Banderas Bay · Puerto Vallarta
Rhythms of the Night
Sail across the bay at sunset to a cove reached only by boat, for a candlelit dinner and ALMA, an open-air show staged in the jungle.
Villa ExperienceExperiences · Puerto VallartaNovember 2026
Banderas Bay · The town and the coast south
The two to book first are the 5 Islands of Los Arcos Boat Tour, which is the bay done properly in a morning, and the Yelapa Mega Yacht Cruise if you want the whole day on the water. After that it is the 4-Hour Jungle Hike and Waterfall Swim, the Baby Turtle Release in the evening, and the food tours that make a first night easy.
27 tours · checked 16 October 2026
Villa Experience
Banderas Bay · Puerto Vallarta
Sail across the bay at sunset to a cove reached only by boat, for a candlelit dinner and ALMA, an open-air show staged in the jungle.
Banderas Bay · Puerto Vallarta
A cove on the south shore of the bay, reached only by Vallarta Adventures’ boats. Hammocks over the water, snorkeling and paddleboards, zip lines, and a park for children with its own guides.
Banderas Bay · Puerto Vallarta
Six hours on a Leopard catamaran or a Beneteau sailboat, with time to swim, snorkel and paddleboard off the Puerto Vallarta coast, and lunch and drinks served on board.
Banderas Bay · Puerto Vallarta
Three hours under sail as the sun goes down over Banderas Bay, with an open bar, fresh appetizers and the Sierra Madre behind you. Adults only, from age 16.
Banderas Bay · Majahuitas
Five hours on a Leopard catamaran across Banderas Bay, with snorkeling and paddling at Majahuitas, an open bar and lunch on board. Small groups, from age 10.
Banderas Bay · Yelapa
A day on the south shore of Banderas Bay: walk the fishing village of Yelapa with a guide, see its waterfall, then snorkel and eat on the sand at Majahuitas, a beach reached only by boat.
Banderas Bay · Majahuitas
A cove south of Puerto Vallarta, reached only by boat, with a beach club on the sand. Saturday brings international DJs and a party that runs into the night; Sunday is an easy all-inclusive day for families.
Banderas Bay · Puerto Vallarta
A jungle zipline day in the Sierra Madre. Cross the bay by boat, ride up by truck and mule, then zip, rappel beside a waterfall and slide down the hillside.
Banderas Bay · Sierra Madre
A guided ATV route over a suspension bridge in the Sierra Madre, then Superman, a zipline of more than 1,200 metres, a pendulum jump and a wind tunnel.
Banderas Bay · Puerto Vallarta
An ATV jungle tour in the Sierra Madre: a vintage Unimog down the coast, a hand-cut off-road route at the wheel of a Polaris RZR, and a walk to a waterfall.
Banderas Bay · Sierra Madre
A former silver-mining town in the Sierra Madre, about 90 minutes by road from Puerto Vallarta. A guided walk, coffee, tequila and lunch, with a photographer along for the day.
Evenings on the water · June–November
Sunset over the bay, then the water lights up around the boat at Los Arcos. Our readers' most-booked night out.
4.7 · 108 reviews on GetYourGuide
Evenings on the water · June–November
Paddle out from Mismaloya to the arches, into the sea caves, and stay for the water to light up.
4.8 · 103 reviews on GetYourGuide
Evenings on the water · June–November
Sail at golden hour and stay out for the bioluminescence. Bring a towel and a dry change.
4.8 · 49 reviews on GetYourGuide
On the water · All year
The classic morning on the water: the arches, the islets, two snorkel stops.
4.7 · 393 reviews on GetYourGuide
On the water · All year
Across the bay to Yelapa on a big catamaran, with the walk up to the falls and time in the water. A whole day, not a half.
4.7 · 189 reviews on GetYourGuide
On the water · All year
Your own boat for the day: snorkel off Mismaloya, then a beach stop at Colomitos or Las Animas.
5.0 · 14 reviews on GetYourGuide
Whale season · December–March
Humpback season in the bay from a large, steady boat, timed to sunset.
4.7 · 103 reviews on GetYourGuide
Whale season · December–March
Humpback season from a steady catamaran, with breakfast and lunch on board.
