Top 10 Puerto Vallarta Tours

Top 10 Puerto Vallarta Tours

Our top 10 tour & activities list is:

Considering that you can get a tan almost anywhere in the world, our recommendation is that you avoid just sitting by the pool and get a sunburn… instead, get a sunburn enjoying the many activities, tours, trips, excursions and also go sightseeing, there are great free sightseeing options, and in this section, we’ll go over the best-paid tours/activities and the best providers in Puerto Vallarta.

1- Ocean Friendly Whale Watching Tours

Ocean Friendly Whale Watching Tours

At times some tours feel a bit lightweight, superficial, and are forgotten almost as soon as you’ve finished them. Ocean Friendly will NOT be like that. You’ll go out on an excursion around the beautiful bay with an Oceanographer and tour guides that really love what they do and respect the sea creatures they visit in the sea.

The tour operator is led by Oscar Frey that has studied Humpback Whales in the bay since the 1990s, so if you want a truly life-changing experience, a way to really get in contact with nature and our cetacean friends, we know of no better way.

When out on these types of tours, it’s important to ensure your safety and mostly the health and wellness of the whales and dolphins you encounter during the trip, with Ocean Friendly you can rest assured you are on a tour that is considered the most responsible whale watching operator in Puerto Vallarta.

Those that enjoy nature, life, and the sea should not miss this opportunity to spend an adventurous day with experts and those kindred spirits in the waters of one of the most beautiful bays in the World.

Visit their Facebook for more information.

2- PV Sea Dive

PV Sea Dive Tours

If your “thing” is diving or snorkeling PV Sea Dive is a fabulous option. You can get your PADI certification with them or just tag along to some great dive sites in the bay area.

For those that have dived, you know that the most important elements are safety and professionalism, but after that, it’s about having fun and enjoying the sites with knowledgeable guides.

Yes, you can have a great time on your own, but being guided by enthusiastic and dependable guides, that know the area, the species, their habits and the necessary tricks makes it all the better. PV Sea Dive is very highly recommended.

3- Outdoor Adventure by Vallarta Adventures

outdoor-adventure

One of the favorite tours from the favorite and most important tour company in Puerto Vallarta, Vallarta Adventures. On this tour, you’ll have no time to get bored at all.

The tour includes 5 different and distinct activities, zooming in the bay from Vallarta to Boca de Tomatlán, then on UNIMOG-style 4×4 Off-road trucks into the Sierra Madre, mule ride up into the mountains, zip lines, rappelling, and water slides to top a fabulous day off.

Certainly not a tour for the faint of heart, but it sure is an efficient way to really get many of the attractions of the area squeezed into one day.

Furthermore, Vallarta Adventures strives to provide an excellent experience both with quality tours, great customer service, and knowledgeable and motivated expert guides.

Visit their website for more information.

4- Los Veranos Canopy / Canopy River

Los Veranos Canopy Tours

Canopy tours (also known as zip-line tours) have become quite popular in Puerto Vallarta. A concept originally created in Costa Rica that lets you enjoy tropical forests with minimal damage, this exhilarating activity is offered in Vallarta’s jungles, valleys, and rivers.

Los Veranos Canopy is offered in the southern area of the Bay, inland from Boca de Tomatlán close to a small town called Las Juntas y Los Veranos.

This, which is sold as the “original” canopy tour in Vallarta, offers 14 zip lines and 2 miles of cable. Only professional climbing equipment is used and safety is, of course, a top priority. With parts running over 300 ft high, you’re sure to enjoy and remember this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Visit their website for more information.

Canopy River, Zipline Tour, Puerto Vallarta

Canopy River offers 12 ziplines surrounded by dense exotic forests close to Puerto Vallarta along a canyon and the Cuale River. This tour is all downhill at full speed, once you get over being astounded by the heights, you’ll really get some breathtaking views from way above the ground, especially when you zip over the river.

At the bottom of the zip-lines, you get on mules, and you are taken back up the mountain, easier, impossible. At the top, you can eat lunch and participate in a Tequila presentation and tasting.

Visit their website for more information.

5- Wildlife Connection / Ecotours Vallarta

Wildlife Connections Tours

Two excellent tour operators that offer a diverse lineup of eco-tour adventure options to enjoy while you are in Puerto Vallarta.

Wildlife Connection offers dolphin and whale watching tours, turtle camps, bird watching, snorkeling, and hiking. This company of professionals is led by Biologist Maria Eugenia Rodriguez and wildlife photographer Eduardo Lugo and includes various scientists in their staff.

