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The main natural attractions that make Puerto Vallarta a truly magical place are three:
- The Sierra Madre mountain range
- Rivers flowing down from the mountains &
- the Pacific Ocean.
They can all be found and enjoyed in Vallarta, making it an astounding and picturesque beach destination.
Check out our Puerto Vallarta Beach Guide with photos and panoramas.
View Puerto Vallarta Beaches in a larger map
We invite you to fully enjoy the innumerable Puerto Vallarta beaches, you will find many activities to participate in, from scuba diving and snorkeling, to just strolling down the golden sands, you can enjoy the frolicking humpback whales & dolphins in the bay, meditate to the soothing and relaxing sound of the waves or enjoy one the beautiful and romantic Vallarta sunsets.
Maps of the Beaches in Banderas Bay
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Playa de Oro Beach (Playa de Oro)
A beach located north of downtown Puerto Vallarta, Playa de Oro (literally Gold Beach) is an enjoyable, safe & sandy place to enjoy the sea, flanked by rocks at each end they create a little bay that is distinctive & welcoming at the same time.
Surrounded by an arc of hotels and resorts, you'll enjoy a variety of recreational activities & water sports that include parasailing, water skiing & swimming. Playa de Oro is one of the most popular beaches in Puerto Vallarta both for residents & visitors. |
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Los Muertos Beach (Playa los Muertos)
Probably the most famous, most visited & most popular beaches in Puerto Vallarta, Los Muertos Beach is located on the south side of the Vallarta Malecon & Cuale River, quite a few international hotels & resorts serve as its background. The area surrounding it is known as the Old Town or Zona Romantica, the beach here is intended for families, newlyweds, & is a wonderful place to just watch a sunset.
Located at the end of seaside walway, the Malecon, Los Muertos Beach offers an impressive selection of restaurants, bars, galleries, clothing stores & souvenir shops, among other attractions, not to mention a large quantity of locals & foreigners. This beach area is the ideal spot for fun & entertainment, day & night, a place that gathers the best of the traditional charms of the town with the modern aspects too. |
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Las Gemelas Beach (Playa Las Gemelas)
Las Gemelas beach, or The Twin Beach are two beaches, which is approximately 100m in length, made notable by their fine white sand, clear water & gentle waves on shore.
On these 2 beaches, you'll find many watersports to choose from. Swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, you can also climb the rocks that divide both beaches & search for crabs & minnows too, finally, you can just relax enjoying the sun under a group of palm trees. |
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Conchas Chinas Beach (Playa Conchas Chinas)
Conchas Chinas Beach, is one of the most fascinating beaches you are likely to find here. Only a few minutes south of downtown Puerto Vallarta, flanked by lush mountains on one side and aquamarine waters lapping at the clean, white sandy beach. Enjoy natural pools formed by encircling rocks, a fried fish on a stick, relax & enjoy yourself as you rarely have before. The transparent waters offer you a clear view into the depths where you'll see a wide array of fish and other sea animals that are found in the area, an experience you will likely never forget. Proof that is is one of the cleanest Vallarta town beaches available. |
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Mismaloya Beach (Playa Mismaloya)
Located at the southernmost point of Puerto Vallarta, Mismaloya Beach is at the foot of the mountains and offers a beautiful blue-green bay for your day trip. If you want some of the best views Vallarta has to offer, plus beautiful attrations along the way, luxy hotels, great restaurants & terraces over the beach take a slower trip down the coast to Mismaloya.
The beach itself is very famous for having been the one chosen by John Huston to film Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana "in 1964. The ruins of the movie set remain at the far end of the beach. In the rainy season the beautiful river that feeds the bay swells up, offering a wide variety of flowers, fauna and colorful birds for the visiting bird watchers. |
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Garza Blanca Beach (Playa Garza Blanca)
Don't write Garza Blanca beach off your list just yet. There is still public access if you follow the edge of the Condo development there is a road that leads all the way to the beach. It is a small and unobtrusive beach located on the seventh kilometre on the Pacific Coast Highway, south of Las Gemelas Beach. Its pristine white sand and aquamarine waters will delight your senses. Visit it and relax, breathe & feel the tranquillity of this extraordinary Vallarta beach. |
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National Marine Park Los Arcos (Parque Nacional Marino Los Arcos)
This amazing marine park is located between Las Gemelas & Mismaloya. Don't miss the opportunity to boat, snorkel or dive through the deep tunnels, caves, colourful reefs & arches of these wonderful islands. Acquaint yourself with the many forms of marine life and birds that live at and around Los Arcos. These islands appear to float on the surface of some of the deepest waters of the Pacific. If you enjoy scuba diving, the area around Los Arcos has many beautiful fish, the sea bottom has some interesting pipe fish that poke out of the sand too. So don't forget to visit these islands and water park, as their unforgettable image will come to mind everytime you think of Puerto Vallarta in the future. |
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Boca de Tomatlan Beach (Playa Boca de Tomatlan)
Between small hills, trees & palm trees, where the sweet waters of a river mix with the sea, lies a small fishing village called Boca de Tomatlan, this is the last beach to the South of Puerto Vallarta that is accessible from the highway before it curves inland. On its shores are several small rustic restaurants. This is a great place to hire the famous pangas, or water taxis that can take you to "island" style beaches, Yelapa & Quimixto. After you enjoy the calm beach, the estuary and the calm you can get on board your panga and zoom off to discover more of the Pacific beaches to the south. |
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Las Animas Beach (Playa Las Animas)
Las Animas is a beach that's distinguished by its golden sands, to the right of the division by a line of stones is the tourist area, on the left is a much more private beach called El Caballito (Little Horse). Behind it stands the imposing mountain and in front of it the Pacific Ocean, coloured a light blue because of the shallows and low depth, making it perfect for swimming, snorkeling, diving & kayaking. Or if you just want to relax, sunbathe on one of the folding chairs in front of their many restaurants after you have had a delicious meal of fresh fish & shellfish. |
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Quimixto Beach (Playa Quimixto)
You can only get to Playa Quimixto by boat or panga, those of you who are looking for new stories and adventures, you'll will find the little village of Quimixto, with a population of approximately 250 inhabitants. Visitors to this beach can either walk or ride a rented horse into the jungle where you'll eventually find a large waterfall with a deep big lagoon for swimming or snorkelling. Afterwards you can return to the beach and enjoy a home-style meal at any of the Mexican seafood restaurants that are there.
