THE JALISCO COAST

The country between Puerto Vallarta and Barra de Navidad is a landscape ripe for travelers who enjoy getting away from the tourist track. Development has scarcely penetrated its vast tracts of mountainous jungle, tangled thorny scrub, and pine-clad summit forests. Few footprints mark its many miles of curving, golden beaches.

  Fortunately, everyone who travels south of Puerto Vallarta doesn’t have to be a Daniel Boone. The coastal strip within a few miles of the highway has acquired some comforts—stores, trailer parks, campgrounds, hotels, and a scattering of small resorts, some humble and some posh—all enough to become well known to Puerto Vallarta people as the Costa Alegre (Happy Coast).

Tehualmixtle: Off-highway adventurers must go to this lovely fishing hamlet in the pristine Cabo Corrientes hinterland. Snorkle, scuba dive, visit a natural hot spring, and beachcomb the golden Playa Maito. Overnight at Tehualmixtle by tent, RV, or Playa Maito hotels.
(read more)

El Careyes Beach Resort: At least stop for lunch or early dinner at this petite but plush resort, splendidly isolated on a precious little bay. Splurge for an overnight and enjoy snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, and, in season, the sight of baby turtles returning to the sea. (read more)

Playa Careyes and Cuitzmala: Budget travelers can enjoy much the same atmosphere as El Careyes Beach Resort at this neigboring small sandy beach on a gorgeous small half-moon bay. Good for at least an afternoon, or a camping or RVing overnight. Beach palapas supply fresh seafood and drinks, and local fisherfolk will take you fishing. Waves, sometimes powerful, are surfable for the experienced. (read more)

Playa el Tecuán: Public access to this defacto wild kingdom, once ruled over by the now-abandoned former Hotel El Tecuán, continues. Most outdoor delights are possible, including advanced surfing, kayaking on the mangrove lagoon, surf-fishing, self-contained RV and tent camping, and long strolls on the magnificent beach. If you want to buy all 20,000 acres, it’s currently for sale. (read more)

Playa Tenacatita: A village of palapa restaurants and a few rustic beachfront hotels has gradually added amenities to this splendid beach-lovers paradise. It’s popular, so if you’re planning to park your self-contained RV, arrive before December 15 when nearly all beachfront space is customarily taken. Summers and fall you can have the place practically to yourself. (read more)

Playa Boca de Iguanas: Here, seekers of paradise on earth can have it all. A small but comfortable hotel and a pair of palm-shaded trailer-tenting parks sit on a long, lovely level beach. Come for an afternoon or a relaxing week of tropical diversions, from surf-fishing and beachcombing, to bird- and crocodile-watching and hammock snoozing. (read more)

Boat Trip to Colimilla and Isla Navidad: From Barra de Navidad, take a boat across the mangrove-bordered expanse of Laguna de Navidad to the coastal villages Colimilla and Isla Navidad. Enjoy a cocktail before you dine on fresh seafood at one of the delightful thatched-roof restaurants in Colimilla. (read more)