Famous Puerto Vallarta Sunsets

It is nearly impossible to find a travel review of the city that doesn’t mention the gorgeous views during a Puerto Vallarta sunset when the sun drops into the horizon. No doubt you’ve seen nature’s own spectacle from the patio of your Puerto Vallarta room or villa.

First of all, be advised that it’s a bad idea to wonder aloud what makes those vivid hues when you’re in the middle of a romantic interlude. That said, if you’re 8 years old or single or if your significant other is, like you, also a bit of a nerd (in a good way, of course), then it’s time to learn something about the mechanics of sunsets.

Actually, there’s a lot more science in a sunset than you may think, and it turns out it’s not that easy to explain. Briefly, it seems that the Earth’s atmosphere causes light from the visible spectrum to scatter. For reasons best understood by physicists, red light is least susceptible to scattering, so at the end of the day, when the sun has dropped low and light is traveling far, the reds are holding it together while other colors in the spectrum are going every which way. It has to do with wavelength and electromagnetic particles. Or something like that.

Visitors and locals agree that there are a few special places in Puerto Vallarta to enjoy the setting sun’s light show:

Of course, you don’t have to search very far to find a good place to watch the sun paint the sky. I personally like them on the Malecon or on one of the many beautiful beaches in town, you get to sit down in the soft sand, enjoy the lapping of the waves and watch the sun slowly sink into the horizon.