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. Don't base your opinion of underwater Puerto Vallarta on this, though -- dozens of tour boats dump quantities of snorkelers overboard at the same time each day, exactly when the fish know not to be there. It is, however, an excellent site for night diving. When comparing boat cruises, note that some include lunch, while most provide music and an open bar on board. Most leave around 9:30am, stop for 45 minutes of snorkeling, and arrive at the beach destination around noon for a 2 1/2-hour stay before returning around 3pm. At Quimixto and Yelapa, visitors can take a half-hour hike to a jungle waterfall or rent a horse for the ride. Prices range from $45 (£23) for a sunset cruise or a trip to one of the beaches with open bar, to $85 (£43) for an all-day outing with open bar and meals.

One boat, the Marigalante (tel. 322/223-0309; www.marigalante.com.mx), is an exact replica of Columbus's ship the Santa María, built in honor of the 500th anniversary of his voyage to the Americas. It features a daytime "Pirate Land" Morning Cruise daily from 8am until 3:30pm ($85/£43 per person), complete with breakfast, picnic barbecue and treasure hunt, as well as a sunset dinner (adult oriented) cruise from 6 to 10pm ($85/£43 per person) with fireworks and dance party. Children 3 to 11 are half-price (children younger than 2 are free).

One of the best outings is a day trip to Caletas, the cove where John Huston made his home for years. Vallarta Adventures (tel. 888/303-2653 in the U.S., or 322/297-1212, ext. 3; www.vallarta-adventures.com) holds the exclusive lease on the private cove and 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. They also have a colony of sea lions that play with the visiting divers. You'll have a hard time deciding whether to kayak, take a yoga class, hike through surrounding trails, or simply relax in the hammocks strung between palms on the beach. The facilities and relative privacy have made this excursion ($85/£43 per person; $60/£30 for children 4 to 11) one of the most popular. The evening cruise includes dinner and a spectacular contemporary dance show, "Rhythms of the Night."

Travel agencies sell tickets and distribute information on all cruises. If you prefer to spend more time at Yelapa or Las Animas without snorkeling and cruise entertainment, look into getting a water taxi.

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 $85 (£43) for adults, $50 (£25) for children 5 to 10, and travel is in a group of up to 12. Twice-daily departures (8:30am and 1:30pm) include a healthful snack. 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 $75 to $85 (£38-£43), and offer a choice of boats -- from small boats (to bring you closest for photos) to graceful sailboats. All trips include a predeparture briefing on whale behavior. They also have a "scouting plane" flying the bay to site the whales from the air, and then they direct their boats to the location.

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 (50-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), or treatment; work in clay and paint; and have lunch in a heavenly setting overlooking the bay. Call ahead for reservations, and make sure to advise if you want to have lunch there.

Hotel travel desks and travel agencies, including Tukari and American Express, can also book the popular Tropical Tour or Jungle Tour ($40/£20), 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. Any stop for shopping usually means the driver picks up a commission for what you buy.

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 $80 (£40) outing is worthwhile because it takes tourists on exclusive trails into scenery that would otherwise be off-limits.

Air Tours

You can explore some of the most remote and undiscovered reaches of the Sierra Madre mountains in Vallarta Adventures' San Sebastián Air Expedition (tel. 888/303-2653 in the U.S., or 322/297-1212, ext. 3; www.vallarta-adventures.com). A 15-minute flight aboard a 14-seat turbo-prop Cessna Caravan takes you into the heart of the Sierra Madre. The plane is equipped with raised wings, which allow you to admire -- and photograph -- the mountain scenery. The plane arrives on a gravel landing strip in the beautiful town of San Sebastián, which dates from 1603. One of the oldest mining towns in Mexico, it reached its prosperous peak in the 1800s, with over 30,000 inhabitants. Today, San Sebastián remains an outstanding example of how people lived and worked in a remote Mexican mountain town -- it's a living museum. The half-day adventure costs $155 (£78), which covers the flight, a walking tour of the town (including a stop at the old Hacienda Jalisco, a favored getaway of John Huston, Liz and Dick, and their friends), and brunch in town. Other excursions include overnight stays and return trips by bike or horseback. If you prefer more leisurely travel, they offer a similar tour that takes you by land in air-conditioned minivans for the 90-minute drive up the mountains, for $75 (£38) per person. Another bus tour to San Sebastián, which costs $75 (£38) per person and includes a guide, departs at 9am and returns at 5pm. Call Pacific Travel (tel. 322/225-2270) to make reservations.

Vallarta Adventures also offers a similar, yet different, air tour to the mountain villages of Mascota and Talpa de Allende, where you'll learn about the religious significance of these traditional towns. In Mascota, stroll the cobblestone streets lined with adobe houses and colonial haciendas, stopping at the majestic town church, dedicated to the Virgen de los Dolores (Virgin of Sorrows), which was completed in 1880 and took more than 100 years to construct. You'll stop for lunch and tour a local raicilla distillery to sample this locally popular beverage before traveling on to Talpa. Talpa is known for being home to one of Mexico's most revered icons, the Virgen Rosario de Talpa, believed to grant miracles with her healing powers. Ask for one yourself, as you visit the Gothic church that bears her name, or simply wander around this pastoral village, set in a valley that is surrounded by pine-covered mountains. The 6-hour adventure includes airfare and lunch, for $175 (£88) per person. Departures are Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:30am, from the Aerotron private airport (adjacent to the Puerto Vallarta International Airport).

Vallarta Adventures also offers air tours to remote mountain villages where the Huichol Indians live (Fri departures, $210/£105 per person), as well as to the Copper Canyon, and the mystical village of Mexcaltitan (Mon departures, $255/£128 per person), all departing from Puerto Vallarta. Details and online booking options are available at www.vallarta-adventures.com.

Tours in Town

Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in high season (late Nov-Easter), the International Friendship Club (tel. 322/222-5466) offers a private home tour of four villas in town. It costs $35 (£18) per person, with proceeds donated to local charities. Arrive early, because this tour sells out quickly. It starts at the Hotel Posada Río Cuale, adjacent to the southbound bridge over the Río Cuale. Get there at 10am, and you can buy breakfast while you wait for the group to gather. The tour departs at 10:30am and lasts approximately 3 1/2 hours. Also ask them about a new tour of the exquisite villas on the north shore.

Galería Pacífico owner Gary Thompson hosts a tour of the Public Sculptures of the malecón, each Tuesday at 9:30am, from December through April. For a couple of hours, you'll stroll the malecón learning about the artists who created Vallarta's most visible art, and their inspirations. Frequently, Gary is joined by one or more of the artists on this tour. For more details, contact the gallery at tel. 322/221-1982.