Vallarta's newest adventure activity is Canopy Tours. You glide from treetop to treetop, getting an up close and personal look at a tropical rainforest canopy and the trails far below. Expert guides assist you to the special platforms, and you move from one to another using pulleys on horizontal traverse cables, while the guides explain the tropical flora surrounding you. They also offer assistance and moral support! as you rappel back down to the forest floor.
Boat Tours - Puerto Vallarta offers a number of boat trips, including sunset cruises and snorkeling, swimming, and diving excursions. They generally travel one of two routes: to the Marietas Islands, a 30 to 45 minute boat ride off the northern shore of Banderas Bay, or to Yelapa, Las Animas, or Quimixto along the southern shore. The trips to the southern beaches make a stop at Los Arcos, an island rock formation south of Puerto Vallarta, for snorkeling. Don't base your opinion of underwater Puerto Vallarta on this, though dozens of tour boats dump quantities of snorkelers overboard at the same time each day, exactly when the fish know not to be there. It is, however, an excellent site for night diving. When comparing boat cruises, note that some include lunch, while most provide music and an open bar on board. Most leave around 9:30am, stop for 45 minutes of snorkeling, and arrive at the beach destination around noon for a 2 1/2 hour stay before returning around 3pm. At Quimixto and Yelapa, visitors can take a half-hour hike to a jungle waterfall or rent a horse for the ride.
One boat, the Marigalante, is an exact replica of Columbus's ship the Santa María, built in honor of the 500th anniversary of his voyage to the Americas. It features a daytime "pirate's cruise", complete with picnic barbecue and treasure hunt, and a sunset dinner cruise with fireworks and disco dance.
One of the best trips is a day trip to Caletas, the cove where John Huston made his home for years. Vallarta Adventures holds the exclusive lease on the private cove and has done an excellent job of restoring Huston's former home, adding exceptional day spa facilities and landscaping the beach, which is wonderful for snorkeling. They also have a colony of sea lions that play with the visiting divers! You'll have a hard time deciding whether to kayak, take a yoga class, hike through surrounding trails, or simply relax in the hammocks strung between palms on the beach. The facilities and relative privacy have made this excursion one of the most popular. The evening cruise includes dinner and a spectacular contemporary dance show, "Rhythms of the Night".
Travel agencies sell tickets and distribute information on all cruises. If you prefer to spend more time at Yelapa or Las Animas without snorkeling and cruise entertainment.