6 Hidden Beaches Near Puerto Vallarta (And Exactly How to Reach Each One)

Puerto Vallarta has plenty of beach within walking distance of any hotel, but the ones worth planning a trip around usually sit a little further out — some down the coast road, some accessible only by boat. This guide covers six of them in order of how easy they are to reach, starting with the ones you can simply drive to.

None of these require a packaged tour, a guide, or advance planning beyond knowing which road or which dock to head for. What they do require is a little patience with informal schedules — panga departures aren't posted online, and small-town restaurants don't take reservations. Build slack into your day and all six are realistic, though probably not all in the same trip.

Why order matters here

Not all six of these beaches take the same effort, and that's worth planning around rather than ignoring. Two are a straightforward drive. Four require a boat from the same dock south of town, with the ride length growing the further down the coast you go. Rank them by effort and it's easier to build a realistic itinerary instead of trying to cram all six into one trip.

1. El Anclote, Punta Mita — easiest by car

Drive time: about 45–60 minutes north from Puerto Vallarta via Highway 200 through Bucerías and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. El Anclote is the beach fronting the fishing village at the tip of the Punta Mita peninsula, right next to (though a world apart from) the area's high-end resort hotels. It's a long, flat beach with mellow, beginner-friendly waves, a row of casual palapa seafood spots, and the boat launch used for trips to the Marietas Islands.

Good for: first-timers to "secluded" beaches, learning to surf, an easy half-day trip with a rental car or taxi.

If you have extra time, El Anclote is also the launch point for boat trips out to the Marietas Islands, whose protected coves and the well-known "hidden beach" inside a collapsed crater draw their own crowd. The village itself, though, stays low-key even at the archipelago's busiest tour hours.

2. San Pancho — a real beach town, not a resort strip

Drive time: roughly 45 minutes to just over an hour, past Sayulita on Highway 200. San Pancho (officially San Francisco, Nayarit) has a wide, walkable, uncrowded beach and a small-town center with actual grocery stores and restaurants rather than a strip of souvenir shops. It's known locally for the polo grounds a short distance inland and a low-key arts scene.

Good for: travelers who want beach plus a functioning town, without Sayulita's crowds.

A handful of galleries and studios run out of converted houses on the town's quiet grid, and community-run art events happen through the year without turning the place into a festival circuit stop. It's an easy add-on if you're already driving up toward Punta Mita or Sayulita for the day.

3. Playa Las Ánimas — the easiest boat-only beach

To reach this one and the next three, drive about 20–30 minutes south of the Zona Romántica to Boca de Tomatlán, then take a panga (open water taxi) run by the local boatmen's cooperative. Las Ánimas is the shortest ride from Boca — a wide sandy cove lined with palapa restaurants serving fresh-caught fish and seafood, with jungle behind it and no road access at all.

Cost/logistics: Boats leave fairly regularly through the morning; expect a round-trip fare in the low hundreds of pesos, and always confirm the last return departure with the boatmen when you arrive — schedules aren't printed anywhere. There's a reason the road never got built out here: the Sierra Madre drops almost straight into the ocean along this stretch, and the panga has done the job a highway would elsewhere for generations.

4. Quimixto — beach plus a waterfall hike

A slightly longer panga ride south of Las Ánimas from the same Boca de Tomatlán dock. From the beach at Quimixto, a jungle trail (roughly 25–40 minutes on foot, or ride a horse if offered) climbs to a genuinely swimmable waterfall pool. Bring real shoes, not flip-flops.

Plan for: a half-day minimum if you want to do the hike and still have lunch on the beach before the boat back. Quimixto is small enough that the same families tend to run the horses, the trail, and the beachfront tables — it's a working village rather than an attraction, so a friendly greeting and buying lunch there rather than packing it from town goes a long way.

5. Playa Colomitos — the smallest and quietest

Colomitos is a small cove tucked between Las Ánimas and Quimixto. There's no direct panga stop most days, so the standard way in is a short jungle path (about 15–20 minutes) starting from Las Ánimas beach. There are no restaurants, no shade structures for rent, and often very few other people — bring your own water, food, and snorkel gear, since the cove's calm, clear water is good for it.

Tip: Go early. It's small enough that a few boatloads of visitors can change the whole feel of the place, and the light through the tree canopy is best before the sun sits directly overhead.

