What to do in Puerto Vallarta #2

Anytime you travel to a natural area surrounded by beaches and camping areas, you will be faced with so many excursions to choose from. Puerto Vallarta is an amazing place to visit! Here is some information about the things that we did to help you decide what to do while you are there. Of coarse, the beach, the pools, and shopping all get scheduled in, so what will you choose to do with the rest of your time?

For excitement and entertainment, I love Pirates of the Bay but for culture, I really enjoyed the excursion to San Sebastian. San Sebastian is a 16th Century Colonial village. As you travel over 4,000 feet up into the mountain, the views and climate change and you are transported into Mexico's history and culture.

A bouncy bus ride thru the mountains was great fun for us and the young children on board. We were able to see some of Mexico's plant life like the blue agave used to make tequilla, green agave used to make a drink called mescal and a honey, and Montezuma's Revenge which grows in the wild and has an interesting background story. One of our many stops was to a coffee farm. This was amazing for me because this is where I tasted the first black coffee that I ever liked! I had quite a bit of it and was happy to take some home with me. It was delicious! I am not a coffee drinker but this was amazing. We had an authentic Mexican lunch at a rustic restaurant, we went back in time when we visited the historic home of the mine owner which was filled with items from the past. Our last stop was to a local Tequilera. This is where tequila is made. We were able to see how tequila is made as well as taste a variety of different drinks. We also had the opportunity to purchase a bottle of tequila which was not mass produced. I liked that because we were able to support a local farm and tequilera. It was a really relaxing, nice day filled with stories of the past.

If you don't want the Pirate show, but are still interested in the beach activity, this excursion may be for you. It starts by boarding the water craft Kon Tiki. Once again, motion sickness pills a must for kids. The craft takes you out to a popular land mark in the ocean call Los Arcos. The arc shaped stone in the water offers fish a wonderful little heaven in which you are invited to snorkel. Las Animas is a remote beach where you can enjoy the sun and sand. Those who are interested can skip the beach and go on to Quimixto, which is what we did. You can hike up the dry sandy mountian or you can pay $15 for a horse. The trail ends at a restaurant on a waterfall.