Let's Go2Vallarta - Articles

Sayulita - Jewel of Riviera Nayarit
By Nora Hernández & Jesus de Avila | Translation by Eduardo Rincón-Gallardo - April 2008

Approximately 30 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, with an enviable weather just waiting to be discovered, you will find Sayulita, a rustic and picturesque fishing town of cobble stone streets inlaid in the Vallejo Sierra, sharing its space with palm tree, parota, flamboyant and oak trees, Sayulita, located in the same latitude as Hawaii and surrounded by lush jungle, greets the arrival of international tourists with 345 sunny days a year. During the summer temperature reaches the mid nineties along with high humidity, but its nights a soft breeze caresses the bay making it a pleasant place to sleep and relax. Frequent visitors to this important spot of the Riviera Nayarit, can well enjoy the diverse local rhythms, be it a lively dance organized by the locals, share a stroll around the streets with the barefoot children running and playing free with their chocolate or candy smudged faces, or the coming and going of the waves while practicing surf.

The rainy season goes from July to September, though it usually starts to rain in the late evening, allowing for all kinds of outdoor activities throughout the day. The busiest season goes from December to March, when days are sunny and dry. During the Holy Week, Easter and the months of July and August the town is favored by the visit of many Mexican families.

According to 70 year-old Don David Rodríguez Ramos, born in Sayulita, in 1933 there was a Hacienda here where his father used to work; it bred livestock, cultivated corn and stored a tiny coconut which was used to produce oil. Back in those days other ranches, such as La Higuera, San Francisco and Lo de Marcos also produced the oil coconut and transported it on mules to Sayulita to be embarked here on boats. Back then get paid 10 centavos (hundredths of a peso) a kilo (roughly two pounds), and people were allowed to collect 30 kilos a day. Don David’s father was a “orillero” or one responsible to watch over the workers’ campgrounds in the ranches. This hacienda was so large that it contained the ranches of Punta Mita, El Guamuchil and Palmaritos. The landlord’s name was Santiago Camarena, from Guadalajara, he had another hacienda in Sayula El Grande, Jalisco, and, in order to distinguish one from the other he decided to name this hacienda by the sea “Sayulita” (little Sayula).

It was during the term of President Lázaro Cárdenas that the great haciendas disappeared and land was distributed among the farmers that worked in them, turning them mainly into corn, beans, sorghum and chile farmers.

According to some, it was due to the construction of road 200 in the early 60’s that Sayulita was discovered as a surfers’ Paradise in the middle of thick jungle. It is presently an important and prosperous international destination, part of the Riviera Nayarit. The town is home to approximately 4000 inhabitants including its foreign residents. It offers a great variety of activities, like horseback riding, walking along the streets and beaches, bird-watching in its surroundings, fishing, jungle expeditions, mountain biking, canopy, snorkeling, skin diving, whale watching and of course, surfing. Sayulita is an exuberant, exciting and upbeat corner in the Mexican Pacific for surfers of all levels. Its gastronomy and art, enveloped by the town’s rustic and natural surroundings have also found a position in the taste of a growing number of new visitors.

In Sayulita the multicultural exchange finds its best space on its popular beach. There, visitors from around the world interact with the locals as well as with the native Cora and Huichol Indians who punctually set their stalls offering vibrant and richly detailed handicrafts.

Its strategic location makes Sayulita easily accessible from Puerto Vallarta’s international airport as well as from the cities of Guadalajara and Tepic. Its natural surroundings, its picturesque rural flavor makes it, to many, the most precious jewel on the crown of Riviera Nayarit’s touristic corridor.

• Transportation:

The bus covering the route Puerto Vallarta – Sayulita costs $20.00 pesos [rate valid March 2008] and it leaves from the corner in front of Mega Comercial Mexicana supermarket. You can also catch the bus at Wal-Mart’s parking lot or in front of the airport; just make sure it reads “Sayulita” on the front.  The bus goes approximately every half-hour and takes about an hour to get to Sayulita.

Leaving Sayulita by bus starts at the baseball field and its last stop is at the Sheraton Hotel of Puerto Vallarta where you can catch another bus to take you downtown, or walk if you feel like it. Email to a friend

Jesús de Avila
E-mail: editor@pvmirror.com

My Feedback about this Article |