Nayarit Coast – Mexican Riviera
1/31 – 2/1/2009
For fear of becoming complacent, we packed up the campsite at Chacala and were back on the road, intending to ease our way south along the coast. The Nayarit Riviera is lined with numerous beach communities of varying size and bustle, each with their own flavor. We detoured through several of these including Rincon de Guayabitos, Punta Raza, Lo de Marcos, and San Pancho (San Francisco) where we spent the night in a “bungalow” of a local resident.
San Pancho has the flair of an artist community with rather spendy accommodation options of around 100 USD a night. While we were in search of some minor luxuries after our week of beach camping we didn’t want to break the bank. After spending only thirty-five dollars for a week of accommodations, it would have been hard to stomach a price tag that high or greater for only one night. We perused town and found a hand written sign adorning the wall of a local home and stopped to inquire. In the rear of the home, along with some cows, chickens, and roosters were two free standing structures for rent. The places were impeccably clean, new and with hot water, so we committed. The accommodations were more than adequate although the grounds were quite interesting.
The dining room
The driveway
The chickens in the yard
The cow in the yard
The highlight, for us, of San Pancho was the sunset on the beach. Not only was the sunset itself was spectacular, but the beach was action packed. Prior to sunset an ultralight plane had been parked on the beach. Deciding to take off shortly after our arrival, the plane turned parallel to the shore and accelerated. However, the pilot apparently didn’t account for the steep slope of the shoreline or the incoming tide and a wave clipped the downslope wing, causing the plane to tip into the water. Of course, everyone on the beach ran to investigate. Fortunately, there were no injuries and local beach goers were able to push the plane out of the water until the pilot’s wife(?) arrived in a hummer to give him a tow.
Sunset on the beach
Plane in tow
De Plane
Before the excitement from the plane mishap had settled, a small crowd gathered just a few more meters down the beach. Curious, we made our way to this crowd to find the delight of a hatching sea turtle nest. Hatchlings were racing into the sea. A true joy to witness!
Sea turtle hatchling
Sea turtle hatchlings make a run for it
The next day we continued pueblo-hopping down the Nayarit coast. While we intended to spend a little time in the recently hyped Sayulita, the road construction deterred us and we moved on. Our next stop was Punta Mita, which seemed like a good mix of local culture and gringo living, with both cheap hotels and a high-end Four Seasons resort. A good place for breakfast and wi-fi is Debo’s, located near the point at the end of town. Continuing on, we enjoyed some tea and live music at the Hikuri gallery, aka the Octopus Garden, located at Coral 66 in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. La Cruz is a quaint fishing village that is also popular with American and Canadian artist types. However the recently built marina in La Cruz is sure to change this quiet town. The most southern town in Nayarit before entering Jalisco and the Puerto Vallarta region is Bucerias, a friendly and bustling town of condos and hotels fronting a nice long clean beach. We found reasonable accommodations at Quinta Dulce Maria on Lazaro Cardenas street, which is home to many other rental apartments, restaurants and shops.
From the secluded bay of Chacala to the bustle of suburban Bucerias, the Nayarit coast offers different flavors and speeds to accommodate almost anyone. Aptly named the Mexican Riviera, this stretch of beautiful beaches is sure to please.
For fear of becoming complacent, we packed up the campsite at Chacala and were back on the road, intending to ease our way south along the coast. The Nayarit Riviera is lined with numerous beach communities of varying size and bustle, each with their own flavor. We detoured through several of these including Rincon de Guayabitos, Punta Raza, Lo de Marcos, and San Pancho (San Francisco) where we spent the night in a “bungalow” of a local resident.
San Pancho has the flair of an artist community with rather spendy accommodation options of around 100 USD a night. While we were in search of some minor luxuries after our week of beach camping we didn’t want to break the bank. After spending only thirty-five dollars for a week of accommodations, it would have been hard to stomach a price tag that high or greater for only one night. We perused town and found a hand written sign adorning the wall of a local home and stopped to inquire. In the rear of the home, along with some cows, chickens, and roosters were two free standing structures for rent. The places were impeccably clean, new and with hot water, so we committed. The accommodations were more than adequate although the grounds were quite interesting.
The dining room
The driveway
The chickens in the yard
The cow in the yard
The highlight, for us, of San Pancho was the sunset on the beach. Not only was the sunset itself was spectacular, but the beach was action packed. Prior to sunset an ultralight plane had been parked on the beach. Deciding to take off shortly after our arrival, the plane turned parallel to the shore and accelerated. However, the pilot apparently didn’t account for the steep slope of the shoreline or the incoming tide and a wave clipped the downslope wing, causing the plane to tip into the water. Of course, everyone on the beach ran to investigate. Fortunately, there were no injuries and local beach goers were able to push the plane out of the water until the pilot’s wife(?) arrived in a hummer to give him a tow.
Sunset on the beach
Plane in tow
De Plane
Before the excitement from the plane mishap had settled, a small crowd gathered just a few more meters down the beach. Curious, we made our way to this crowd to find the delight of a hatching sea turtle nest. Hatchlings were racing into the sea. A true joy to witness!
Sea turtle hatchling
Sea turtle hatchlings make a run for it
The next day we continued pueblo-hopping down the Nayarit coast. While we intended to spend a little time in the recently hyped Sayulita, the road construction deterred us and we moved on. Our next stop was Punta Mita, which seemed like a good mix of local culture and gringo living, with both cheap hotels and a high-end Four Seasons resort. A good place for breakfast and wi-fi is Debo’s, located near the point at the end of town. Continuing on, we enjoyed some tea and live music at the Hikuri gallery, aka the Octopus Garden, located at Coral 66 in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. La Cruz is a quaint fishing village that is also popular with American and Canadian artist types. However the recently built marina in La Cruz is sure to change this quiet town. The most southern town in Nayarit before entering Jalisco and the Puerto Vallarta region is Bucerias, a friendly and bustling town of condos and hotels fronting a nice long clean beach. We found reasonable accommodations at Quinta Dulce Maria on Lazaro Cardenas street, which is home to many other rental apartments, restaurants and shops.
From the secluded bay of Chacala to the bustle of suburban Bucerias, the Nayarit coast offers different flavors and speeds to accommodate almost anyone. Aptly named the Mexican Riviera, this stretch of beautiful beaches is sure to please.
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