From December 2021
We started our day by catching a bus in Zona Romantica at the corner of Calle Constitucion and Basilio Badillo in front of the OXXO convenience store. The fare was ten pesos (about fifty cents), and the bus took us directly to the small town of Boca de Tomatlan about 30 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta. There is no worrying about which stop to get off, because it's the last stop on the line.
While this is a popular hike, hiking isn't as popular an activity in Mexico. There were no signs or information booths at the start. From our research, we knew to head downhill until we reached the town's small marina.
Boca has several restaurants and hotels and is a very laid back alternative to Puerto Vallarta. Many small water taxis leave from the marina for tours and transportation.
We continued following the bay until we were in the jungle and found a small footbridge. No other hikers were in the area, and we weren't certain of the trail. I knew we were on a footpath, but was it the right footpath to our destination?
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View after our bridge crossing
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We became less certain of the trail at this point, passing closely in front of people's small homes and stairwells. Once we made it to the other side of the bay, the trail became more obvious, and there were a couple of gringo signs to keep us on the right path and away from private property.
Around this point, we ran into three other hikers, moving slowly but steadily. One was a retired expat who was guiding two visiting friends. He hikes this trail weekly and told us to stay to the right and continue following the waterline, and we would be fine. It was good advice. Vegetation was thick but also beautiful.
The trail goes by a number of secluded and not-so-secluded beaches. After an hour of hiking, we made it to our first secluded beach. But we weren't the only ones there for long. There were many other beaches ahead. So we kept going after a short stop.
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Water taxi arriving with a small group
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To be continued.
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