Colomitos Beach is the perfect day trip from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It’s a 50 cent (10 pesos) 30 minute bus ride from the Romantic Zone in Puerto Vallarta, followed by a 45 minute hike to a stunning beach.
Playa Colomitos Puerto Vallarta is a treat, even if the weather tries to scare you away.
And yes, the weather did try and scare us away. Que a major rain storm from a hurricane passing by offshore right when we got to the beach. I’m getting ahead of myself here, let’s start from the beginning.
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Why Visit Colomitos Beach?
After a couple of weeks in Puerto Vallarta, we wanted to escape out of the city before meeting our family at a resort later in our trip. We only had a week, so we wanted to head somewhere close with great beaches and a more authentic Mexican vibe.
Boca de Tomatlan it was. A place just a short bus ride south of Puerto Vallarta, claiming to offer a small fishing village experience.
Using Boca de Tomatlan (an entire post on its own here) as a home base for the area, we were set on hiking to Las Animas. However, we decided to hike to the closest beach for a day first, saving the longer hike for a full-day adventure.
And holy smokes, this was great — for a handful of reasons.
- The hike is only about 45 minutes to an hour.
- Colomitos isn’t as busy and overrun with restaurants and salesman.
- Less time hiking = more time relaxing on beach.
- There’s a new beach bar at Playa Colomitos for drinks!
- You can hike there and back in a day without paying for a water taxi.
- Snorkeling is excellent at Colomitos Beach, in fact, snorkeling tours stop here.
- It’s beautiful.. like literally picture perfect!
The Hike to Playa Colomitos Puerto Vallarta
The hike to Colomitos Beach takes about 45 minutes to an hour, really pushing that hour mark if you’re stopping for pictures and views. We were told that it was only about 15 minutes, and there is no way anybody can make it that quickly.
The trail is super cool, going up and down steps on people’s properties, walking through paths along the waterfront, and then scrambling sections up and over roots and rocks. Apparently, a big hurricane came through and wiped out portions of the trail, making it impassable at one point. However, that is no longer the case.
There are areas where the trail railing is no longer there, and areas of a nearly straight downhill scramble, but it’s passable and is the new trail as of now.
Animals on the Trail
From the very beginning of the hike, while we were still in Boca, we saw so much wildlife on the trails. In the village, we came across multiple dogs (all of them friendly) and so many chickens, roosters, and baby chicks! After all, the hike goes through people’s yards and right in front of their homes, so you get to see all the domestic animals right away!
From there, we saw beautiful sea birds while we were along the ocean, and iguanas, butterflies, and loads of ants as the trail took us more inland!
What About The Actual Colomitos Beach?
Colomitos Beach was the perfect little afternoon escape. The beach is small, but gorgeous, and when we visited, it wasn’t too crowded — that might be because of the weather though!
As playa Colomitos came into view during our hike, it started pouring down rain. Like seriously dumping. There was a hurricane passing off the coast (unbeknownst to us), and shoot, the rain hit hard. We took shelter under some rocks before making our way to the beach and sheltering at the beach bar.
The weather soon passed, and while most people at the beach left due to the rain, we stuck it out.. meaning there was hardly anyone there for about an hour!
Soon after the weather seemed like it would be clear for a while, boats started coming in with more people, but honestly, never too many — even with the small beach.
There aren’t any big waves at the beach, as it’s right in a little cove, making the water perfect for just floating in. And with the super clear water, I (Heather) was comfortable being in the ocean by myself. However, I will say, there were a couple of times when I wasn’t sure if I would get run over by a boat coming to shore!! haha
Aside from the boat traffic, the beach is super relaxing, as there aren’t people trying to sell you stuff all day, and the beach bar is just far enough off the beach, that you really don’t notice it there at all. We snagged the only shaded spot on the beach enjoying a picnic lunch and just a day of relaxing.
Who Can Hike to Colomitos Beach?
Hiking to Playa Colomitos can be actually quite difficult for inexperienced hikers, especially with wet weather or heat. While the entire hike is not strenuous, I’d say there are certain areas that are.
The beginning of the hike is relatively flat, however, once you turn out of the bay, about 7 minutes in, you’re immediately hiking up and down the shoreline like camel humps. Some of the areas are cement stairs (even some on people’s property), but other areas are scrambling up rocks and roots.
These areas are difficult, but that’s not the majority of the trail. There’s a lot of the scramble at both the end of the trail and the crest of the bay, but otherwise, it’s only every so often.
When we were hiking to Playa Colomitos we saw people of all shapes and sizes, and all ages as well, hiking to and from the beach! Honestly, super impressive with the major climb right at the end of the Colomitos Beach hike.
Getting to the Start of The Playa Colomitos Hike From Puerto Vallarta
First, Bus to Boca
In the heart of the Romantic Zone in Puerto Vallarta, you’ll find the bus stop to get to Boca de Tomatlan (coordinates here).
The bus will cost you 10 pesos (50 cents USD) to get from Puerto Vallarta to Boca. This journey will take about 45 minutes, depending on traffic and road construction on the highway. The bus drops you off on the road at the top of Boca de Tomatalan.
Boca Bus Stop to Suspension Bridge
From the bus stop in Boca (coordinates here), if you’re hungry, walk on the highway heading south. Just around the corner, you’ll find a small restaurant with the sweetest mom and daughter duo cooking up some amazing tacos.
Back to the bus stop, head down the stairs (yes, there are a lot of them) to the very bottom. Continue straight at the base of the steps towards the waterfront. The road will end, and you can check out the Boca beach, or hang a left at the pharmacy and continue down the road.
The road will turn to a dirt road, don’t worry.. continue walking.. you’ll soon be able to see the suspension bridge you need to cross.
Cross the Suspension Bridge
The suspension bridge (found here if you want to see it on the map before arriving) is a swinging bridge allowing you to cross the river to get to the trail to Colomitos Beach. After you get across the bridge, you grab some beer and/or Gatorade from the sweet family right at the base of the steps… then hang a right, and follow the river towards the ocean.
You’ll soon be hiking right along a path up and through people’s yards. There are signs every so often either saying Los Colomitos or Las Animas with an arrow. But basically, if you just follow the trail, you’ll get to the beach.
Noteworthy Spot on the Trail
The trail is pretty easy to follow to get to Colomitos Beach, however, there’s one spot of possible confusion. Almost at the end of the hike, you’ll see a fork in the trail, pictured below.
Take the left fork, away from the building. And continue on the path. You’ll pass through some lush jungle, and then see a sign pointing down towards Los Colomitos. Here you’ll have some seriously steep downhill scramble for a few minutes before the beautiful beach comes into view!
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