Organized Tours

Boat Tours

Puerto Vallarta offers a number of boat trips, including sunset cruises and snorkeling, swimming, and diving excursions. They generally travel one of two routes: to the Marietas Islands, a 30- to 45-minute boat ride off the northern shore of Banderas Bay, or to Yelapa, Las Animas, or Quimixto along the southern shore. The trips to the southern beaches make a stop at Los Arcos, an island rock formation south of Puerto Vallarta, for snorkeling. Prices range from $45 for a sunset cruise or a trip to one of the beaches with open bar, to $85 for an all-day outing with open bar and meals. Travel agencies sell tickets and distribute information on all cruises.

One of the best outings is a day trip to Las Caletas, the cove where John Huston made his home for years. Vallarta Adventures (tel. 888/526-2238 in the U.S., or 322/297-1212, ext. 3; www.vallarta-adventures.com) has done an excellent job of restoring Huston's former home, adding exceptional day-spa facilities, and landscaping the beach, which is wonderful for snorkeling. The trip ($85 per person, $60 for children 4 to 11) sets out every Monday through Saturday from Nuevo Vallarta at 8:30am or from Vallarta's Maritime Terminal at 9am, and includes a light breakfast, buffet lunch, open bar, snorkeling and kayaking equipment, and guided tours.

Whale-watching tours become more popular each year. Viewing humpback whales is almost a certainty from mid- to late November to March. The majestic whales have migrated to this bay for centuries (in the 17th c. it was called "Humpback Bay") to bear their calves. The noted local authority is Open Air Expeditions, Guerrero 339 (tel./fax 322/222-3310; www.vallartawhales.com). It offers ecologically oriented, oceanologist-guided 4-hour tours on the soft boat Prince of Whales, the only boat in Vallarta specifically designed for whale-watching. Cost is $95 for adults, $82 for children 5 to 10, and travel is in a group of up to 12 (there's a discount for booking online). The tour departs at 9:30am. Vallarta Adventures offers a variety of whale-watching excursions that may combine time for snorkeling, or simply focus on photographing these exquisite mammals. Prices range from $70 to $85, and offer a choice of boats -- from small boats (to bring you closest for photos) to sailboats.

Land Tours

Tukari Servicios Turísticos can arrange trips to the fertile birding grounds near San Blas, 3 to 4 hours north of Puerto Vallarta in the state of Nayarit, and shopping trips to Tlaquepaque and Tonalá (6 hr. inland, near Guadalajara). A day trip to Rancho Altamira, a 20-hectare (49-acre) working ranch, includes a barbecue lunch and horseback riding, then a stroll through El Tuito, a small nearby Colonial-Era village. The company can also arrange an unforgettable morning at Terra Noble Art & Healing Center (tel. 322/223-3530 or 222-5400; www.terranoble.com), a mountaintop day spa and center for the arts where participants can get a massage, temazcal (ancient indigenous sweat lodge -- available only for groups), or treatment; work in clay and paint; and have lunch in a heavenly setting overlooking the bay.

Hotel travel desks and travel agencies, including Tukari and American Express, can also book the popular Tropical Tour or Jungle Tour ($45), a basic orientation to the area. These excursions are expanded city tours that include a drive through the workers' village of Pitillal, the affluent neighborhood of Conchas Chinas, the cathedral, the market, the Taylor-Burton houses, and lunch at a jungle restaurant.

The Sierra Madre Expedition is another excellent tour offered by Vallarta Adventures. The daily excursion travels in Mercedes all-terrain vehicles north of Puerto Vallarta through jungle trails, stops at a small town, ventures into a forest for a brief nature walk, and winds up on a pristine secluded beach for lunch and swimming. The $88 outing is worthwhile because it takes tourists on exclusive trails into scenery that would otherwise be off-limits.