4.8 · 30 reviews on GetYourGuide
Whale season · December–March
The humpback season in the bay, on a tour built around whale research.
5.0 · 13 reviews on GetYourGuide
Wild places and wildlife · July–December
An evening on the sand releasing hatchlings with the biologists. Children remember this one.
4.9 · 138 reviews on GetYourGuide
Wild places and wildlife · All year
The botanical garden south of town, a raicilla distillery and an organic coffee farm, in one slow morning.
4.5 · 41 reviews on GetYourGuide
On land · All year
Half a day in the Sierra Madre foothills ending in a waterfall pool.
4.8 · 196 reviews on GetYourGuide
On land · All year
Horses through the jungle and across the river, with a meal at the ranch. Quads and a zip line if you want them.
4.7 · 73 reviews on GetYourGuide
On land · All year
A speedboat to the jungle, 19 zip lines over the river, then a swim and a tequila tasting.
4.7 · 56 reviews on GetYourGuide
On land · All year
Eleven lines through the canopy above the Sierra Madre, with pickup from the Zona Romantica.
4.8 · 51 reviews on GetYourGuide
On land · All year
Off-road through village lanes and along the Cuale River, up into the Sierra Madre.
5.0 · 27 reviews on GetYourGuide
On land · All year
Quads up the mountain to El Salto waterfall and over the Jorullo suspension bridge.
4.8 · 26 reviews on GetYourGuide
On land · All year
Zip lines across the river canyon, with a mule ride back out of the jungle.
4.8 · 12 reviews on GetYourGuide
Food and drink · All year
Tacos paired with tequila and mezcal, with someone who can explain both.
5.0 · 113 reviews on GetYourGuide
Food and drink · All year
Three hours of tacos, seafood and the stalls locals queue for. Book it for your first evening.
4.9 · 85 reviews on GetYourGuide
Food and drink · All year
Three hours on a bicycle between tacos, carnitas, sopes and an ice cream. Flat, easy, and the best-rated food tour in town.
5.0 · 31 reviews on GetYourGuide
Food and drink · All year
Make mole from scratch and eat it. Small group, long lunch.
5.0 · 24 reviews on GetYourGuide
Food and drink · All year
The market first, then a restaurant kitchen: you cook what you bought, taste blind and finish with a cocktail.
5.0 · 10 reviews on GetYourGuide
Culture and day trips · All year
Roast, grind and temper cacao the Mexican way. A good rainy-afternoon plan.
4.9 · 50 reviews on GetYourGuide
Culture and day trips · All year
The old mining town in the mountains above the bay, with tastings of coffee and raicilla, and lunch.
4.5 · 38 reviews on GetYourGuide
Culture and day trips · All year
Cirque du Soleil's water show at VidantaWorld, acrobats in and above an aquarium stage, with courses timed to the story.
4.6 · 29 reviews on GetYourGuide
Culture and day trips · All year
A private drive through the old town and the coastal lookouts, with lunch by the river.
4.9 · 18 reviews on GetYourGuide
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16 bedrooms sleeps 34 private chef included
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14 bedrooms sleeps 28 private chef included
Frequently asked
Our catalogue puts the bioluminescence trips in the June to November window, and they are the only tours on this page we date that tightly. Everything else here runs year round. The Mega Yacht Whale Watching Sunset Cruise is the other seasonal one, December to March, when the humpbacks are in the bay.
The Baby Turtle Release is the one families write to us about afterwards, and the 5 Islands of Los Arcos Boat Tour works at almost any age. The Bikes and Bites Tour is flat and slow enough for older children. The ATV and zip-line days have minimum ages set by the operator, so check before you book.
The Mismaloya bioluminescent kayak starts at Mismaloya Beach, about twenty minutes south of the Romantic Zone, and the San Sebastian day trip goes up into the mountains and takes six hours door to door. Everything else on this page starts in town or picks up from your villa.
Every tour here books on GetYourGuide, not with us. We pick them, write the line under each one and keep the list checked; the booking, the payment and the cancellation terms are between you and the operator. Villa Experience earns a commission on these links, which is why the page says so at the bottom.
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