Puerto Vallarta Excursions | Land + Sea Puerto Vallarta Mexico
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When in Puerto Vallarta excursions are a must! Puerto Vallarta is a major touristy town from cruise ships docking at the marina, to thousands of people flying into Puerto Vallarta daily, it’s busy!
With the tourism comes some great Puerto Vallarta excursions. The excursions in Puerto Vallarta range from romantic cruises to epic jungle adventures, and day trips out at sea.
We’ve visited Puerto Vallarta for a holiday multiple times and have lived there, and we’re sharing all the great Puerto Vallarta excursions found both on land and at sea.
Puerto Vallarta Excursions on Land
Zip Lining in the Banderas Bay Jungle
The first time I, Heather, visited Puerto Vallarta was on a cruise with my family. When we stopped in Puerto Vallarta, my sisters and I were all stoked to be doing a zip-lining excursion, and holy smokes, it didn’t disappoint!
More than ten years later, I still have vivid memories of zip lining across canyons, between trees, and feeling on top of the world as I flew over the treetops!
To this day, the Puerto Vallarta zip-lining tour is one of the best memories I have of doing tours while traveling! When looking through tours, be sure to check out what the zip-lining excursion includes! Things to look out for are donkey rides, lots of hiking, and the number and distance of the zip lines you get to go on!
ATV Through the Jungle
This is a tour for the adventure junkies! Blazing on dirt roads and trails through the jungle above Puerto Vallarta is a thrill.
When looking at ATV tours in Puerto Vallarta, be sure to look at what is all included. Some tours are shorter than others, the places you visit on the ATVs are different, and some are paired with zip lining and repelling down waterfalls! So choose your ATV Puerto Vallarta excursion wisely!
Tequila Tasting in Puerto Vallarta
Tequila anyone!? With lots of distilleries in and around Banderas Bay, Tequila Tours in Puerto Vallarta are a hit.
Some offer the chance to visit multiple distilleries, while others are just a single one.
Something to watch out for when choosing a Tequila Tour is the duration of the tour. You don’t want to expect to go out for a few hours only to be gone an entire day!
There are also Tequila tasting tours paired with food tours just in the city, and they’re a huge hit on Get Your Guide!
Not all Tequila tours are made the same! This Finca 18 Tequila Tour is a tour of the actually distillery, and you get to taste FIVE different tequilas with an actual agave spirit master, one of twenty in the world!
Check out these photos and a deeper dive into what else Finca 18 offers in this review post.
Taco or Street Food Tour
Okay, we get some people want to do a tour for tacos and street food so they know it’s the best of the best, but shoot — honestly, you can do this one on your own! In fact, we have an entire post about finding the best taco in Puerto Vallarta here.
Taco tours in Puerto Vallarta typically run around $50 USD and you get to enjoy tacos from multiple different taco stands and have a street churro too. If you get a good tour guide, you’ll also find that you learn a bit about Puerto Vallarta on top of enjoying many different tacos!
Mexican Food Tour
Just yesterday we were walking around Puerto Vallarta and came across people doing a food tour where they learn to make homemade tortillas. We also overheard that people were getting shots of tequila so that’s a great addition!
Taking a food tour is a great way to be able to bring a bit of Puerto Vallarta back home with you!
Puerto Vallarta Excursions Out to Sea
Rhythms of The Night
This is the perfect romantic excursion in Puerto Vallarta. Last time we were in Puerto Vallarta we did this for my sister’s birthday and had SO MUCH FUN!
We didn’t know what to expect on this tour, but came back just in awe of the show that we witnessed! The food was certainly not anything to write home about, but the show made the trip worth it!
Oh! And, it’s ” all-inclusive” meaning you get all you can drink alcohol and the food is buffet style, so that’s all you can eat too!
For people honeymooning in Puerto Vallarta, we strongly suggest taking the Rhythms of the Night Excursion (book it here)!
Deep Sea Fishing
Getting out in the bay and fishing? Yes, please! This is a fantastic tour for everyone in the family! We did this tour with our stepdad and brother-in-laws and had so much fun!
Unlike the Rhythms of the Night tour, multiple different agencies are running the deep sea fishing excursions out of Puerto Vallarta. We went with Charly’s Fishing Tours and had a fantastic time!
A few things to pay attention to when booking a fishing excursion are,
- How long you’re out at sea.
- Do you get fresh ceviche with your catches of the day — this was a highlight on our fishing tour!
- Are you guaranteed a certain number of fish, and what kind of fish are you going for?
- Where does the tour take you?
- How many guides / deckhands are on the boat with you?
- Do they use devices to locate fish, or is it pure luck?
With Charly’s Fishing Charter, we really didn’t go out deep into the ocean. We wanted to go for Mahi-Mahi, but they wouldn’t take us out! However, we did catch SO MANY FISH! It was amazing.. and our guides made us fresh ceviche right on the boat with fish we just caught, taking the tour to a whole nother level.
With that said, upon returning to the marina, another family had got out fishing and between the six of them, they caught one fish and really didn’t have a good time. So, be sure to read the reviews before booking, and we can totally recommend Charly’s Fishing Tours for a good time!
