Things to Do in Sayulita
Surf, Boats, Town & Beyond

Surfing and the beach are the center of it, and the town is the other half: the plaza, the Friday market in season, the shops along Revolución, and more kitchens than a town this size should have. Beyond that come boat trips to the Marietas Islands, snorkeling and whale watching in winter, jungle hikes, and day trips to San Pancho and Punta Mita.

Yes, but not on a whim. Playa del Amor sits inside a national park and access is capped at 116 visitors a day, in groups of 15, for 30 minutes each. You go with a CONANP-authorized operator, in a helmet and life jacket, and the beach is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Plenty of Marietas tours only circle the islands and never land. If the hidden beach is the reason you are going, get it in writing before you pay, and book well ahead.

Humpbacks are in the bay through the winter, on a season the federal government sets each year. It has run from early December to late March for several years, with January and February the peak. Authorized boats carry a permit, keep their distance, and stay 30 minutes at most with each whale. Swimming with them is prohibited.

It is the high point around here at roughly 350 m, and the view over Banderas Bay is why people go. From Higuera Blanca it is about 7 km out and back on a marked trail most people manage alone. From the Sayulita side it crosses private land and is poorly marked, so take a guide. Sort your ride back before you start.

Yes, in season, through the local turtle conservation camp. Nesting starts in summer, and hatchlings go back to the sea on the day they emerge, so releases are announced the same day rather than booked ahead. No flash, and no touching.

San Pancho is the easy one, a few minutes north, quieter, with a longer beach. Punta Mita, the other way, has calmer water and the point breaks. The Marietas Islands are the big day out on the water, and the rest, with drive times, is in the day trips guide.

Three or four is the sweet spot. One day disappears into the town and the beach, one goes to a surf lesson or a boat trip, and the third turns a stopover into a stay. A week leaves room for San Pancho, a hike, and the days when the beach is the only plan.

Unusually so, for a surf town. The main beach has a sand bottom and a slow beginner wave, which is why it is the lesson break, and the town is walkable. The caveats are the obvious ones: the surf is still surf, and golf carts share narrow cobbled streets with everyone.