Banderas Bay Beaches You Can Only Reach by Boat (and How to Get There by Private Yacht)

Banderas Bay has an invisible border: south of Boca de Tomatlán the highway turns away from the coast and the sierra drops straight into the sea. From there on, the best beaches in Puerto Vallarta have no parking, no street and no bus stop. You arrive by water or you do not arrive. This is our guide to those beaches — what each one has, when to go, how long to give it — and to the most comfortable way to see them: on a private yacht.

Our guide to the best beaches in Puerto Vallarta already explains the bay from north to south. Here we stay with the stretch that raises the most questions: the beaches with no road. And because the boat you choose changes the whole day, at the end we explain how to compare yacht rentals in Puerto Vallarta published directly by their owners.

Why some beaches can only be reached by boat

The south shore of the bay is made of the foothills of the Sierra Madre running into the Pacific. There is no flat strip to build a road on, so the villages along this coast — Las Ánimas, Quimixto, Yelapa — have always been connected by sea. Trails link some stretches, but they are long, steep and meant for people who live there, not for a beach day.

The result is a coastline that keeps something the rest of Vallarta has lost: beaches without cars, restaurants with your feet in the sand, rivers running out of the jungle and a calm that the Hotel Zone no longer has. It also has its own rules: cash, patchy signal and, above all, return times. That is where the type of boat matters.

Three ways to get there (and how they differ)

All three work. The difference is who controls the clock. With a private yacht charter in Puerto Vallarta the clock is yours: reach the cove before the big boats, stay in Yelapa all afternoon or change plans if the sea wakes up different.

The beaches, one by one

Colomitos: the postcard cove

A tiny inlet of green-turquoise water between rocks, a few minutes from Boca de Tomatlán. You can hike in on the coastal trail, but by boat you see it as it should be seen: from the water, with the jungle above. It is small and fills up fast; go early and expect no services.

Ideal time: 45 minutes to an hour. Best for: photos, calm-water swimming, snorkelling along the rocks.

Las Ánimas: the easy beach

A long, soft beach, calm water most mornings, seafood palapas and a family-party feel at midday. It is where the big tours unload, so timing is the trick: arrive before eleven or after three and it is a different beach. A trail links it to Quimixto.

Ideal time: one to two hours. Best for: families with kids, lunch on the sand, swimming without waves.

Quimixto: beach and waterfall

A small village with a pebble-and-sand beach and a waterfall inland, reached on foot or on horseback. Fewer people than Las Ánimas and more of a village feel. If your group wants a short walk in the jungle, this is the stop.

Ideal time: two hours with the walk. Best for: anyone who wants more than sand.

Majahuitas: the clearest water

A small cove between Quimixto and Yelapa with pale sand and water that, on a good day, lets you see the bottom from the deck. One of the best snorkel spots on the south shore and, being further out, less crowded. Do not count on services ashore: bring what you need from the boat. It is the stop that most justifies a catamaran or yacht rental on the bay, because big tours rarely stop here.

Ideal time: one to one and a half hours. Best for: snorkelling, paddleboarding, quiet.

Yelapa: the village without streets

The star of the south. A real village in a cove with a river, a palapa-lined beach, houses climbing the hillside and a waterfall you reach by walking up between the houses. Pie sellers walk the beach, there are places to stay for anyone who wants to, and life moves on foot or by boat. A group tour gives it an hour; it deserves the whole afternoon.

Ideal time: two to three hours. Best for: eating, walking, staying.

Las Caletas: the one that is not open

Many people ask for it because it was John Huston's beach house. Today access is reserved for a single tour operator, so it is not a stop you can make on your own private boat. Better to know before you ask.

The Marietas: a beach with a permit

Across the bay, off Punta de Mita, the Marietas Islands are a national park. The famous Hidden Beach has a daily cap, permits and limited time inside, and the rules change. If you want to include it, ask the boat owner how they handle current permits before booking. Even without landing, circling the islands is worth it.

How to plan the route by yacht

With five or six beaches to choose from, the classic mistake is wanting all of them. What works is choosing two or three for the hours you have and following one rule: anything that needs calm water goes in the morning. In the bay the wind picks up after midday, so snorkelling first and the lunch beach last.

With 4 hours

• Early departure from Marina Vallarta.
• Colomitos or Los Arcos for swimming and snorkelling.
• Las Ánimas before the big tours arrive.
• Back by midday.

Many owner-listed 4-hour yacht rentals are sold by the block, which is enough to taste the south shore without spending the whole day. It is not enough for Yelapa at a relaxed pace.

With 6 to 8 hours

• 8:00 · Depart and cruise south, dolphins if you are lucky (and whales December to March).
• 9:00 · Early snorkel at Los Arcos or Colomitos.
• 10:30 · Majahuitas: second snorkel in the clearest water.
• 12:00 · Yelapa: land, waterfall, lunch on the beach.
• 15:00 · Slow cruise back along the coast.

It is the most complete beach day on the bay. For this format look for full-day yacht charters on Banderas Bay, because some catamarans with a day rate work out better than adding up blocks.

Which boat suits a beach-hopping day

For a day of beaches with no road, what counts is how you get in and out of the water, how much shade there is and how many people fit. Some real examples listed by their owners on BYRBO, with "from" rates as of October 2026 (they change with season and hours):

Catamaran: king of the beaches

Two hulls mean stability at anchor, steps on each side into the water, nets to lie on and plenty of shade. For families with kids and anyone prone to seasickness, it is the natural choice. If the group is big and festive, a catamaran with a waterslide turns every anchorage into a water park. See all catamarans in Puerto Vallarta in one list.

Motor yacht or day boat: more beaches, less transit

If you are few and want to touch more beaches, a sport yacht or day boat moves faster between coves. Less comfort on board, more time on the sand. For that profile, look at private boat rentals in Puerto Vallarta.

Why it pays to talk to the owner

On the south shore details matter: how you land in Yelapa, whether the boat can get close to Colomitos, how long it takes from the marina to Majahuitas. With boat rental by owner you talk to the person who knows the boat and the route, not a middleman. It is the simplest way to book an owner-direct yacht for the south shore and ask for exactly the beaches you want.

When to go

November to May is the ideal season: calm sea, clear water, blue skies. December to March adds humpback whales on the way. June to October brings warmer water, green jungle and fewer boats, but afternoon storms: leave early and be back by mid-afternoon. Weekdays are far quieter than weekends and holidays, when local visitors arrive too, and there are more open midweek yacht rental dates.

What to bring

• Cash in pesos: Yelapa, Quimixto and Las Ánimas have almost no card terminals.
• Reef-safe sunscreen and a rash guard.
• A dry bag for phones and wallets when landing.
• Shoes that can get wet for the waterfall walks.
• Water and food if the boat does not include them.

The beaches with no road are the closest thing to old Vallarta that remains half an hour from the city. You can reach them by water taxi, on a tour or on your own boat; if you are a group, do the maths before buying tickets, because Puerto Vallarta yacht charters split between everyone often surprise. For the rest of the trip, our guide on what to do in Puerto Vallarta and the destination guide have everything else.

Frequently asked questions

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