YELAPA, MX
Yelapa is a magical place. A place that I only learned about through word of mouth in my last few days in the area. I am so happy that I learned about this relatively untraveled place slightly to the South of Puerto Vallarta. It's a small little sliver of paradise. A town nestled into the jungle along the coastline. There is absolutely no road access to the town. There are no cars. Only horseback and a few ATVs to get around, but if you are there as a tourist, you will likely be walking. In order to get to the place, you have to take a boat; a small lancha that will take you from another small town off the highway called Boca de Tomatlan. — A beautiful place in it's own right, as well. When you arrive in Yelapa it's... or at least for me it was... shocking. In the best way. There are colorful houses built up into the jungle, a large stretch of white sandy beach, and just a few small docks where the boats pull in to drop off tourists or the supplies that will come to the island to support the infrastructure on the town. It has a feel as if you are on an island considering the lack of access from any direction to the place; but it's not. Which is I think what makes it so unique. As you walk through the small streets in town and around the village, there was always something interesting around the corner. I found it pretty amazing being here, and visiting is something that I would highly recommend doing, if only for a few nights. This place isn't undiscovered by any means, but it's certainly a little gem that most people don't explore within the area.
Yelapa is located about 30 miles or 50 kms to the south of Puerto Vallarta. The thing with Yelapa though is that there is no road access into the town. You must get there by boat. The village is at the tip of a rivermouth that splits town and beach. In order to get to Yelapa, you need to get yourself to Boca de Tomatlan. It's another small town located along the Pan-American highway that straddles the coastline up to that point before jutting back inland.
When you arrive in Boca de Tomatlan, you need to buy a ticket for a water taxi that will take you to Yelapa. They leave really frequently; every hour, on the hour. The cost for a round trip ticket should be 240 pesos. I would recommend buying the round trip, of course. I imagine you don't plan on remaining in Yelapa for the rest of your life. And that would be a long swim.
When you get to Tomatlan, if you are traveling by car, there is a parking lot down by the river, where you can leave it. There is someone that you will pay for the parking, and they will be taking care of your car for you. It's obviously impossible to get your rig to Yelapa. But from my experience, leaving the car there was safe. I had no problems, as is typically the case whenever you find someone to pay something for parking.
If you get there at an off time and have to wait a bit for the water taxi or lancha, there are some little beach bars and restaurants where you can grab a beer or whatever.
The water taxi ride over to Yelapa itself shouldn't take too long; maybe 30 minutes. But the boat will usually be packed pretty full. If there is swell it could be a bumpy ride as you're in pretty exposed ocean. You'll pass some other amazing little hidden beach inlets on the way. The ride itself is a great aspect of Yelapa if you ask me. The travel to get there isn't really all that hard, but does require a few steps. One of the reasons it has stayed relatively uncrowded.
Upon arrival in Yelapa itself you will be dropped off at the docks in town. This is important. Town is on the right side, or the south side of the little bay. In order to get to the beach, you will have to walk through town to get to the beach area. There are some beach restaurants and clubs over there where you can get drinks, sit in beach chairs, etc. Most of the housing is in town; that's where I stayed.
HOSTELS, CAMPING, AND HOTELS (IF ANY)
There are no hostels in Yelapa, and unless you bring your own tent with you, you're going to have a hard time finding a way to camp. So that pretty much leaves you with hotels. Or airbnb's. Here I would probably recommend an airbnb. That's what I did, and there are some nice options in town to rent. It wasn't all that expensive and you get a pretty good spot if you look early enough. As a result, the socialization level of Yelapa is low. If you go alone, you might be spending a good amount of your time alone. But that's not the worst things sometimes also. It's a nice place, however, to go with someone, or a group.
EATS
Yelapa as a town pretty much subsists on tourism these days. What was a fishing village now relies pretty heavily on the people who come to see this amazing place. As a result, you have some nice food options.
Walking around the small town, getting lost in the maze of alleyways, is the best way to find somewhere to eat here. I went to a few places that I would recommend as well.
Restaurants
This was my favorite place in Yelapa to get food. It's an awesome little cafe spot — especially for breakfast; with great options. It's a cute little spot to sit, have a coffee, and start your day. A must go here.
This place is right at the dock when you are coming in or leaving. If you are waiting for your water taxi, or want some decent food or a drink when you arrive, this is a good spot. Can't miss it.
Nice place for dinner. It's well designed, with cool handmade wooden tables and lots of plants everywhere to make you feel like you're in the jungle. Good tacos; can't go wrong here for dinner. Not super- cheap, but not expensive.
NIGHTLIFE
Nothing at all.
SIGHTS
Yelapa itself is the sight if you ask me. There are a few things to do in town though. I will briefly outline them.
There's a really cool waterfall right in town. It's a very quick little hike to get up to the base of it. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes. There is a longer way up that will take you to the top of the waterfall, which I heard was really cool to do if you are interested. There are a bunch of local ladies selling souvenirs on the way up. Some are pretty cool and unique, and it's always nice to support.
WALK ACROSS THE RIVER
This might seem very obvious to everyone, but take a walk across the river and go over to the beach. Walking across the shallow river you get a really beautiful view as you look out at the ocean. Something I still think about from time to time.
WALK THE MAZE
The small little streets of Yelapa are like a maze. Walking around has a new little thing to discover around each corner. It's an awesome and exciting walk. Just take a stroll, and you have yourself a great afternoon.
SURFING
Nothing here on that front.