Welcome to the charming town of Yelapa, just a 40-minute boat ride from Puerto Vallarta, this is an adventure not worth missing. There are no cars here, you can only get here by boat. In this post, I’ll explain how to get here from Puerto Vallarta, accommodations, things to do, and things to know so that you too can experience this unique town filled with colourful artwork, surrounded by a beautiful beach.
Timezone: Central Standard Time
Currency: Mexican Pesos
Credit Cards and ATMS: There are no ATMs in Yelapa, so be sure to bring enough cash for food, for your water taxis there and back, tips, and a little extra for any souvenirs. From what I’ve seen, most places in Yelapa don’t take credit cards
Language: Spanish and English
Plug Types: Type A&B
Safety: Yelapa is very safe
Getting Around: Walking is the main form of transportation
Getting There and Around:
Yelapa is a remote fishing village about a 40-minute boat ride from Puerto Vallarta. There are no cars here, people travel by ATV, Donkey, and horses which makes Yelapa a super charming place to be. Full of unique art, beautiful beaches, a less touristy area than Puerto Vallarta, and an exciting day trip from Puerto Vallarta, you should try to visit.
You can read about our trip to Yelapa from Puerto Vallarta here. This is a guide for if you’re planning on visiting!
Getting to Yelapa:
It takes a little planning to get to Yelapa but it’s worth it. There aren’t any roads to Yelapa. The easiest way to get there is by boat. You can take a water taxi from Puerto Vallarta or Boca de Tomatlan. You can also rent a private boat to take you there.
The dock in Puerto Vallarta is located right on the Malecon on Los Muertos Pier, just show up and if you see a water taxi ask if they’re going to Yelapa. If they are, hop on board! Once you get there pay the driver in cash and you can be on your way! Sometimes you’ll even see whales on the way there!
We got on the water taxi from Boca de Tomatlan because, at the time we were traveling, that water taxi got there earlier in the day. So we took an Uber from our hotel to the beach at Boca de Tomatlan, the Uber was pretty affordable about $30 USD to go 22kms but if you want a more affordable option you can take the public bus for just about 8 pesos (around 50 cents USD). If you Uber be sure to tip your driver as they have to drive back to Puerto Vallarta, most likely without a passenger so they won’t be compensated.
You’ll want to sit on the passenger side of the car or bus on the way there for the best views. The dock in Boca de Tomatlan is right on the beach. If you take the bus, get off at Boca de Tomatlan at the last stop and walk straight down the street from the bus stop, turn right towards the beach when you get to the parking lot area. You’ll see lots of water taxis and boats around.
We found this website helpful in giving us the dates and times you can expect a water taxi to arrive, it gets updated often. Sometimes the water taxis are late or early, we showed up 20 minutes early to get our water taxi and it didn’t show up for an hour.
If you’re up for a hike, there’s a trail from Boca de Tomatlan that will take you to Yelapa. But be prepared for a long hike, like 6 hours of walking through not-so-great terrain long! You can find more details on the hike here.
On the way back from Yelapa, you can take the water taxi back to either Puerto Vallarta or Boca de Tomatlan. There are 3 docks in Yelapa, the first one is by the Yelapa welcome sign (the town pier), the second one is right on the beach (they’ll pull up onto the sand) and the third is the dock to the right of the beach across the bay from the welcome sign (the hotel pier). They seem to stop at the town pier dock first, so I recommend waiting there as most people get picked up on the other two docks.
Accommodations:
Yelapa is a great spot for a day trip, however, if you’re looking to stay a little longer, here are some accommodations
MiraMar Yelapa is a charming hotel with a wonderful view of the ocean, it’s the top-rated hotel in Yelapa, and it’s right on the beach
Casa Isabel offers plenty of unique rooms featuring beautiful ocean and jungle views.
Pura Vida Wellness Retreat offers a wellness retreat that many reviewers call lifechanging
Casa Bahia Bonita offers beautiful relaxing views in the “quiet” part of Yelapa
There are a few more accommodation options in Yelapa, these were some of the top-rated to give you an idea.
Yelapa Waterfalls – There are two waterfalls in Yelapa, one is closer, on the outskirts of Yelapa, and the other is deep in the jungle about a 3-hour round trip hike away. The waterfall in town is very easy to get to, some signs point you in the right direction, and the signs will say either “cascade” or “waterfall”. I recommend going in the morning before it gets busy.
