Yippy Zippy!

One morning, on the way to the base camp of the Canopy Adventure Park, Lorena, one of our awesome guides, spotted a little puppy along side of the road. Too small to be alone on its own, we stopped to see if the mother or siblings were close by. After scouring the jungle, we could not find his mom so our new found furry friend accompanied us to the base camp, much to the delight of the all guests going on the zip line tour.

Once at the camp, we decided the puppy needed a name and within a few seconds, it was unanimously decided and he was christened with the very fitting name of “Zippy.”  Everyone around wanted to have their photos taken with this cuddly creature and even take him home.

Luckily,  Zippy was adopted by Francisco, one of our technical supervisors and now lives in a happy home and sometimes even goes to work with Francisco as the official “unofficial” mascot of the Canopy Adventure Park zip line tour in Vallarta.

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Mother and Baby Whales Rescued Off Coast of Puerto Vallarta

What started out as a normal morning of whale watching out on the Bay of Banderas turned into a rescue mission to release two whales entangled in an illegal fishing net.

Around 11:00 AM, on January 28th, 2010, a tour boat spotted a humpback whale and her calf appearing to struggle and behave abnormally on the top of the ocean’s surface. After approaching the whales cautiously, the boat crew confirmed that the whales were indeed entangled in a giant fishing net and would need to be rescued.
Vallarta Adventures, an eco-tour provider in Puerto Vallarta, heard the radio call about the distressed whales and their team of Marine Animal Rescue staff immediately sprang into action to assist in the rescue and recovery of the trapped whales.

Enroute, the Vallarta Adventure’s team met up with the Mexican Navy, where Lieutenant Luis Vidal boarded the Vallarta Adventures’ boat to assist in liberating the pair. Once they reached the distressed whales they were able to asses that the mother was entangled from tip to tail in the illegal fishing net and that her calf was also becoming entangled as it swam closer to its mother.

With all hands and arms into the water at once, everyone began grabbing lines and cutting them and the ropes and buoys that encompassed the pair. Once the whales started to get free, they began to move about which made the effort to free them more difficult and dangerous.

With persistence and quick action, the staff and Naval officer quickly removed the offending net from the whales and within an hour, the pair was safe and free, gloriously swimming off into the Bay.

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Featured Adventurers!

Cindy and Mike K.
Sylmar, CA
Canopy Adventure Park Zip line tour
11/11/09

How many times have you been to Puerto Vallarta/Bay of Banderas?
This was our first time, but we will be back!!

Where did you stay?
We were aboard the NCL Star ship

What was the highlight of your trip?

We definitely loved the zip line canopy tour.
The guides were fantastic and the thrill of the zip lines and repells were great.  I thought we might be too old or out of shape to enjoy this tour, but I was so wrong.

What other tours would you go on if you had the chance?
I wish we would have had enough time to do the Sierra Madre tour and definitely some of the Snorkeling, Kayaking and other water tours.  The pictures on line are fantastic. We heard many other passengers on the ship talk about the great times they had with their Vallarta Advertures.

What did you think of our crew? Our guides?

The Canopy guides were great.
They made us feel very comfortable, always safe, and yet were professional and fun all at the same time.

Any advice for future travelers to Puerto Vallarta?

Go on a Vallarta Adventure tour, you won’t waste one cent with them.  They make sure you are picked up for adventure on time, That you have a great time and you are returned back when you need to!  This was very important for us on the cruise.  And if we had not been able to get into port because of weather, etc.  we would have been refunded our money.  Not all tour companies will even think of doing that.

What are some of your hobbies? Do you play sports?

We enjoy sailing, biking, snorkeling and swimming.

If you were to describe your vacation with the title of a song, what would that song be? Kenny Chesney’s “We went out last night”

What best describes you? The chips?  Or the salsa? Cindy is the Salsa and Mike is chips!  A great mixture!

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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.

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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.

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Get to Know A Guide

Featured Guide: Carlos  A.K.A-Chore
Adventure: Outdoor Adventure
How long with Vallarta Adventures: 4 Years
Where are you from: Puerto Vallarta

What is your favorite part of your job?
Rappelling over the waterfalls

Do you have any special skills that you use with your job?
High angle techniques, Boulder Outdoor Survival School, Wilderness First Aid, Botanical studies, Ecology courses, Emergency First Response skills

What is the funniest or craziest thing that you did/seen/experienced?
A guest that kept kissing the mule on the nose and mouth and my crazy moment was when I ate a scorpion.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew -up?
A doctor

What is your favorite(s) food(s)?
Fish ceviche and fish kabobs

Would you eat a grasshopper?
Yes, I have! JUICY!

What do you like to do on your day off?
I love to go snorkeling

Would you rather be an eagle or a dolphin?
A dolphin

What do you do to help conserve or protect our planet?
I recycle and separate my garbage and I do not use bug repellant or sprays to help reduce their possible negative impact on nature.

