Nayarit is Mexico's rising Pacific-coast star, home to the glamorous Riviera Nayarit beach towns of Sayulita, Punta de Mita, and Nuevo Vallarta, the colonial surf port of San Blas, and the Wixárika (Huichol) heartland of the Sierra Madre Occidental. It blends barefoot-luxury resorts, world-class surf breaks, mangrove wildlife, and small-town Mexican culture within a couple of hours of Puerto Vallarta's international airport.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Islas Marietas National Park
A cluster of uninhabited volcanic islets off Punta de Mita, protected as a marine park and known for a collapsed-cave beach reached by swimming through a rock tunnel, plus reef snorkeling around the islets. Access is boat-tour only, with visitor numbers to the beach capped to limit reef damage.
Highlights: Snorkeling around Los Anegados reef with sea turtles and tropical fish · Playa del Amor (Hidden Beach), a collapsed sea cave reachable only by swimming in · Humpback whale sightings on the crossing, December through March · Blue-footed booby nesting colonies on the exposed rock islets · Kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding inside the protected cove
San Blas & La Tovara Mangroves
A quiet fishing and surf town north of the Bay of Banderas, best known for boat trips through the La Tovara mangrove channels to a freshwater spring, with crocodile and bird sightings along the way. The town itself has fading colonial-era fort ruins and a much slower pace than the resort towns to the south.
Highlights: Boat safari through La Tovara mangrove channels spotting crocodiles and herons · Swimming at the freshwater spring inside La Tovara National Park · Hilltop ruins of the Fuerte de San Basilio overlooking the Pacific · Colonial plaza and Templo de San Blas in the historic town center · Fresh seafood at palapa restaurants on Playa El Borrego
Mexcaltitán Island Village
A tiny island village in a coastal lagoon, reachable only by boat, whose circular street layout and wet-season flooding - when streets become canals navigated by canoe - have earned it comparisons to Venice and led some to identify it as Aztlán, the legendary Aztec ancestral homeland. It's a slow, one-afternoon stop built on fishing, not a resort destination.
Highlights: Circular village street layout linked to the Aztec migration legend · Museo del Origen exhibits on the island's Aztlán heritage and shrimping history · Panga boat crossing over the Marismas Nacionales wetlands · Shrimp tamales and caldo de camarón at waterfront comedores · Templo de la Candelaria on the central plaza
Tepic City & Huichol Culture
Nayarit's inland capital, a working state capital rather than a beach town, with a compact colonial center and the state's strongest connection to Huichol (Wixárika) indigenous art - intricate yarn paintings and beaded work sold and sometimes made by artisans from the surrounding sierra.
Highlights: Huichol ceremonial art and beadwork at the Museo Regional de Nayarit · Neo-Gothic Catedral de la Purísima Concepción on the Plaza Principal · Artisan shops selling authentic Huichol yarn paintings and embroidery · Regional Nayarit dishes at Mercado Adolfo Ruiz Cortines · Colonial architecture and folk art at the Museo Emilia Ortiz
Chacala Beach Escape
A small horseshoe-shaped bay south of San Blas with a calm, gently sloping beach that's more swimmable than the surf breaks further south, backed by a low-key village of palapa restaurants rather than resort towers - a quieter alternative to Sayulita for a beach day.
Highlights: Swimming in the calm, horseshoe-shaped Chacala bay · Hike to the Mirador de Chacala for a panoramic bay view · Palapa restaurants along the boardwalk serving fresh-caught red snapper · Kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding rentals on the beach · Quiet coastal walk north to Playa Los Muertos de Chacala
Laguna de Santa María del Oro
A near-circular volcanic crater lake in the hills inland from Tepic, ringed by forest and small fishing cabins, offering calm-water swimming and kayaking - a clear change of pace from the Pacific coast, and popular with Mexican families and weekend campers more than international tourists.
Highlights: Swimming and kayaking in the crater lake's blue-green water · Circular hiking trail along the forested crater rim · Bass and tilapia fishing from rented boats · Lakeside palapa restaurants serving fresh fish over the water · Pedal boat and paddleboard rentals at the lakeshore
Ixtlán del Río Archaeological Zone
A modest pre-Hispanic archaeological site on the highway between Tepic and Guadalajara, notable mainly for a circular temple platform - unusual in Mexican archaeology, where rectangular platforms are the norm - associated with a wind-deity cult. It's a brief, specialist stop rather than a major ruin on the scale of central Mexico's sites.
Highlights: Circular temple to Ehécatl, the wind god, unique among western Mexican sites · Los Toriles ceremonial platforms and ballcourt · On-site museum of Ixtlán culture ceramics and shaft-tomb figures · Pre-Hispanic burial areas within the excavated zone · Regional lunch stop in Ixtlán del Río's town market
Puerto Vallarta Malecón (Jalisco)
Puerto Vallarta's oceanfront boardwalk in the Zona Centro, lined with public bronze sculptures, open-air restaurants and bars, and the Los Arcos amphitheater where street performers gather in the evening - the city's main gathering place rather than a beach itself, and an easy add-on from the Nayarit resort towns across the bay.
Highlights: Bronze sculpture walk along the 12-block oceanfront boardwalk · Sunset views and street performers at the Los Arcos amphitheater · Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe church with its distinctive crown · Isla Cuale river island craft market and walking paths · Zona Romántica galleries, boutiques, and seafood restaurants
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Items
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- Overview
- Rental car offers the most flexibility for Nayarit's spread-out day trips; ETN and Vallarta Plus buses connect Tepic with the coast; boat charters are mandatory for Islas Marietas, Mexcaltitán, and Isla Isabel.
Multi-day tours from Nayarit
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
Browse multi-day tours from NayaritWe may earn a commission from bookings made through this link.
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Note the time zone change: Nayarit runs on America/Mazatlan time, one hour behind Puerto Vallarta and Jalisco — build in the difference when day-tripping across the state line
Rent a car for San Blas, Chacala, Mexcaltitán, and inland Tepic day trips — public transit thins out quickly north of San Pancho
Start early for Mexcaltitán and Laguna de Santa María del Oro; both require a full day round trip
Islas Marietas requires advance booking — the park caps daily visitor numbers and closes Mondays and Tuesdays