Featured Adventurer!

Featured Adventurers: Hayley and Danny Newbury
From: Liverpool, UK
Featured Adventure: Dolphin Swim
October 2009

How many times have you been to Cabo San Lucas?
Hayley and Danny: We have only been once but will definitely be coming back!

Where did you stay?
Hayley and Danny: We were staying on the Mariner of the Seas Cruise Ship that took us into three different ports in Mexico.

What was the highlight of your trip?
Hayley and Danny: The highlight of our trip was swimming with the dolphins! It was the best thing we have ever done. It was an unforgettable experience.

What was your favorite part of the tour(s) you took with us?
Hayley and Danny: The dorsal ride with the dolphin was our favorite part of the trip. It was so exciting being able to ride with the dolphin, he was very gentle and as all dolphins are, highly intelligent. When we held onto the dorsal of the dolphin and he began swimming, it was the best feeling ever. We have wanted to swim with dolphins for a long time and now we have done it we want to do it again! It was fantastic!

What other tours would you go on if you had the chance?
Hayley and Danny: We would love to go on the “Trainer for a Day” program most of all. We would also like to go on the sunset cruise and the jeep safari – they look a lot of fun!

What did you think of our crew? Our guides?
Hayley and Danny: The crew were fantastic, very helpful and friendly. They made sure that everybody got one-on-one time with the dolphin and they made the instructions very clear. Because they were so friendly and professional, it made everyone feel at ease including some of the children who were in our group who were a bit nervous. The nerves soon went away!

Any advice for future travelers to Cabo?
Hayley and Danny: Our advice would be if there is one thing that you need to visit when in Cabo – go and swim with the dolphins!

Have you traveled to other parts of Mexico? Where?
Hayley and Danny: We have been to Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan but only to the ports.

What are some of your hobbies? Do you play sports?
Hayley and Danny: Danny is a scuba diver and also likes to play football, go to the gym and swim. We both love to travel  and experience new adventures.

If you were to describe your vacation with the title of a song, what would that song be?
Hayley and Danny: Here, There and Everywhere by The Beatles

Favorite Spanish word(s) or phrase?
Hayley and Danny: Vamos a tener otra aventura!

What best describes you? The chips?  Or the salsa?
Hayley and Danny: The salsa!

Posted in Cabo Tours Dolphins : activities adventure Baja bottlenose dolphins Cabo san Lucas delfines dolphin encounter dolphin facts dolphin swim Dolphins excursions nado con delfines swim with dolphins swim with the dolphins things to do in cabo | 6 comments

To Scuba Dive Or Not to Scuba Dive?

Even the best of friends or copacetic of couples do not always agree on what they like to do for activities while on vacation.

One activity that works great for people who like a variety of activities as well as adventure is Las Caletas.
The Las Caletas tour alone offers different levels of activities from kayaking and snorkeling to learning how to prepare Paella as well as nature hikes and children’s programs to simply finding a hammock and watching palm trees sway in the breeze. But, the really cool thing about this tour is that people who love to scuba dive can enjoy their favorite water sport while their partner has a plethora of other things to do to occupy their time.

These tours can be booked together with one person choosing to take the Las Caletas by Day Tour and the person who wants to add a two tank dive to their trip to Las Caletas should select the Las Caletas Two Tank Dive Tour, making sure to select the same days and times for both tours when reserving.

The other thing to mention is that this is a great scuba value, as the Las Caletas Day tour is normally $85.00 US and a two tank dive that includes Las Caletas is only $105.00 US. In essence, only $20 US more for a two tank dive and on top of all of that, if you reserve these tours online right now, you will save !

Posted in Scuba Vallarta Tours : activities adventure Dive Diving Dolphins excursions las caletas mexican food PADI PADI certified paella puerto vallarta Scuba scuba dive things to do in Puerto Vallarta tour tours vallarta adventures | leave a comment

Romantic Puerto Vallarta

When you peruse guidebooks about Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit, some of the adjectives used to describe the area and the people are beautiful, scenic, friendly, authentic and amazing …just to name a few. But one of the most used and most accurate descriptions is “romantic”.

