Summary

Introduction

Bucerias is a small attractive town located in the Banderas Bay in the state of Nayarit between La Cruz de Huanacaxtle to the north and Nuevo Vallarta to the south and is part of what is now called Riviera Nayarit.

The locals are simple, sincere and kind people, they are proud of their town and their clean beautiful beach.

The 5-mile long beach itself offers soft sand and calm waves. Though many state that the name derives from “place of divers”, the word itself doesn’t make much sense in Spanish, so I dispute this interpretation, sounds more like a “smart” gringo trying to unravel the meaning and doing it wrong :-).

How to get to Bucerías

If you are already in Puerto Vallarta, Bucerias is located north of the bay, past the airport and Nuevo Vallarta, 17 miles from PV’s main square.

You’ll drive along Federal Highway 200 and about 40-60 minutes (depending on traffic and time of day) northward you’ll find the town to your left.

What to do in Bucerias, Nayarit

Among the various attractions and sightseeing landmarks in Bucerias, we could mention the Iglesia a la Señora de la Paz (Our Lady of Peace Church) and the remodeled main plaza.

Iglesia a la Señora de la Paz, Bucerías Nayarit Mexico

Señora de la Paz Church

The local beach, is a great place to relax, take walks, take a trip on horseback or an ATV, especially when you do so in the afternoon and can enjoy the impressive sunsets that are a part of the bay panorama, during the summer afternoons the sun sets behind the hills that surround the western edge of the bay and not the sea.

There is an entertaining water park with rafts and inflated games, ideal for families and active children who want to have a blast in the warm sea. It’s called Wibit Adventures Water Park, a circuit of trampolines, climbing towers, slides, pyramids, tunnels, and more, all floating in the waters off the beach.

Bucerias beach Nayarit looking north

Bucerias beach looking north

This beach is a great place for surfing, windsurfing, boogie boarding, and collecting shells. The area is now very popular among kitesurfers and various competitions are held here too.

Panorama of Bucerias Beach looking north

Thursday evenings are art walk night, where art lovers are invited to visit galleries that are open during the evening and serve cocktails and refreshments along Lazaro Cardenas street.

Bucerias’ beach is also used for sand figure competitions, you can also enjoy the local delicacies, such as “pescado zarandeado” (grilled fish), ceviches, shellfish, lobster, and so on.

Restaurants the water's edge in Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico

Beachside Restaurants

Take a stroll along the cobblestone streets in Bucerias, it’ll be like a stroll back in time, enjoy the colorful houses, where people will greet you while they talk to their neighbors, small stores, some restaurants, government and real estate offices, art galleries, a local market with many Huichol works of art and even small eateries where you’ll be offered fresh oysters off their shell, you might just end up tempted to stay more than a day.

In the 1940’s Bucerias only had seven palapa huts, and the locals cultivated corn, sorgo, sesame, peanuts, and fruit, other activities included fishing. Access to the small village was quite complicated, especially during the rainy season, but after 1955 a better road helped the locals giving them an easier way out and easier access for visitors.

Bucerías Flea Market

Bucerías Flea Market

The most popular local fiestas are the traditional religious festivities for the Peace Virgin (Virgen de la Paz), these are held on January 24 each year, that include peregrinations by the sea on colourfully decorated boats with various religious motives, fireworks, dance, local Mexican delicacies, and many more activities.

Bucerías is also home to a unique artistic attraction, the “El Buzo” (The Diver) sculpture. It was unveiled June 2014 and is an imposing stainless steel piece finished in bronze. It stands right by the edge of the beach between the sea and Plaza del Viento (the town’s main square) and is a tribute to the town’s fishing and maritime history and the brave divers that harvested its bounty.

"El Buzo" (the diver) statue in Bucerías Nayarit Mexico

“El Buzo” (the diver) statue

Though, as I mentioned before, many state that Bucerías means place or town of divers. Though I don’t really think it is the right name, grammatically, it’s so widely stated that we’ll just have to go with it. The town had a reputation for its pearl divers, who explored the deep waters off the beach, harvesting pearls from the rocks in the depths with metal crowbars, often without any scuba diving equipment. The sculpture itself, a collaboration between renowned sculptor Octavio González Gutiérrez (Vallarta Whale) and local artist Gustavo López Gulooch, depicts one of these divers extracting an oyster, a visual caption of the town’s essence and origins.

Adding a personal touch to the piece, the face of the diver is modeled after a local fisherman called Ramón Barraza, who has passionately supplied the local restaurants with fresh seafood for more than 40 years.

The Diver Plaque, Bucerias

The Diver, plaque

The Diver

This is a tribute to the first national and foreign divers who searched for the pearl of the oyster in the sea of Banderas Bay.

Recognition to the families that started this tradition: Ballesteros Michel, González Guerrero, Barraza, García y Ávalos brothers…

Contributors:
Alberto Quintero, Armando Solorio, Manny Venegas, Pietra Mare and Canadian residents.

Diver: Octavio González
Oyster: Gustavo López Gulooch

Government of the People
Bucerías Nayarit 2015

The streets of Bucerias Mexico

The streets of Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico

On October 14th Bucerías celebrates its anniversary and on November 22, Saint Cecilia’s day, musicians from the state of Michoacan visit and celebrate with the locals.

Bucerias is a key component of what is now being developed and promoted as “Riviera Nayarit”, so now suddenly the town is attractive as a real estate investment option and new businesses are establishing themselves in the area, offering different tourist-oriented services, entertainment, and ecotourism.

The town despite all this activity is calm and relaxed, making it a very attractive place to retire from the bustle of it all. Many say Bucerias is very much as Puerto Vallarta was 50 years ago, maybe it’s time to find out if that’s true.

Climate

The average temperature in Bucerias varies a little. Considering humidity, the hot season lasts about half of a year and is otherwise nice with a low chance for rain throughout most parts at any given moment during this period – making it feel more temperate than tourist destinations worldwide on account of its 55th percentile ranking as pleasant weather conditions overall (compared to other locations).

July is a great time to visit Bucerias. The city’s warmest months are August and July, with an average temperature of around 91°F (32 Celsius). That means you can enjoy days where it only rains in the afternoons or evenings!

Temperatures in Bucerías

Precipitation in Bucerias

Location Map

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Last Updated on 07/07/2023 by Puerto Vallarta Net