residential areas of Puerto Vallarta, before it begins to climb into the surrounding hills, winding up and up until reaching the hacienda, where you will have lunch (included). Back in the buggy, the tour returns down the valley.

Dune buggy tour

Drive your own dune buggy through the back roads and riverbeds of rural Jalisco. The tour heads up the cobblestone streets of downtown Puerto Vallarta into the surrounding hills, passing through small rural towns, farmland, and isolated dirt roads on its way to a river bed where you can race through the water, splashing and spinning donuts before heading back through the water for another run.

Horseback-riding

Embark down a jungle trail enveloped with beautiful tropical foliage. Visit four beautiful waterfalls, where you will be invited to swim in the fresh cascades and pools below, cross remote rivers of amazing shapes and sizes, and enjoy Cervezas while watching the beauty unfold in front of you. At the end of this memorable horseback riding tour through lush tropical jungle, you will be treated to a real Mexican lunch before returning to Puerto Vallarta.

Hiking

On this trip, head further south, out to the fishing village of Boca De Tomatlan. You will hike through the tropical jungle over a photogenic wooden slat and rope suspension bridge, through the river, and finally arrive at one of Puerto Vallarta’s most secluded beaches. Many varieties of tropical fish are here to discover as we snorkel in the bay. You may also encounter a wide variety of exotic birds, butterflies, lizards, and tropical trees along the way.

Instructional scuba diving

This is the course for non-divers. It allows you to try scuba diving without the cost or time commitment of full certification. You learn basic skills and then you can join us on one of our Los Arcos, Majahuitas, or Las Marietas dives. We can also credit this class toward your Open Water Certification. After your first two-tank dive, you are halfway to being certified.

This morning, you will depart for a multi-sport tour of the lands surrounding Puerto Vallarta. You will begin with a ride in a military-style Unimog (to handle the terrain). Once you arrive at the starting location, you will climb aboard a mule for the ride up to the top of the mountain, where you will have panoramic views of the Sierra Madre and valleys south of Puerto Vallarta.

From here, you will soar 200 feet over the ground on a 1,000-foot zip line to another mountain top where you will experience the thrill of rappelling. Once you have landed on solid ground, you will dismount and slide down a natural rock water slide into a pool of fresh mountain water.

After cooling off in the pool, we will traverse a rope bridge in preparation for a rappel down a cascading waterfall. After a full day of activity we will head back into town for an open evening.

Today, tour beautiful Banderas Bay, passing the panoramic views of the Sierra Madre and the Puerto Vallarta skyline, on your way to the remote hideaway of Yelapa, where electricity was only introduced to the area three years ago. There are no roads in Yelapa; the only access is by boat. We will travel in style aboard a classic sailboat.

On board the boat you’ll enjoy a Continental breakfast, the famous Pegaso guacamole and salsa, and an open bar. On the way we will stop at one of the many snorkeling havens, where you can grab your gear and chase after tropical fish. Enter the cove of Yelapa and follow your guide as you visit the beautiful Yelapa waterfall, while listening to stories of the remote village and its people.

After the tour, head to the beach, where you will have lunch at one of our favorite restaurants after which you’ll have a chance to relax on the beach or enjoy some optional beach activities in Yelapa, like banana boating, kayaking, horseback riding, or parasailing. Climb back on board our classic sailboat and enjoy a soothing sail back to Puerto Vallarta.

Spend your last few hours exploring Puerto Vallarta, lying on the beach or swimming in the pool, before packing your bags and heading back to the airport for your flight home.