Puerto Vallarta itself seems to have been built on romance. From the white washed Mediterranean architecture seemingly flowing down the mountains to meet the ocean to the sculpture lined boardwalk that parallels the ocean, the cerulean ocean and soft sandy beaches that beckon you to soak up the sun to the jasmine scented nights and clear star filed sky that beg you to dance beneath.

Yes, Vallarta is romantic. The music played by strolling trios, mariachi bands, even lone guitar players tugs at your heart, the sumptuous candlelit dinners implore you to share the decadent flavors from fork to tongue with someone you favor while the balmy nights with a slight chill in the whispering breezes entice you to move closer to your partner.
There are many amazing restaurants in the area that are perfect for couples and romantic dinners, from mountainside with amazing views of the city below to a linen draped table on the beach with a five star “toes-in-the-sand” menu. Inland or Oceanside, downtown or out of town, you have hundreds of choices but one of the best options for one of your nights is the Rhythms of the Night experience which features a wonderful catamaran ride down the magical southern coast of Vallarta to the exclusive cove and former home of John Huston. Las Caletas is one of those magical places that envelops all of your senses and opens the doors to imagination.

The sights of the performers lining the torch lit paths to the secluded dining areas, the tastes of the divine dinner selections, the sounds of nature and ancient rhythms, the feel of the tropical air caressing you and the smell of the night flowering blooms and ancient offerings being burned create a juxtapose of elements that set your emotions on fire.

Rhythms of the Night is a professionally choreographed show that combines acrobatics, modern dance with the ancient musical rhythms of the Pre-Hispanics in a natural amphitheater in the jungle.

There is nothing else like this in Puerto Vallarta, let alone anywhere else in Mexico, so if you are planning to visit Puerto Vallarta or Riviera Nayarit, this is one of those “must do” activities to add to your agenda, and if you are planning on proposing to the love of your life, there is no better place to get engaged. In fact, it is so perfect; you can even come back and get married here at Las Caletas.

Posted in Vallarta Tours Weddings : adventure Bahia de Banderas Bay of Banderas eco-friendly excursions las caletas mexican food Nuevo Vallarta puerto vallarta seafood things to do in Puerto Vallarta tour tours vallarta adventures | leave a comment

Hurricane Rick: Weather in Puerto Vallarta

We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about the status of the weather here in the Puerto Vallarta area in regards to Hurricane Rick. Incidentally, Rick lost his steam this morning and is now considered a Tropical Storm and is long past us and Northeast past Mazatlan. In fact, it is bright and sunny here in Puerto Vallarta right now with little humidity and I expect tomorrow should be equally fantastic.

Lucky for us in Puerto Vallarta, Hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean tend to not only skirt by us but evade us all together. It’s all about topography, baby, and we have some of the best topography on the planet!

Puerto Vallarta is situated pretty much smack dab in the middle of the coast of the Bay of Banderas and is surrounded by the Sierra Madre Mountains. These lush tropical mountains flow all the way down to the Pacific Ocean south of Puerto Vallarta in an area known as Cabo Corrientes. This topography is what helps to cool down and push incoming storms from the south (where they come from) and push them away from the entrance of the Bay and further out to sea, which is what happened to Rick. Luckily he fizzled when he took a sharp right after heading past us and will barely affect the Baja Peninsula.

Now that it is mid-October and the rainy season is almost over, this is a great time to get out and explore some of our fabulous topography. The Sierra Madre Mountains not only protect us, keep us cool and provide a bounty of flora and fauna; they also house some of our most magnificent tours.

Get off the beaten path and tourist scene and explore real Mexico on the Sierra Madre Expedition, or for those that love a multi-activity adventure, check out our the #1 rated Outdoor Adventure which comes an Apex Speed Boat ride, a 4X4 Unimog ride into the mountains, a mule ride up the mountain and then some of the fastest and longest zip lines in the area. Not to mention rappelling, including next to a waterfall and the fun trip back to town with your new best friends.

The perfect tour  for someone in the middle of the two is our Canopy Adventure Park, which is not just a zip line tour but a genuine eco-friendly canopy tour that combines zip lines, suspended walkways, the Crazy Ladder, Tarzan Swing with rappelling.

And while everyone dreams of cloudless sunny days for vacations, I have to say that a little of our warm tropical rain on any of these three tours actually enhances them!  The zip lines go faster, the waterfall is more bountiful, the temperature is cooler and nothing smells better than rain mixed with the tropical lushness of Puerto Vallarta.

