Mismaloya
Village in Banderas Bay on Banderas Bay
A small village and beach on the southern shore of Banderas Bay, south of Puerto Vallarta, looking out to the Los Arcos rocks. The Night of the Iguana was filmed here in 1963.
Marinas
- Marina Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta
Near Mismaloya
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
- Paddleboarding
- Scuba diving
Los Arcos de Mismaloya
Five granite islets just off Mismaloya, about 12 km south of Puerto Vallarta in Banderas Bay, with arches cut through the larger rocks and reef walls below.
Boca de Tomatlán
A small fishing village at the mouth of the Horcones River, about 17 km south of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Its pier is the main departure point for the public water taxis to the beaches and villages of the southern shore.
- Scuba diving
Princesa Vallarta Wreck
A sunken boat on the floor of Banderas Bay, a little under 200 metres off the Las Gemelas beaches south of Puerto Vallarta. It is a deep dive for certified divers, about 6 nautical miles by boat from the Puerto Vallarta marinas.
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
Playa Caballo
On the south shore of Banderas Bay, Playa Caballo sits just north-east of Las Ánimas, on the Boca de Tomatlán side. No road reaches the sand, so it is a swimming and snorkelling stop that guests land at from the boat or walk to on a trail.
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
Las Ánimas Beach
A broad stretch of sand south-west of Puerto Vallarta, on the far side of Banderas Bay from the marinas, that works well as a lunch and swim stop on a day out by boat.
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
Quimixto
A small village on the southern shore of Banderas Bay that has no road and is reached only by boat. Palapa restaurants face the water on its beach, and a trail up the river valley behind it leads to a seasonal waterfall.
- Snorkeling
- Scuba diving
Las Caletas
A small boat-only cove on the southern shore of Banderas Bay, below a nature preserve, where the film director John Huston once lived. One tour company runs the beach and grounds as its own day trip, and the sources do not settle whether a charter yacht's guests may go ashore.
- Snorkeling
- Scuba diving
Majahuitas
Majahuitas is a small cove on the southern shore of Banderas Bay, between Quimixto and Yelapa. No road reaches it, so guests arrive by boat.
Maps © OpenStreetMap
About Mismaloya
A village south of Puerto Vallarta
Mismaloya is a small village on the Jalisco shore of Banderas Bay, part of the municipality of Puerto Vallarta. It lies south of the city on the coast road and gathers around a small cove with a beach at its head. A short way offshore stand the Los Arcos rocks, so the village and the rocks are often seen on the same outing.
Getting there by yacht
Measured in a straight line from the village, Opequimar is about 8.1 nautical miles away and Marina Vallarta about 8.5. Marina Nuevo Vallarta is about 9.5 nautical miles off, and Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz about 13.9. At 20 knots the run from Marina Vallarta takes around 25 minutes; a sailing yacht making 8 knots needs a little over an hour. Los Arcos lies under a nautical mile from the beach, which makes the pair an easy combination on a half-day trip down the southern shore.
The beach and the boats
From the sand you look straight out across the cove to the Los Arcos rocks. Small local boats work from the beach itself, and visitors can hire one there for a trip out to the rocks. Coming from one of the marinas, you see the same view in reverse: the village tucked into the cove, with the hills of the coast behind it.
A film location
Mismaloya's name travelled well beyond the bay in 1963, when the director John Huston shot the film The Night of the Iguana here.
What to know
Guests who want time on the sand go ashore at the beach, where the small local boats come and go. Whether a landing suits the day depends on the swell at the beach. We'll confirm the plan for going ashore with the captain when you book.