Yelapa

Yelapa sits at the far southern corner of Banderas Bay where the Sierra Madre drops straight into the Pacific, and the mountains have kept it road-free: everyone arrives by water taxi, and everything - luggage, building materials, groceries - arrives the same way or by mule up the cobbled paths. The village stacks itself above a horseshoe beach where palapa restaurants serve the day's catch and the pie ladies walk the sand with trays of coconut and lemon pie, an institution older than most of the visitors. Two waterfalls draw walkers: the smaller one is a fifteen-minute stroll through the village behind the beach, the larger a longer hike up the river valley to a pool and cascade. Beyond that the day is elemental - paddleboards, snorkelling off the rocks, horses along the ridge, hammocks, and a mixed community of Mexican families and long-staying foreigners. Electricity arrived only in recent decades and the pace has not entirely caught up, which is exactly what visitors come for.

History

The name comes from an indigenous phrase meaning "where two rivers meet the sea" (Wikipedia, Yelapa).

What you'll find

• The horseshoe beach - palapas, pangas and the pie ladies.
• The village stairs - cobbled paths and mule traffic above the cove.
• The waterfalls - a short walk and a longer river hike.
• The bay crossing - the water taxi in from Boca de Tomatlan.

When to go

November to May for calm crossings and dry trails; summer brings heat, rain and bigger swells. Day-trippers arrive late morning and leave by four, which leaves the cove quiet either side.

Practical notes

There is no road - plan around water-taxi schedules and the last boat back. Facilities are village-simple, cash-based, and steps are everywhere. Beach vendors are persistent but good-humoured.

Nearby

Las Animas and Quimixto coves lie along the same shore; Puerto Vallarta's marinas and the botanical garden are on the mainland road.

Key facts