Leaving behind the Marina and hotel zone of Old Puerto Vallarta, we sail into Bahia de Banderas. Costa Sur (the Southern Coast) stretches out before the eyes of the traveler, Puerto Vallarta’s adventurous horizon, where the sea melts into the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range to create stunningly beautiful spaces that inspire exploration and wonder.
In this environment, offers for adventure are many and varied: from horseback riding or all-terrain vehicles, to turtle camps and zip-lines, as well as cultural tours and scuba-diving.
Puerto Vallarta’s Botanical Garden is an ideal trip for nature lovers. Visitors can admire over three thousand species of autochthonous Mexican flora: palm trees, orchids, agaves, cactus, roses, ferns, flesh-eating plants…if you’re traveling with family, then the turtle and crocodile camp is a highly recommended experience because, in addition to exploring Bahia de Banderas’ mangrove swamps; it also allows us to share the moving experience of observing while the turtles lay their eggs and set their hatchlings free in the sea.
Puerto Vallarta is located very close to quaint, picturesque towns like Mascota y Talpa and Pueblo Magico, which can be reached by an exhilarating ride on horseback or by all-terrain vehicle. San Sebastian del Oeste, a small town nestled in the summit of the Sierra Madre, preserves the charm of colonial Mexico and offers the most beautiful views– both of the mountains as well as of the lovely bay in Jalisco.
Close to these towns or to some of the beaches in Costa Sur, you can go hiking or horseback riding to observe the region’s flora and fauna. Adventurous visitors will be glad to know that in Costa Sur you can go climbing or practice rappel descents, as well as go rafting down nearby rivers.