Sayulita
Sayulita is a beautiful little magical town with a beautiful beach where you can relax and surf.
Sayulita is super relaxed, has many bars, many good restaurants and is ideal for meeting backpackers from all over the world.
Sayulita is very colorful and has a lot of street art.
The Mexicans also love Sayulita, so I went on a trip with 7 Mexican friends and it was an amazing trip!
How to get to Sayulita?
Sayulita is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Puerto Vallarta.
Rental Car
We did a road trip from Guanajuato City to Sayulita and it takes about 7 hours.
I recommend renting a car if you are traveling with a group of friends.
If you want to fly to Puerto Vallarta, you can rent a car at the airport.
Public Bus
There are many buses that goes to Sayulita.
It is best to fly to Puerto Vallarta and take the bus to Sayulita. It takes about 1 hour and costs 50 pesos.
Where to stay?
We were only in Sayulita for 2 nights, but I recommend staying 4-5 nights. I loved the relaxed atmosphere in Sayulita and there are so many things to do.
Airbnb
We stayed in an Airbnb in Sayulita for 2 nights. This is the best option and cheaper than hostels if you are traveling in a group.
Check out this Airbnb:
Cerca de el mar Oceano
Hostel
Sayulita has many good hostels near the beach if you are a backpacker.
The Selina Sayulita Hotel has a good location and has private or shared rooms. You can make a reservation online on this website:
Selina Sayulita
What to do in Sayulita?
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Enjoy the beaches in Sayulita
You can relax on the beach and enjoy delicious food in restaurants. At Sayulita Beach you can rent paddle boards or take surf lessons. The waves are perfect for surfers of all levels.
The beautiful beach of Playa de los Muertos can be reached via the cemetery.
We ate in Sayulita the best fish empanadas and fish Tacos! The Real Fish Taco Restaurant is very good!
Next to the plaza you can take good pictures of the colorful street.
Party
The town stays up late. The party on the beach is great! Don’t miss Club de Playa Camaron, a beach club with good music for dancing and you can meet people from all over the world!
Visit San Francisco (San Pancho Beach)
It takes about 20 minutes by car from Sayulita to San Pancho Beach. There are also buses from Sayulita to San Francisco.
San Pancho is smaller than Sayulita. The beach is very beautiful and a must if you are in Sayulita! San Pancho is more relaxed and there are fewer people on the beach.
You can find many hostels and meet many backpackers. San Pancho beach is also good for surfing! It is the best place to buy local souvenirs.
We went there to watch the sunset and it was one of my favorite sunsets I’ve ever seen!
I recommend staying 2 nights in San Pancho!
Day Trip to Islas Marietas
The island with 1’000 of birds, hidden beaches, large caves and cliffs that makes it a paradise for snorkeling. Isla Marietas is a must place to visit when you travel in Mexico!
The only way to access the island is by taking an organized day tour.
This was our favorite Trip! The boat & snorkling Tour was so amazing and the island is so beautilful.
Between December and mid March you can spot humpback whales on the way to the islands!
How to get to Islas Marietas?
It takes about 40 minutes with the car to Punta Mita. There are also buses you can take from Sayulita
I recommend visiting the island of Marietas early in the morning because the island is very famous and popular with tourists.
How to book the Tour?
At the pier where you can see the boats you can ask for a Tour to Isla Marietas. If you are in a Group you can do price negociation.
We paid 600 mexican pesos for our boat tour. It included the boat trip to the open cave where we saw many different birds, the famous open cave where we could take photos and we snorkeled in a beautiful area where we could see a lot of tropical fish. The rock formations of the islands are very impressive.
Playa del Amor
Playa del Amor is a famous hidden beach created by a volcanic crater that can only be reached by swimming. The government has restricted access to Playa del Amo. You need to book a special tour in advance that includes permission to visit this incredible beach.
Hike up to Monkey Mountain
We didn’t have time to visit the Cerro del mono (monkey mountain) but the locals told us that the view over the ocaen is spectacular!
You have to drive from Sayulita to the trailhead about 20 minutes. There is a lot of vegetation on the way up. I recommend bringing enough water, snacks and sneakers with you.