Besides its many artificially constructed attractions, Puerto Vallarta and its surrounding regions offer a host of natural marvels. For lovers of the great outdoors, here are a few that are especially notable.

SNORKELING
Around Puerto Vallarta and the Bay of Banderas, be sure to do some snorkeling at the Los Arcos sea rocks and underwater sanctuary offshore at Mismaloya. Best access is by day cruise from the New Pier at Playa los Muertos. Farther afield, if you have the time, be sure to go on a day cruise for whale-, dolphin-, and bird-watching at the Islas Marietas.

SWIMMING
Don’t miss the chance to swim at a waterfall. Try Chino’s Paradise or El Eden, near Mismaloya (by bus or car), or Yelapa (by water taxi or day cruise).

WILDLIFE-WATCHING
On the Nayarit Coast during the summer–fall hatching season, be sure to visit a turtle hatchery encampment. Find them at a number of spots, most prominently at Playa San Francisco (www.project-tortuga.org) and Playa las Tortugas (www.playalastortugas.com).

  Farther north, San Blas provides a stage for a number of unmissable bird- and wildlife-watching opportunities in its fauna-rich mangrove hinterland. At the very least, take the jungle-river boat tour to La Tovara spring.

  Also from San Blas, plan a two- or three-day excursion to two-square-mile offshore Isla Isabel the wildlife-rich cone of an extinct volcano and government eco-study center.

SURFING
Surfing enthusiasts can find plenty of action in the Puerto Vallarta region. The best surfing conditions customarily occur during the late summer–early fall, when Pacific hurricanes sometimes drive huge swells ashore at many favorite spots along the coast.

  The most renowned surfing spot is Playa Matanchen, near San Blas, world famous for very long runs.

  Surfers know many other good local spots, north and south of Puerto Vallarta town: On the Bay of Banderas’s north shore, Punta el Burro and El Faro (at Punta Mita, near the lighthouse); on the Nayarit Coast, Sayulita, Playa el Naranjo, and Matanchén. On the Bay of Banderas’s south shore, try Boca de Tomatlán and Quimixto. On the Jalisco Coast, go to Ipala and Las Peñitas (on the Cabo Corrientes coast south of Tehualmixtle), Playa el Tecuán, Playa la Manzanilla, and Barra de Navidad (at the jetty).