Travel journal to Yelapa

I recently received the visit of a very dear friend. She has been coming to Puerto Vallarta for the last year or so. Originally from Europe but living in Mexico, my visitor had not had the opportunity to get to know Yelapa. So, encouraged by some friends, we packed for a couple of days in the little town.

I didn’t want to tell her any spoiler. Rather, I let her discover step by step everything the Mexican Pacific coast has to offer its visitors. The first surprise was the trip to get there. We drove to Boca de Tomatlan and took a panga to Yelapa. We had the option to take it at Los Muertos pier, but we decided to border the coast by road.

The trip on the water was very easy, with no further ado. The boat captain told us about how he started to make these trips 30 years ago. Back then, they were basically to carry food and supplies. I have to point out that just a day before I bumped into my buddy Eduardo. His family is originally from Yelapa and owns a small hotel there, so I made the reservation with him.

Upon arrival, we landed on the beach pier. We stayed at Casa Bahía Bonita, a quaint, clean and cozy place. On the way we met Brian, a Canadian retired in Yelapa for many years. Thanks to him we contacted Uriel, a young man riding an ATV and offering transportation services.

Checking in the hotel was quick and easy. We were assigned a room from where we could see the comings and goings of the boats. We arrived just in time for lunch after a refreshing shower. The way to the beach restaurants is really short and everything is a few steps away.

You may also like: San Sebastian del Oeste, a mile-high refresher

After restoring ourselves with a seafood cocktail and a fish filet, we explored the beach and lay on the sand to enjoy the evening. There were few people, as they told us this month is of low occupancy. Something that jumped to our attention was the number of dogs who roamed free on the beach and come by you with the intention of playing? Getting some food? The this is we played with some of those who proved to be willing to bear with us.

After the sunset we decide to find a place for dinner. We had no idea about how the village was, so we called Uriel, who recommended us to go to Lagunita hotel, whose restaurant was serving dinner. We took his recommendation and were not disappointed at all. Attention was excellent and the food was at the same level.

The next day we called Uriel again, who picked us up to drive us to the famous waterfall, in a tour we found rather surreal, as he took us across the river by all kinds of birds (including the carrion ones) and along narrow alleyways. The waterfall is a spectacle in itself, very nice to spend some time plunging and freshening up in its waters.

We made the way back by foot, downhill to the river, which we wadied across. By the time we were back at the hotel, it was time to head back to Vallarta, tired but happy to have shared the experience of visiting a new place.

She was leaving Puerto Vallarta that very same day, so we said goodbye with the promise of going somewhere else in her next visit. But that will be the excuse for another Travel Journal.