6. Yelapa — the furthest, and the only one with an actual village

The longest panga ride from Boca de Tomatlán (45 minutes to over an hour), or a longer trip from the water-taxi pier near Los Muertos Beach in town. Yelapa has no road access whatsoever — everything and everyone arrives by boat. What's there: a real village with its own waterfall a short walk from the beach, casual restaurants, the well-known "pie ladies" selling homemade pie along the sand, and a handful of small guesthouses if you want to stay past sunset.

Plan for: a full day trip at minimum, or an overnight if your schedule allows — the return boats thin out noticeably in the late afternoon. Yelapa sits where a river canyon meets the bay, which gives it a slightly greener, cooler microclimate than the open beaches closer to town, and it's drawn a small community of long-term foreign residents for decades alongside the fishing families who have worked the cove for generations.

Best time of year to plan around

Dry season — roughly November through April — gives the calmest water for the panga rides south of Boca de Tomatlán and the most consistently sunny days up in Punta Mita and San Pancho. Summer and early fall bring higher humidity, occasional afternoon storms, and rougher open-water conditions on the longer Yelapa crossing specifically; it's still workable, but ask the boatmen about conditions before committing to the longest ride that day. Regardless of season, mornings beat afternoons for calmer water and thinner crowds on the trails.

Planning your trip: the practical checklist

• Cash: Boat cooperatives and palapa restaurants on all four South Shore beaches are cash-only. Bring small bills in pesos.
• Footwear: Water sandals for boat boarding and jungle trails to Quimixto and Colomitos.
• Sun protection: Several of these beaches have limited or no shade — hat, reef-safe sunscreen, and water are non-negotiable, especially at Colomitos, where there are no vendors at all.
• Timing: South Shore boats run most frequently before noon. If you're doing Yelapa or Quimixto, start early.
• No booking required: None of the boat-only beaches require advance reservations — just show up at the Boca de Tomatlán pier and ask the cooperative for the next departure.

Rental car, taxi, or tour?

For El Anclote and San Pancho, a rental car gives the most flexibility, since both towns have real parking and you'll want to set your own pace. A taxi or app-based ride works fine too, especially if you're only doing one of the two in a day. For the four South Shore beaches, none of that matters — you're taking a bus, taxi, or rental car only as far as Boca de Tomatlán, then switching to the panga cooperative for everything past that point. Organized boat tours that bundle several of the South Shore stops into one trip exist and are a reasonable option if you'd rather not manage the timing yourself, though they typically move faster through each stop than doing it independently.

What to pack, by destination

For the four South Shore beaches — Las Ánimas, Colomitos, Quimixto, Yelapa — bring pesos in cash, footwear that can handle sand and trail, and for Colomitos specifically, your own water and snacks since there's nothing to buy there. For Quimixto, closed-toe shoes if you're doing the waterfall hike. For El Anclote and San Pancho, pack what you'd bring to any normal beach town: sunscreen, cash or card, and comfortable clothes for the drive.

Which one should you pick?

If you only have half a day and don't want to deal with boat schedules, El Anclote or San Pancho are the simplest options — both are a straightforward drive. If you want the full "boat-only beach" experience but with minimal commitment, Las Ánimas is the easiest entry point. If you want the most complete day — hike, waterfall, and lunch on the sand — Quimixto delivers the most in one trip. And if you have a full day (or can stay the night), Yelapa is the one that feels genuinely different from anywhere else in the bay.

For more day-trip ideas along this stretch of coast, browse our full Riviera Nayarit guide.

FAQ

What's the easiest hidden beach to reach without a boat?

El Anclote in Punta Mita and San Pancho are both reachable by regular rental car or taxi on Highway 200, no boat required.

How much does the water taxi from Boca de Tomatlán cost?

Fares are typically in the low hundreds of pesos round trip depending on the destination and season. Confirm the current price with the boatmen's cooperative at the pier before boarding, since it isn't posted anywhere online.

Do I need to reserve a spot on the panga boats in advance?

No. The cooperative that runs boats from Boca de Tomatlán to Las Ánimas, Quimixto, and Yelapa operates on a walk-up basis, though morning departures are more frequent than afternoon ones.

Which beach is best for snorkeling?

Playa Colomitos has the calmest, clearest water of the group and is a common pick for snorkeling, though there's nowhere on-site to rent gear, so bring your own.

Can I visit more than one of the South Shore beaches in a day?

Yes, many visitors combine Las Ánimas and Quimixto, or Las Ánimas and Colomitos, in one day since the boat trips between them are short. Yelapa is far enough that it usually fills a full day on its own.