Las Caletas and Quimixto from Puerto Vallarta
- From Departs from Puerto Vallarta
- 8 hours
- up to 50 guests
- All year
Photos: The Cosmonaut, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Steve Hedin, CC BY-SA 3.0 · terri_bateman, CC BY 2.0 · DarkNight0917, CC BY-SA 4.0
An eight-hour yacht day from Marina Vallarta along the south shore of Banderas Bay: snorkel at Los Arcos, go ashore at Quimixto for the walk to its waterfall and a meal on the beach, then pass the cove of Las Caletas on the way home.
What you do
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
Highlights
- Snorkel along the rock islets and arches of Los Arcos, inside a protected marine park
- Go ashore at Quimixto, a village with no road, and walk or ride up the river valley to its waterfall
- Lunch at a palapa restaurant on the beach at Quimixto, or on board
- Pass the boat-only cove of Las Caletas, with a swim off it where the captain finds it allowed
- The whole yacht and its crew for your group
About this trip
This is a route we designed from places we have checked, not a set tour sold by one boat. It follows the south shore of Banderas Bay, where the hills come down to the sea and several beaches have no road at all.
The first stop is Los Arcos de Mismaloya, rock islets with arches inside a protected marine park, for a snorkel along the rock. The yacht then carries on to Quimixto, a small village with no road that everyone reaches by boat. Thatched palapa restaurants line its beach, and a trail climbs the river valley behind it to a waterfall: somewhere between 40 minutes and an hour on foot each way, or on horseback. How much water comes over the falls, and whether the pool below suits a swim, changes with the season.
On the way back the yacht passes Las Caletas, a small cove below a nature preserve that is reached only by sea. One tour company runs its beach and grounds as its own day trip, so this route does not land there: where the captain finds it allowed, the yacht stops off the cove for a swim and a snorkel, and otherwise it runs past for the view before crossing the bay to the marina.
The price is for the whole yacht with its crew. What is on board (snorkel gear, paddleboards, drinks, food) differs from yacht to yacht.
Itinerary
After departure: 0:00
Board at Marina Vallarta
Meet your crew at the dock for the safety briefing. The yacht leaves the marina and runs south past the city, about 7.6 nautical miles in a straight line to Los Arcos.
After departure: 0:50
Snorkel at Los Arcos de Mismaloya
About an hour around the rock islets: snorkel along the rock or stay on deck. The captain picks the side out of the swell.
After departure: 1:50
On to Quimixto
About 5 nautical miles further along the south shore, roughly half an hour at the speed we plan with.
After departure: 2:20
Ashore at Quimixto
About three hours at the village. Walk or ride up the river valley to the waterfall, 40 minutes to an hour each way, eat at one of the palapa restaurants on the beach, and swim in the cove before you board again.
After departure: 5:25
Las Caletas
Under a nautical mile west to the cove. Where the captain finds it allowed, the yacht stops off the beach for about 45 minutes of swimming and snorkelling; otherwise it slows for a look and carries on.
After departure: 6:10
Return to Marina Vallarta
About 12 nautical miles across the bay in a straight line, a little over an hour at 10 knots; the coastal route is a little longer.
Yachts that run this trip
Questions
Can we go ashore at Las Caletas?
Not on this route. One tour company runs the beach and grounds at Las Caletas as its own day trip, and the pages we read disagree on whether guests from other boats may land. The yacht stays on the water: a swim and snorkel off the cove where the captain finds it allowed, or a slow pass for the view. We'll confirm with the captain before your date what is allowed that day.
How long is the walk to the Quimixto waterfall?
Somewhere between 40 minutes and an hour each way, along the river valley behind the village. Horses can be hired on the beach for those who would rather ride. Wear shoes you can walk a trail in. The flow over the falls and the pool below change with the season, so treat it as a jungle walk with a swim as a bonus.
Why does the trip take eight hours?
The route covers about 25.6 nautical miles in straight lines, a little over two and a half hours underway at 10 knots, the speed we plan with because the yachts' cruising speeds are not published. Add about an hour at Los Arcos, three hours at Quimixto and 45 minutes at Las Caletas, and the day comes to a little under seven and a half hours, which leaves room for the longer coastal route and a slower sea.
Is there a park fee at Los Arcos?
Los Arcos lies inside a protected marine park. We found no official fee for snorkeling there; the quote lists any fee that applies to your yacht.
Which marina do we leave from?
This trip boards at Marina Vallarta. Some of the yachts listed here are based at Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and come round to Marina Vallarta to pick you up.
Is snorkel gear included?
On most of these yachts, but not every one. Each yacht's page lists what it carries.
What should we bring?
Swimwear, a hat, sunglasses, reef-safe sunscreen, shoes for the waterfall trail, a towel if your yacht does not list them, and any medication you need.
$2,600+ Tax
8 hours · 2 guests