Visit their website for more information.

Ecotours Vallarta

Ecotours Vallarta is another great eco-adventure provider in Vallarta, among their various tours, they include dolphin and whale watching, bird watching, turtle camps and crocodiles, kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, scuba and trips to San Blas, to see the Monarch Butterflies or Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, among others.

These tours are not only thrilling as an experience, but also for their educational value, Ecotours prides itself in providing passionate tour guides that will make your trip a lifelong memory.

Visit their website for more information.

6- Metamorphosis Day Spa

metamorfosis-day-spa

For those into pampering themselves, relaxing, and getting all the stress massaged out of their muscles and bones, this is a treat and clients rave over the great customer service.

Located in Puerto Vallarta’s romantic zone a block from the new Playa Los Muertos pier, Metamorfosis Day Spa offers a variety of massages, from Deep Tissue to Ayurveda, body treatments, facials, manicure, and pedicure.

Visit their website for more information.

7- Yelapa & Majahuitas with Vallarta Adventures

Yelapa & Majahuitas, Vallarta Adventures

This great tour will take you to two of the nicest beaches and towns in the southern part of the bay, only accessible by sea. In the morning you’ll go to Majahuitas that is known for its beautiful cove and beach, where you’ll be able to kayak or snorkel or just relax and enjoy the natural beauty, sand and palm trees.

In the afternoon you’ll arrive in Yelapa, where you’ll hike into the jungle and visit the waterfalls called “Cola de Caballo” (Horsetail waterfalls) and later you’ll enjoy relaxing on the beach.

Visit their website for more information.

8- Pirate Land (day) / Pirates of the Bay (night)

Pirate Land Day Tour

Pirates of the Bay day tour

The day tour, called Pirate Land is great for families, the trip around the bay in the Christopher Columbus replica ship (modernized, of course) includes an impressive pirate show with sword fighting, acrobatics, and even cannons blasting. There are games, contests, dancing and water sports that include kayaking, banana boats, snorkeling and even a fun treasure hunt. The tour includes food and an open bar.

Reserve this tour on our site.

Pirates of the Bay tour, Puerto Vallarta

Pirates of the Bay night tour

The entertaining night tour (better for adults), called Pirates of the Bay is a great sunset cruise in the bay, with dancing, shows, games and many other fun activities. You’ll enjoy the unique view of the bay and the famous sunsets from a marine vantage point. There is a full dinner and free drinks for all and to crown the evening there’s a fireworks display too.

Reserve Pirates of the Bay on this site.

9- Rhythms of the Night

Rhythms of the Night

Rhythms of the Night, Las Caletas, Puerto Vallarta

One of the signature tours by Vallarta Adventures has evolved a little over time but is still mostly unchanged for over 10 years. You travel by sea to Las Caletas, a private beach that was previously the famous Hollywood director, John Huston’s hideaway.

It’s so isolated people think it’s an island. You’ll be treated to great dinner lit by romantic candlelight and torches. There’s a nice show too. You can walk around the beach too. Definitively a tour for couples.

Reserve Rhythms of the Night on this site.

10 – Vallarta Botanical Garden

Vallarta Botanical Gardens

Vallarta Botanical Gardens

Definitively one of the best places to visit while you are in Puerto Vallarta. A great family day trip, you do need to drive there, so either you find a tour guide with transportation or you rent a car or taxi, you can also take public buses going to El Tuito for a cheaper trip.

The Vallarta Botanical Gardens are fabulous, many trails offer varying difficulties for your jungle excursions, most trees and plants are tagged, lots of flowers all year round.

Take your bathing suit and towel along and enjoy a dip in the small river that runs through the property.

When you are hungry or thirsty, Hacienda de Oro has your back covered, it’s an exceptional restaurant with excellent pizzas and more local dishes, you’ll be surprised at the quality.

Do bring comfortable walking shoes and insect repellent as the no-see-um bites are not fun at all, but that is a minor issue, all things considered.

Conclusion

So these were the top 10 trip options for tours and activities to enjoy in town. There are many more great activities to enjoy in town, but that depends on your hobbies, interests, and energy.

For example, there’s bungee jumping, motorbike tours or skydiving for the very “extreme-ophile” or shopping and eating tours too.

We hope we helped you see there are many things more to do in PV than just laying around by the pool drinking Margaritas, though that’s cool too, for an hour or so ;-).

Last Updated on 10/02/2022 by Puerto Vallarta Net