Puerto Vallarta - Boca de Tomatlan
We met at 7:00, grabbed some breakfast and headed south for Boca de Tomatlan. Chris and I had been to this little town and marina before and loved it. This time we parked and headed for the trail that led us on a 6 mile hike to Playa Las Animas and then to Quimixto and the Cuals Waterfall. It was such a great day!!
The trail led us up into the mountain side, down by the beach, over bridges and right on the sand. Every part of it was so gorgeous.
Caballo beach (above) was secluded and beautiful. (Later in the day when we rode by on boat it was packed with locals - but early in the morning we had it all to ourselves.) You can see the stairs behind us which led to the trail.
Around the next bend we found a larger shaded beach with beautiful views back towards Puerto Vallarta. Every direction was just amazing.
Some of the homes and resorts that dotted the coast along the way were breathtaking. No road access to any of these beaches makes them even more magical.
Cuale Waterfall
We hiked to Playa Las Animas and decided to continue on to Quimixto. From there we hiked through the little town, grabbed some Magnum bars, and then continued up to the Cuale Waterfall. It was fun to get in the water and play around. The natural rock slide was a highlight for the boys.
We had the waterfall all to ourselves which was so nice… then we had some chips and guacamole and drinks while a local guy shocked us by jumping off the balcony into a shallow dive and then drawing attention to himself while climbing up the waterfall and posing for us. It was pretty funny.
The Beach at Quimixto
Can you believe that picture? Oh my gosh. Chris is the one who spotted it and called us back to see it. Talk about ‘biting off more than you can chew’!
We hiked back to the beach at Quimixto and relaxed. Chris took a nap in the shade, Jon snorkeled and Pete surfed and made a friend who called him Colorado. The girls and I walked and then I swam. Perfect weather. Great beach. Almost completely empty. Then Pete and Jon decided to order something from the Los Cocos Restaurant. Red snapper and fish tacos.
After a couple of hours we headed back over to the pier in Quimixto and hired a boat to take us back to Boca de Tomatlan.
Whale Show
The $3 boat ride from Quimixto to Boca de Tomatlan ended up being the best whale tour we’ve ever been on — and it was a complete surprise. The whales just started jumping and our boat driver slowed the boat and we sat in the middle of them and took pictures. It was pretty spectacular. I missed the best jump as I quickly switched out camera batteries. It was amazing! We just looked at each other in shock. Are you kidding me? Our $3 boat ride was one of the highlights of the day!
Back in Boca de Tomatlan
By the time we arrived back at the Pier in Boca de Tomatlan, it had started to mist a little bit and the fog was settling in over the mountains. I just love this little cove.
Los Arcos
On the way home we stopped at Los Arcos so that Jon and Pete could snorkel. Chris borrowed Ali’s mask but it kept leaking and then he cut his hand on the rocks so he turned back. Jon and Pete swam around the rocks into some dark and freaky spots but loved it.
Back to Pepe’s for more flour pork tacos with onion, cilantro and guacamole sauce. So good. Then back to the resort to get in the hot tub and then order more Bluebell Ice Cream. Triple Chocolate for me. We laughed about scented garbage bags, immediately laundering workout clothes, Jon cleaning everything up before we can even notice and other silly jokes. It was a great day.