Puerto Vallarta Snorkeling Excursions
Snorkeling is quite a popular Puerto Vallarta excursion. There are again many different companies offering snorkeling tours down the coastline. While you can pack your own snorkel gear and swim on your own, tours are a great way to get to experience multiple places in one day.
We saw many people on snorkeling tours in both Yelapa and Los Colomitos Beach. Both of those places we did our own day excursions from Puerto Vallarta, which you can read about below.
READ MORE | Complete Guide to Yelapa a Beach Only Accessible by Boat
READ MORE | Los Colomitos Beach and Hiking Guide
Pirate Party with Fireworks
Every night there’s a pirate party boat that cruises its guests around Banderas Bay. This boat is hard to miss from shore, as the music is loud, the twinkling lights are visible from anywhere on land, and the fireworks go off like clockwork every night at 8:45 PM.
This pirate cruise is for travelers looking for a party! It offers unlimited alcohol, and is basically just a floating dance party at sea!
We’ve not done this excursion in Puerto Vallarta, however, we see the fireworks every night.
Hot Dog Tubing
Okay, I’ll admit it.. this is definitely not the actual name for this, but shoot — look at the photo, it totally looks like a hot dog!
These little inflatables get pulled behind a boat going back and forth up and down the coastline. It’s a simple little water excursion, but perfect for those looking for a short time on the water.
Jet Skis
While totally not an excursion, Jet Skis are a water activity that loads of people take in right from the beach.
Walking along the beach, you’ll find many places that have jet skis parked right in the sand . Likewise, both the Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta marinas have jet skis to rent. If you’re not looking to rent the jet skis in person, you can book them online in advance too.
Last summer, my family took out the jet skis, and they felt that 30 minutes on the water was more than enough time . If you have the option to book in person, it may be best, as taking on the jet skis on a day when the water isn’t too choppy would make this excursion much more enjoyable.
Whale Watching in the Winter
Whale watching is a great Puerto Vallata tour that’s only offered in the winter. This is because the whales migrate up the Pacific Coast from December – March, and you’re almost 100% guaranteed to see some whales during this time.
We saw a lot of whales right from the beaches of Puerto Vallarta and our accommodation too, but there’s something special about seeing them out while you’re on a boat. Keep in mind, you have the chance to see whales when doing fishing or snorkeling tours in Puerto Vallarta too, so you may want to double dip your tour and see them while out at sea!
Check out some of the most popular whale watching tours here.
Parasailing From The Beach
If you’re afraid of heights, parasailing isn’t for you! But shoot, it’s a super fun experience if you’re up for an adventurous, yet relaxed Puerto Vallarta excursion!
The parasailing tours that leave off the beach in Puerto Vallarta, typically are only in the air for five minutes on the dot. We’ve timed them multiple times, so be sure to see how long you’re flying for! The online tours, state a ten minutes fly time, so it may be best to book online.
We’ve been parasailing where we got to sail with each other, which in my head is a totally different experience than flying solo, but either way, the views from above the bay are just brilliant!
Sunset Cruises Puerto Vallarta
Sunset cruises in Puerto Vallarta are an extremely popular excursion to do! However, they are spendy, and honestly a lot of the bad reviews kept us from going on one.
However, I’m sure they’re great. Some of them offer things like unlimited drinks and food, while others offer a romantic cruise for just you and your loved one.
Find the best sunset cruise in Puerto Vallarta for you here.
Booking Excursions in Puerto Vallarta
When planning to do an excursion in Puerto Vallarta, sometimes it’s best to just book ahead. That way you can take away the hassle of haggling with people on the beach, and you can have a trip to look forward to.
Likewise, if you’re on a strict time frame, having a pre-booked excursion will ensure you can actually do the excursion that you wish.
Puerto Vallarta Adventures offers a discount when booking multiple excursions, so it may be best to book with the same company if planning on doing more than one tour in Puerto Vallarta.
With that said, if you have the extra time and can go with the flow, it’s nice to not have everything booked out in advance because you can then wait for the weather to determine what you do, and once you arrive in Puerto Vallarta you may change your mind on what you want your vacation to be!
More on Puerto Vallarta
We’ve lived in and have traveled to Puerto Vallarta multiple times. We honestly weren’t convinced we would love Puerto Vallarta as much as we do. But shoot, it’s fantastic here!
Check out more of our Puerto Vallarta guides below, and come back for more, as we’re constantly adding new information about Puerto Vallarta as we go!
Your Guide to Yelapa | incuding the controversial Yelapa water taxi scam
9 Waterfalls in Puerto Vallarta | simple DIY Puerto Vallarta excursions that are nearly free!
The Best Tequila Tour and Tasting in Puerto Vallarta | given by a agave spirit master, and at the actual distillery
4 Weeks in Puerto Vallarta Budget | yes, we tracked everything we spent for a 28 day period
5 Breweries in Puerto Vallarta | when you’re just craving a craft beer
Dangerous Wildlife of Puerto Vallarta | what to look out for and how to protect yourself against them
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