Have you ever heard of Yelapa? Neither had I, and this is what is incredible about this sleepy fishing village near Puerto Vallarta and accessible only by boat. In the blistering heat of June, we took off on an tour with Vallarta Adventures that lead us to the heart of this quaint fishing village. Docking next to one of the nearly 300 homes that made up this village, I felt as if I had just stepped onto a movie set.
Smiling faces peeked out at me from shadowed doorways, friendly dogs lifted their heads to check out the newcomers, and our group began the trek through this remarkable and quaint place, a side of Mexico I had never seen.
Up the rough crude cobblestone streets, past houses and stores with open windows, and breaking all the rules, wearing nothing but bare feet so as not to sleep on slick and rough terrain.
We passed women selling their home made jewellery, laundry hanging out to dry, and even a lone crab, clearly lost, far away from his home in the ocean down below. The terrain was sometimes steep but well worth the hike, at the end we were rewarded by the most beautiful waterfall, just begging for us to jump in and take a refreshing dip.
Cooled off, and pictures snapped it was time to head back down through the village to the beach. At the end of our hike the view astounds.
A slice of paradise.
This tour by Vallarta Adventures is not to be missed.
Thank you Yelapa for a day I will never forget.
*Disclosure: Thanks to the #PVpresstrip team for paying for my travel expenses to accommodate this review. As always, all thoughts, statements and opinions are my own.
Athena says
This looks like an amazing place to visit!
Stephanie says
Such a family friendly destination!
Sandy says
Looks like it was a great trip!
Stephanie says
It was fantastic!
Angie Andrews says
Looks like you had a great time đ
Stephanie says
Thank you, we had a great time, I can now truly recommend Puerto Vallarta!
Vickie Cheung says
Love the houses by the shore, so cute
Stephanie says
Aren’t they sweet! I couldn’t stop taking pictures!
kristen visser says
absolutely amazing!!!!!!! what an experience that would be
Stephanie says
We made some memories đ
Gord says
I’M JEALOUS!
Stephanie says
You should go ! đ
MrDisco says
wow looks amazing
Stephanie says
It was a fabulous experience!
Caryn S says
This trip sounds magical expecially the water falls! Very cool!
Stephanie says
Thank you! It really was!
ginette4 says
Sounds and looks amazing, I’ve never been to Puerto Vallarta and now I know where to go, reminds me of when my daughter went to the Dominican for 2 weeks on a Justice trip, the people were so poor but always so happy
Stephanie says
The people there really were so happy and friendly, I was so blessed to go and hope to go back with my girls! I’ve also been to DR and do see a few similarities :”)
Suzanne G says
Yelapa looks like such a great village to visit off the beaten path. It sounds like you had a great time.
Stephanie says
I only wish I had longer in that sweet village!
Bons says
Yelapa sounds like a great place. Love to visit one of these days.
Stephanie says
I hope you get a chance to visit too! Yelapa is like a post card!
Judy C (Judy Cowan) says
I would love to to swim under a waterfall one day đ
Stephanie says
I hope you get to too!
Rossana says
A slice of heaven, what a great experience! đ
Stephanie says
I hope you get to see this slice of heaven for yourself one day!
Brandee H says
This looks like a beautiful place to visit. It’s pictures like this that make me want to sell everything and move to Mexico!!!
Stephanie says
I can imagine trying the Mexico mindset for a little while đ
Sharlene says
Looks like a great vacation spot.
Stephanie says
There is a hotel right in that village, can you imagine really getting off the grid for a while?