What is your favorite Vallarta Adventures Tour?
The Outdoor Adventure, of course, but I also love the Sea Safari

If you were given 200 Pesos right now, what would you do with it?
Save it!

Any advice for future adventurers that will go on your tour?
Have fun, never stop trying and never give up!

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Get to Know A Guide

Featured Guide: Nara Bustani
Adventure: Canopy Adventure Park
How long with Vallarta Adventures: 3 years
Where are you from: Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco , Mexico

What is your favorite part of your job?
I love to work with all the guides and to make a great tour but most of all, putting a big smile on the guest’s faces.

Do you have any special skills or schooling that you use with your job?
Yes, I studied ecotourism and extreme sports, but the part that I like is practicing high angle techniques.

What is the funniest or craziest thing that you did/seen/experienced?
The most exciting and crazy part of my job is when I have to stop somebody on the zip line that is coming in really, really fast!

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew -up?
Not sure but I always wanted to have my own place with lots of big trees. When I was a child I always played up in the trees and wanted to live in a tree house.

What is your favorite food(s)?
I love tacos and burritos

Would you eat a grasshopper?
Only mixed with  quesadillas!

What do you like to do on your day off?
I like to go to the beach with mi little Pug and listen to some music on my ipod.

Would you rather be an eagle or a dolphin?
I would be a mix of both, haha! I love animals!

What makes you happy?
Wake up every day healthy and keep having the time to be with my family and friends that I love.

What do you do to help conserve or protect our planet?
Saving water every day and recycling

What is your favorite Vallarta Adventures Tour?
Believe it or not, all of them are extremely fun

If you were given 200 Pesos right now, what would you do with it?
I will buy a lot of food!!  Well, just 200 pesos of food, I guess.

Any advice for future adventurers on your tour?
Get ready for a great time! Bring all your family;  from the kiddies to the grandparents …you are going to love this place and you are going to want to take all of the guides home with you! haha.

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Featured Adventurers!

Corey and Annette P
Lincoln, NE   July, 2009

Canopy Adventure Park Tour

VA: How many times have you been to Puerto Vallarta/Bay of Banderas?
Corey & Annette: This was our first trip. It won’t be our last.

VA: Where did you stay?
Corey & Annette:Riu Palace Pacifico

VA: What will you never forget about Puerto Vallarta?
Corey & Annette: Friendly people and the Canopy Tour

VA: Who would you recommend Puerto Vallarta to?
Corey & Annette: People wanting to get away and relax or have fun.

VA: What was your favorite part of the tour?
Corey & Annette: The guides. Our tour guides were awesome.

VA: What other tours would you go on if you had the chance?
Corey & Annette: Outdoor Adventure and Las Caletas.  We can’t wait to come back and do the Outdoor Adventure.

VA: What did you think of our crew? Our guides?
Corey & Annette: The crew at the main office were very helpful. The guides were terrific. I felt extremely safe and had a ton of fun. They gave me some great tequila tips, too!

VA: Any advice for future travelers to Puerto Vallarta?
Corey & Annette: The Riu Palace is a great place to stay if you want to just relax. The Canopy Tour is just fantastic. I highly recommend it for anyone that likes a little thrill.

VA: What are some of your hobbies? Do you play sports?
Corey & Annette: We have two sons, 10 and 6, so many activities are wrapped around them. I am a sports fanatic and really enjoy most sports particularly (American) football.  Personally I enjoy running and playing golf.

VA: What best describes you? The chips? Or the salsa?
Corey & Annette: The salsa!

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Featured Adventurer!

Featured Adventurer: Kathee J

From: Mission Viejo, CA

Adventures: Scuba and Canopy Adventure Park

VA: How many times have you been to Puerto Vallarta/Bay of Banderas?
Kathee: 3 Times

VA: Where did you stay?
Kathee: Mayan Marina

VA: What will you never forget about Puerto Vallarta?
Kathee: Good scuba, good variety of “other” stuff to do, cheap massages and facials, great weather, good food.

VA: Who would you recommend Puerto Vallarta to?
Kathee: I have recommended it to all my friends. It’s so close and affordable for those who live in California. read more »

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Featured Adventurer!

Don Swanner

Canopy Adventure Park

VA: How many times have you been to Puerto Vallarta/Bay of Banderas?

Don: Twice

VA: Where did you stay?

Don: First time was in a hotel, over twenty years ago, don’t remember the name. Second time was a cruise ship, Carnival Splendor

VA: What will you never forget about Puerto Vallarta?

Don: The canopy zip lines at Vallarta Adventures, not just a high point on our stop in Puerto Vallarta but the entire trip.

VA: Who would you recommend Puerto Vallarta to? read more »

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