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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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!

Posted in Canopy Vallarta Tours : activities adventure Apex boat Canopy eco-friendly eco-tour excursions genuine canopy system mule trek puerto vallarta rappel rappelling things to do in Puerto Vallarta Unimog vallarta adventures waterfall Zip lines | 2 comments

Get to Know a Guide

Featured Guide: Salvador -A.K.A. Chava
Adventure Tour: Sierra Madre Expedition
How long with Vallarta Adventures: 6 1/2 Years
Where are you from: Lake Chapala, Ajijic, Mexico

What is your favorite part of your job?
Everything, but mostly I like to share my country with my guests

What is the funniest or craziest thing that you did/seen/experienced?
I’ve swam with crocodiles

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

What is your favorite(s) food(s)?
All! I think eating is one of the things I love the most in the world.

Would you eat a grasshopper?
Yes. I’ve done it before and many other creatures as well …survival course

What is the last book that you read?
Los hijos del sol, it’s a book all about the culture of the Aztecs

What do you think is the most beautiful place In Vallarta?
The north side of the bay

What do you like to do on your day off?
Outdoor activities, especially surfing

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

What do you do to help conserve or protect our planet?
Whatever I can. I never throw trash and I pick up the litter that I see. I also like educate the kids so they know what to do, like to conserve or to not waste

What is your favorite Vallarta Adventures Tour?
All of them. They are all fun and educational

If you were given 200 Pesos right now, what would you do with it?
Save it, 4 any emergency

Any advice for future adventurers that will go on your tour?
Yes, please come with me on the Sierra Madre Expedition and learn and see real Mexico. We will touch, taste, see and feel the real enchilada!

Posted in Vallarta Tours : activities adventure Bahia de Banderas Bay of Banderas excursions Jungle Nuevo Vallarta off the beaten path puerto vallarta Sierra Madre Expedition things to do in Puerto Vallarta tours Unimog vallarta adventures | leave a comment