Tours & Activities

Tours & Activities

Boat trips, whale watching, hiking, and more.

✦ All 🤿 Water & Sea 🐋 Whale & Wildlife 🌿 Jungle & Land ⛵ Boat & Sailing 🏛 Cultural 🌮 Food & Drink 🧘 Wellness 🏄 Surf 🎣 Fishing 🍸 Nightlife

What's on · September in Puerto Vallarta

September — quietest month, softest prices, warm rain. Turtle releases nightly; whales a month off.

Most people want

Plan the perfect day

Pick who's coming and your budget — the list re-sorts in place and factors in today's weather. Or tap a common trip above.

More filters

Clear

11 experiences
Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Workshop
from $63USD /person
Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Workshop
ChocoMuseo
4.9 (394) Viator
✓ Free cancellation
Roast, peel, grind and temper your own chocolate bar from Mexican cacao in a two-hour hands-on workshop in Centro. Take the bars home. Works for kids and non-drinkers, unlike most of the food tours.
⏱ 2h 📍 Centro
Details
Meet
Centro workshop, sessions through the day
Ages
4+
Effort
easy — little walking
Suits
solo, couple, family, groups
Mexican Cooking Class
from $80USD /person
Mexican Cooking Class
Vallarta Eats
4.9 (713) Viator
✓ Free cancellation Reserve now, pay later
3-hour hands-on Mexican cooking class. Visit the local market, cook 4 dishes including mole and ceviche, eat what you make.
⏱ 3h 📍 Centro
Details
Meet
Mercado Municipal, 9am
Ages
8+
Effort
easy — little walking
Suits
solo, couple, family, groups
Ceviche & Seafood Cooking Class
from $85USD /person
Ceviche & Seafood Cooking Class
Vallarta Eats
Hands-on class focused on the coast: three ceviches, aguachile, a whole grilled fish and a michelada to wash it down. Market visit first. Smaller and more relaxed than the mole class.
⏱ 3.5h 📍 Centro
Details
Meet
Mercado, 10am
Ages
10+
Effort
easy — little walking
Suits
solo, couple, family, groups
PV Street Food & Culture Tour
from $49USD /person
PV Street Food & Culture Tour
Vallarta Food Tours
5.0 (3,933) Viator
✓ Free cancellation Reserve now, pay later
3-hour walking food tour through Centro and Zona Romántica. 8–10 tastings including tacos, birria, mariscos, agua fresca.
⏱ 3h 📍 Centro
Details
Meet
Malecón Boardwalk, Los Arcos amphitheater
Ages
6+
Effort
some walking / uneven ground
Suits
solo, couple, family, groups
Sayulita & San Pancho Day Trip
from $60USD /person
Sayulita & San Pancho Day Trip
Vallarta Walking Tours
3.8 (74) Viator
✓ Free cancellation
Guided day up the Riviera Nayarit coast: the surf-town buzz and artisan market of Sayulita, then quieter San Pancho for lunch. Transport and a local guide; skip the bus hassle.
⏱ 8h 📍 Sayulita
Details
Meet
Hotel pickup, 8:30am
Effort
some walking / uneven ground
Suits
solo, couple, family, groups
Canopy Zip-Line Tour
from $63USD /person
Canopy Zip-Line Tour
Canopy El Edén
4.8 (110) Viator
✓ Free cancellation
2.5-hour zip-line tour through the jungle canopy near the Cuale River, at the El Edén film location. 14 lines up to 250m. Transport from PV included.
⏱ 2.5h 📍 Centro
Details
Meet
Hotel zone pickup, departs 8am
Ages
6+
Effort
demanding — active
Suits
couple, family, groups
Whale Watching Tour
from $77USD /person
December–March
Whale Watching Tour
Vallarta Adventures
4.7 (187) Viator
✓ Free cancellation Reserve now, pay later
3-hour guided whale watching in Banderas Bay. Humpbacks December–March. Hydrophone on board to hear whale songs.
⏱ 3h 📍 Marina Vallarta
Details
Meet
Marina Vallarta pier, 8am and 12pm
Effort
easy — little walking
Suits
solo, couple, family, groups
Marigalante Pirate Ship
from $99USD /person
Marigalante Pirate Ship
Marigalante
5.0 (1) Viator
✓ Free cancellation
Full-size replica galleon: day cruise with a beach stop, water games, open bar and a pirate show; or the evening dinner-and-fireworks sail. Loud, fun, unabashedly touristy — kids love it.
⏱ 6h 📍 Marina Vallarta
Details
Meet
Terminal Marítima, 9am or 6pm
Effort
some walking / uneven ground
Suits
family, groups
Water
you can stay dry if you want
Quimixto Waterfall & Beach Boat
from $50USD /person
Quimixto Waterfall & Beach Boat
Boca de Tomatlán water taxi co-op
5.0 (20) Viator
Panga to Quimixto, a tiny south-shore village. Walk (or ride a mule) 20 minutes to a jungle waterfall with a swimming pool, then lunch on the beach. Quieter than Yelapa.
⏱ 6h 📍 Boca De Tomatlan
Details
Meet
Boca de Tomatlán pier, 10am
Ages
6+
Effort
demanding — active
Suits
solo, couple, family, groups
Water
you can stay dry if you want
Sunset Horseback Beach Ride
from $75USD /person
Sunset Horseback Beach Ride
Rancho El Charro
4.9 (38) Viator
✓ Free cancellation
Ride along the sand and into the surf as the sun drops, north of the marina. Calm, well-kept horses; short (90 min) and beginner-friendly. Photos included on most departures.
⏱ 1.5h 📍 Aramara
Details
Meet
North-shore ranch, ~5pm
Ages
8+
Effort
some walking / uneven ground
Suits
couple, family, groups
Water
you can stay dry if you want
Horseback Ride to a Waterfall
from $85USD /person
Horseback Ride to a Waterfall
Rancho El Charro
4.6 (139) Viator
✓ Free cancellation
Half-day trail ride into the Sierra Madre to a swimmable waterfall. Well-kept horses, matched to your experience level. Family-run since 1993.
⏱ 4h 📍 Centro
Details
Meet
Rancho El Charro, Las Palmas road (pickup available)
Ages
8+
Effort
demanding — active
Suits
couple, family, groups
Marina Vallarta
Off the Malecón

The good stuff is
a boat ride away.

Humpback whales from December, the Marietas Islands, a panga to Yelapa for lunch and a waterfall. Book direct with the operator where you can — more of it stays in town.

Build a day around it ↗

AI Itinerary Planner

Let us build your itinerary.

Tell us your dates, budget, and what you like. We'll put together a day-by-day plan using live data — open restaurants, upcoming events, current beach conditions.

Plan my trip →

Hand-picked, not paid placements. Recommendations are a plain rule — party, budget, and live weather — and we show you the reason. Some “Book” links earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you; it never changes what we list or the order.

Report a problem

Wrong phone number, a place that closed, a broken link — tell us and we'll fix it. We read every one.