For those who don’t know, Nuevo Vallarta is a community 7 miles north of the Puerto Vallarta named Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, but known to most travelers as PVR – it’s airport code. While they are in different states and are technically different cities, but people often blend them together as being the same place. Nuevo Vallarta has been built up as a resort community and so has its own flavor and culture – less traditional than El Centro in Puerto Vallarta.
Many people will run from Nuevo into Puerto Vallarta when they are looking to do things but there are activities in Nuevo Vallarta if you would rather stay there. Some of those activities will be in resorts themselves while others may include a bus or boat ride to get to the fun.
In Nuevo Vallarta
Most of the resorts in Nuevo Vallarta offer use of water equipment like snorkels, kayak, paddle board, water mattress. Check to see if they are including in the price of the resort. If not you may have to pay a small fee to use the equipment. Also see if you have to reserve the equipment ahead of time. The resort concierge should be able to help with that.
Nuevo Nayarit Aquaventuras Park is in Nuevo Vallarta. It will probably be a taxi ride from your resort but it has swimming pools, waterslides, canopy zipline and a dolphin show. Food is also available Pricing to get into the park will vary depending on where you get tickets and how much you want to do.
Sunset cruise
One of the popular things to do in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta is a sunset cruise. There are several operators that provide sunset and other cruises. The popular ones include Vallarta Adventures, Chica Locca Tours, and Adasailing Puerto Vallarta. These sailing operators and others can be found and booked at Viator. We like to book through Viator because they find and vet reputable operators and tour companies. Cruises could be leaving from either Nuevo or Puerto Vallarta so be sure to pick the location you want departing from. We had clients that didn’t pay attention and thought they were leaving from Puerto Vallarta but had purchased tickets from Nuevo. Luckily the boat wasn’t full and they were able to change sailings at the last moment.
Whale watching
Depending on the time of year, we have seen whales from the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, but if you want to get a little closer there are whale watching cruises available. The season for whale watching runs from December through March with the best months being January and February. As usual, we would recommend Viator as a good option for booking this activity.
ATV safari
There are several ATV options available. Some will be you driving while others will be driven by a tour employee. Some may include tequila tasting as one of the stops. Again, Viator will give you several options
Cirque du Soleil LUDÕ
One of the things we have taken guests to is Cirque du Soleil LUDÕ. The show will change from year to year so even if you have seen it before, it will probably be different if you go again. The evening includes the boat ride to and from the site, dinner, and the show. If you are going with adults, we like to do one of the later shows so it is dark during the performance – it adds to the spectacle if they can throw the focus on the act currently entertaining. This one can be booked through Viator or Cirque du Soleil’s own site.
Other trips
If you want to venture beyond the Vallarta area you might want to visit San Sebastián del Oeste. It is a historic mining town with more traditional Mexican architecture, food, culture. The tour will take most of a day, so plan accordingly.