To discover & enjoy the sea life on Quimixto, don't forget to dive into its welcoming waters, where you'll be amazed by a new world of tropical fish, sea turtles, coral, and much more. |
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Majahuitas Beach (Playa Majahuitas)
A beach with fine white sand, Majahuitas lies at the foot of a lush jungle, accompanied by the sounds of the jungle fauna, lapped by the soft blue waters of the bay. Wander around on this spectacular beach, with its fjords & sunken canyon that you should see for yourself. Climb aboard for an adventure on a kayak, or simply stroll along the beach & watch the singing of birds and reptiles. |
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Yelapa Beach (Playa Yelapa)
Want to go to a place where waters meet & swirl. This is the original meaning of the name Yelapa, a picturesque beachside village, which opens its doors for you to explore its landscape, about 40 minutes away from Boca de Tomatlan by water taxi. This is a place distinguished by its colorful surroundings, its tradition, its kind and gentle people, who for the most part, dedicate their lives to fishing & tourism. As it's a traditional village, you must try their Mexican food dishes, fresh fish & lobster.
Yelapa, the perfect place to lose yourself in the jungle, wade through rivers, or take up sports such as swimming in the soft water, diving or fishing. You can also take long hikes from the village until you reach the waterfall, more than fifty feet high, falling from the mountain during the rainy season (June to September). Those who have had enough of the rides & excitement can simply choose to relax on the beach for hours on end.
Yelapa, due to its distance from normal civilization makes you feel as if you were on a tropical island, free from the normal stress, far from it all, you suddenly start feeling, hearing, enjoying all the new things that surround you, the big ground crabs, the silent flight of the bats, the romantic glow of the fireflies that come out at dusk, it's a natural symphony just waiting for you to relax and listen in. |
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Cabo Corrientes
Continuing along the bay you'll soon arrive at Mayto Beach, where you'll encounter an impressive diversity of plants and animals, including the largest sea turtle conservation / release camp in the state of Jalisco. If you are hungry, dont miss Tehuamixtle beach, which is known for its large oysters and shrimp at very accessible prices, it is also a small beach 600 ft. (200 meters) long.
Not far from there lies Villa Del Mar, where the waves become agitated & vivid green imposing vistas abound. There is an estuary here where you can enjoy kayaking, or if you stay on land, just enjoy the diversity of locally grown crops, including tropical fruits. |
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Lo De Marcos (Nayarit)
Between Rincón de Guayabitos and San Francisco (San Pancho) you'll find the humble town of Lo De Marcos, quite nice and picturesque, the town is quiet, relaxed and quite nice. The cobblestone streets lead you to the beach, a nice wide clean beige colored beach about 2.5 kilometers long (1.5 miles). There are a few small palapa bar-restaurants by the beach and mostly private vacation homes and bungalows you can rent, line the edges of Lo De Marcos. The water is fine, waves are not too big, but breal close to the edge, so we guess it's not so good a spot for surfing. |
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This section continues to grow as we add more and more Puerto Vallarta,
beaches and continue north into the Nuevo Vallarta and Banderas Bay beaches too.
The variety, nature, the blessed weather and clean ocean, are a cornucopia for you to enjoy and cherish. Memories for a lifetime are carved into your mind by beauty, fun and love, we hope you'll find them in abundance here in Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding areas. Enjoy!
A good beach guide for Vallarta by Virtual Vallarta
More on what to do in Puerto Vallarta
Review beaches by zone in Puerto Vallarta Sightseeing & Attractions
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