Welcome to an uninhabited paradise in Mexico with only one way to get here and it’s by a
tour. Lucky for you Vallarta Adventures delivers this and many other amazing
adventure tours in Puerto Vallarta. Las Caletas is a must have experience
but there are definitely things you should know about to get the most out of your trip.
Welcome back to Destination Hamzic as we explore Las Caletas in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
There are 2 ports that most of the tour boats will pick you up from, the main Puerto Vallarta
port and the Nuevo Vallarta one, there easy to get to, any taxi driver should know the way.
The most important thing though, get there early. There’s lots of people here,
lines are long. You will also need to fill out paperwork and boats will not wait for you
nor should they. If you forgot some essentials, you can also buy them here before you board.
Now speaking of essentials, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, you’ll need these but also if
you get seasick, like Stephanie, bring pills for it, you can even buy them at the port,
but the boat rides are only maybe 45 minutes in each direction.
They don’t hand out towels so bring that as well and also bring cash for tips, service
is great here, and cash for add on services that the tour offers that we’ll go over later.
On the boat ride, while handing out some orange juice they will offer to schedule
massages on the island. You will have to pay extra for this. The first time slots are
as soon as the boat gets to land, which means you will miss breakfast so keep that in mind,
breakfast is small but with all the exploring and swimming you’ll be starving by lunch time,
Steph and Merisa got a 15 minute foot massage that they liked but said they had to climb to
a high point up the island to access the spa, magical yes, for lazy people, no.
Vallarta Adventures offers a completely different whale watching tour,
since this was the season for whales, they pop up everywhere and if your boat caption
is cool he’ll stop the boat for a closer look. This was really awesome and we stopped twice,
once on the way there and on the way back, we got to see whales emerging from the water, really cool
bonus experience that the tour does, a couple years ago on another Vallarta Adventure tour
they did the same thing but with dolphins, just making sure you get your money’s worth.
We arrive to Las Caletas with crew waving from the shore as the boat announcer tells us the rules
along with the schedule. First thing is a traditional Mexican breakfast, served by grandma.
And for all the alcoholics, the tour starts serving its endless alcohol
drinks during breakfast. After that the alcohol never stops.
After breakfast you have the freedom and about 2 hours to go around and do whatever you want.
This is where it gets tricky. There is plenty of things to see and do, but there isn’t enough time.
Depending on if the captain stopped anywhere on the way here (like to see whales) the time
slot might be slightly different, but we had around 2 hours. Before you do Las Caletas you
should know exactly what you want to do so you don’t waste time. There is a main beach where
most families will hang out, relax, swim and drink never ending alcohol. But if you want something
more adventurous there is zip lining, swimming with different animals (which is an extra fee),
snorkeling, paddle boarding, and a banana boat. Also, there is a cooking and food tour that you
sign up for ahead of time. There are others, and for a full list you should visit their website.
You will not have time for everything. I was in panic mode trying to do as much as
I could in the short time, but the area is huge and running around isn’t an easy feat.
Animal handlers walk around with various animals that you can hold and take photos of.
After adventuring around, lunch was a welcome sight. We were starving and
luckily the buffet offered a good choice of delicious food that I loaded up on.
Food and alcohol is all inclusive with the price you pay for the tour only a couple of different
experiences are an additional fee like the massages, and swimming with animals.
After lunch a bell rings signaling that our time on Las Caletas is over
and we need to board the boat. If you want to see a secret music show on the way back,
sit on the lower deck. They do this every time and with more booze,
it’s a fun distraction as you are tired and sleepy at the of the day.
As you leave Caletas the staff once again lines up on the shores and waves
goodbye , it’s a neat sight as the amount of care they put into making your experience as
good as possible is much appreciated. With music, booze, and a live band,
we continue crossing the ocean waters as we head back to the city. Once again,
we stop by other whale watching tours and get another really good look at whales.
By this point the running around, swimming and booze has done its thing and a nap sounds amazing.
Las Caletas is a fun time and one of the best tours Vallarta Adventures offers but there are
other amazing tours like Rhythm of the night , where you return to this beach when the sun
escapes for the day, only to see a dark but lit up magical paradise, but that’s a whole other video.