Sayulita snorkeling and whale watching tours
City in Banderas Bay on the Pacific Ocean
A surf and fishing town on the Nayarit coast just north of Banderas Bay, and a long day out by boat from the bay's marinas.
Marinas
- Marina Nuevo Vallarta · 40 min by road
- Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle · 25 min by road
- Marina Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta · 45 min by road
- Opequimar Centro Marino, Puerto Vallarta · 45 min by road
Near Sayulita
San Pancho
A small town on the open Pacific coast of Nayarit, north of Sayulita and outside Banderas Bay. Yachts reach it on longer coastal trips from the north-shore marinas, roughly 22 nautical miles by sea from La Cruz.
- Swimming
Litibú Beach
A Pacific-facing beach on the north shore of the Punta de Mita peninsula, reached by boat around the point from the Banderas Bay marinas.
- Fishing
Lo de Marcos
A quiet beach-town stop for a long day out by yacht from La Cruz, away from the crowds of Sayulita and Puerto Vallarta.
- Surfing
- Fishing
Punta de Mita
The headland that closes Banderas Bay to the north, in the Mexican state of Nayarit.
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
A fishing village on the northern shore of Banderas Bay, in the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, about 25 km from Puerto Vallarta.
Bucerías
A beach town of about 16,000 people on the north shore of Banderas Bay, in Nayarit. Yacht days along its shore start from Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz, about 2.3 nautical miles away.
Wild Dolphins of Banderas Bay
Wild dolphins share Banderas Bay with the boats that cross it, and a morning spent looking for them is one of the quieter ways to see the bay. It is a search on open water, so a sighting is never certain.
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
- Scuba diving
Marietas Islands
Two small islands at the western mouth of Banderas Bay, reached only by boat, with seabirds to watch and water to snorkel and dive.
About Sayulita
Where Sayulita sits
Sayulita is a small town on the Pacific coast of Nayarit, at the southern end of the state, inside the municipality of Bahía de Banderas. The Banderas Bay page covers the waters the boats leave from. By road the town lies about 38 km north of the Puerto Vallarta airport, a drive of less than an hour, and about 7 km south of San Pancho. It is a traditional fishing village whose fishermen still go out for dorado, tuna, sierra and marlin.
Getting there by boat
The distances below are measured by way of a point just off Punta de Mita and then up the open coast. On that line Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle is roughly 19 nautical miles away, Marina Nuevo Vallarta about 24 and Marina Vallarta about 27. At an assumed 15 knots that is a little over an hour and a quarter from La Cruz, about an hour and 40 minutes from Nuevo Vallarta, and close to two hours from Marina Vallarta. Each figure is one way, so the return takes as long again, and La Cruz is the nearest of the three to board at.
Surf, fish and the season
Surfers have come to this beach since the 1960s, and the waves are at their best from December to April. The highway between Las Varas and Puerto Vallarta, built in 1965, opened the region to tourism. Fishing, scuba diving and snorkeling are all done along this stretch of shore.
Whale watching off this coast is a winter outing; the season's dates are on the Banderas Bay whale grounds page. Guided trips from town go out to fish offshore, and others head south to snorkel at the Marietas Islands, about 13 nautical miles away or a little under an hour at 15 knots. The rules of the national park apply there.
What to know
We'll confirm with your captain whether and where a landing is possible on the day. A guest who wants surf time should say so when booking, since the best waves fall in the winter months set out above.