Posted in Canopy Vallarta Tours : activities adventure Apex boat Bahia de Banderas Baja Bay of Banderas Cabo san Lucas Canopy eco-friendly eco-tour genuine canopy system Hurricane Rick mule trek Nuevo Vallarta puerto vallarta rappel rappelling things to do in Puerto Vallarta tour tours Unimog vallarta adventures Zip lines | leave a comment

Cabo Adventures Joins Forces to Save Turtles

Cabo Adventures believes in community responsibility and has given continuous support to local authorities and Sea Turtle Protection programs. We provide veterinarian assistance, shelter and a provisional home to sea turtles that have been recovered or found stranded in the Sea of Cortez at the Baja Peninsula. Many of these sea turtles have suffered from recent hurricanes such as Jimena, illegal poaching, illegal fishing/netting and incapacitated turtles that have become stranded in the open sea.

Cabo Adventures has a strong commitment to protecting and preserving the surrounding eco system and its natural inhabitants, not just in assistance with the sea turtles, with all marine life.

Posted in Cabo Scuba Cabo Tours : Baja Cabo san Lucas Olive Ridley sea turtle Sea of Cortez sea turtles turtle rescue | leave a comment

Sierra Madre Expedition

I am lucky to live in Puerto Vallarta and fortunate to work for Vallarta Adventures but living and working in paradise is often the same as living and working anywhere else in the world. You get sucked into daily life and routine and often forget there is an amazing world right outside your own back yard.

Last weekend, I ditched work and played “tourist” and went on the Sierra Madre Expedition.  What a treat and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Puerto Vallarta especially anyone not familiar with the “Vallarta Outback.”

The Sierra Madre Expedition tour takes you far off the beaten path and into areas the typical visitor to Vallarta never experiences.  Or even in my case, to places that someone who lives here never manages to see, yet alone, explore.

On the tour, you’ll visit the smaller villages and farming areas, the gorgeous flora and fauna of the primary tropical forest and the Sierra Madre Mountains all the way down to a pristine breach on the Pacific Ocean.

To give you a clearer picture of what you will encounter; one of the stops is at a little farm far past the city limits. The farmhouse is simple, the kitchen is outside, there are chickens running around and there is not a television or modern convenience to be found. Yet, when you meet the family, they are smiling, laughing and joking, and while working hard to survive, they are proud and relaxed.

During the tour, we wander a bit around their land, learn about the different plants and fruit trees, try some fresh-cut papaya, plantains and guayabas from the tree and then we meet Doña Cuquis (sound like “Cookies”) who makes the most amazing handmade tortillas, beans, guacamole and salsa. We were invited to watch how she creates her prized tortillas and we were able to not only sample them hot off the comal but to make our own tacos. Two fabulous REAL tacos later, I was ready for a siesta in the hammock but we had many more adventures ahead and needed to get a move on.

I won’t go into any great detail of our next stops, which include a Nature Walk and a BBQ lunch on a pristine, beach because I want you to go and experience it for yourself.

I do have to tell you though, the nature walk, and specifically our guide, Salvador, was awesome. He is not only knowledgeable but engaging. And lunch… What can I say? Grilled carne asada, homemade tortillas, rolls, salads, fresh fruit and dessert really hit the spot, especially after a walk on the gorgeous beach and a dip in the ocean. Open bar is included at the beach, and water, soda and cold beer is available during the journey in the Unimog. I do want to point out that this is not one of those “big bus tours”, the groups are small, usually 10 people or so and it really is the best way to get out and discover the amazing areas beyond Puerto Vallarta.

The other thing to mention is after lunch at the beach, the tequila flows freely on the hour+ ride home, so while I do recommend this tour for families; keep in mind, some of your travel mates may get a little tipsy.  I personally skipped the tequila at the end of the tour as I was already drunk on the beauty of the area in which I am fortunate enough to call home.

Posted in Vallarta Tours : activities adventure Bahia de Banderas Bay of Banderas eco-friendly eco-tour excursions family tours hiking in puerto vallarta mexican food Nuevo Vallarta puerto vallarta things to do in Puerto Vallarta tour tours Unimog vallarta adventures | 1 comment