The other waterfall is outside Yelapa in the jungle. It was too muddy when we visited for us to do the hike, but if you get the chance I highly recommend visiting. For this hike you need to cross over the river a few times, so be sure to bring proper shoes! You can find more information on this hike on AllTrails. If you’re visiting the farther away one, make sure you research how to get there and download any maps you need as there are limited cell services.
This map can give you an idea of how far apart the waterfalls are. Plenty of people visit both on the same day.
Things to Do:
- Fly Yelapa offers paragliding over the bay. You can find them on the beach and book with them right there!
- Snorkeling
- Explore the small and charming streets
- Sunbathe on the beach
- Swimming
- Mule riding – if you go on the hike to the farther-away waterfall, you might encounter people renting mules for $20
- Kayaking – There are few places to rent a kayak on Yelapa, but there may be kayaks available for rent at the time of your visit
Places to Eat:
Pie Lady – There’s a pie lady who walks along the beach selling homemade pies, these pies are raved about online and are worth a try!
Cafe Eclipse – Known for its great breakfast
Cafe Bahia – Offers great lunch options
Taqueria los Abuelos – Great place for dinner
Chico’s Paradise – Offers cold and delicious drinks, with great food and scenery
Beach food – There are a few food vendors who walk along the beach selling their food, we bought some delicious empanadas from a seller on the beach that were great!
There’s plenty more places to eat in Yelapa, these are just some top rated ones!
Things to bring:
- You’ll probably do a bit of walking so bring a backpack with some snacks and water, especially since some of the food on Yelapa can be expensive
- Cash
- Sunscreen (ocean-safe)
- Towels if you plan on swimming
- Swimsuits
- Sunglasses
- Hat
- Good shoes for walking through the water if you plan on hiking to the farther waterfall
Things to know:
- Don’t put toilet paper down the toilet, Yelapa’s system can’t handle it!
- Remember to tip your restaurant and hotel workers as they typically get very low salaries
- Cell service can be limited in Yelapa, especially if you plan on hiking to the farther away waterfall, download any maps you may need
How to get back to Puerto Vallarta
Take the water taxi from either of the 3 docks, I recommend the town pier dock as that seems to be the one they stop at first. The boats fill up by the end of the day so try to leave a few boats before the last boat takes off. We left on the 3:30 boat and our boat was full, we got on at the town pier so we were the first to get on, but we had to leave a few people behind because the boat was too full, already at 3:30.
If the boats are too full and you can’t get on, you’ll either have to stay the night or book a private water taxi back to Puerto Vallarta, which is much more expensive then the public water taxi. I’ve heard of people being left behind and grouping with others who are left behind to split the cost of a public water taxi. So hopefully you don’t get left behind, but if you do, there should be a few other lost travelers to split the cost with.
Don’t let this deter you from visiting Yelapa, plenty of people go and have no issues catching the water taxi to get back. To be safe, get on before the busy water taxis. I would say it gets busiest after 4, which is why I recommend catching an early water taxi to Yelapa so that your time doesn’t get cut short.
If you purchase a round-trip ticket, you can give that to the boat captain or you can pay cash. Most of the locals seemed to pay cash, we also paid cash and that seemed to be preferred. Our boat got off on the beach in Boca de Tomatlan and originally we planned to Uber back but there were none available since it’s quite remote. Instead, we took the bus back. Again, the bus stop is right up the street from the beach. When you walk off the beach straight from the dock, past the restaurant turn left and walk up the street. It’s a steep street but when you get to the top you’ll see the bus stop and most likely see other people waiting at the bus stop or headed that way. The bus will be facing away from Puerto Vallarta when you get on but will turn around to bring you to downtown Puerto Vallarta. When you get on, pay the driver and they’ll give you a bus ticket. Keep this ticket with you as sometimes someone will come on board to check if everyone has a ticket. Sit on the driver’s side of the bus for the best views.
If you’ll be in Puerto Vallarta, I highly recommend visiting Yelapa. It was one of the highlights of our trip and is such a charming town. I loved it so much that I would love to visit again and stay a few nights in Yelapa. Read about our trip to Yelapa here.
