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Travel advice for Mexico
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Mexico
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written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 20.07.2021
On a trip to Mexico's Riviera Nayarit, just a short drive from bright lights of Puerto Vallarta, Neil McQuillian discovers the unexpected...
There! I whipped my head round to get a better look. Yes – roger that – no doubt about it. That rare combination of bright, clashing colours and drab browns: remarkable. Quite a sighting. I never thought I’d encounter one like her in these parts.
For this, surely, was absolutely the wrong sort of habitat. I was just 40km – a half-hour drive – north of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco state’s second-biggest city, a sizzling party town throbbing with North American tourists. I'd have expected my lesser-spotted to shun this neck of the woods.
But no – I'd seen a hippy all right. With the grey slab of a highway gas station forecourt for a backdrop, her beach camo tan and golden dreadlocks was unmistakable. And she’d been thumbing for a ride too: textbook hippy behaviour.
This was only my first full day in Mexico. I’d not yet experienced central Puerto Vallarta for myself, though I’d flown into its airport on one of Thomson’s newly launched direct flights from the UK (the only services here from Europe that don't require a change). I'd then immediately scarpered north up the coast – having read about the town’s spring-break steam-letting reputation, I didn’t fancy it much. I was after tranquility.
Yet Guillermo, my guide, assured me that, not only were the towns we’d be visiting that day chilled: they were hubs of hippiedom, bastions of bodaciousness. I'd been on the edge of my passenger seat ever since – and then there she was, right on cue, a vision in tie-dye.
Even without the proximity of Vallarta (as it’s known), there's another reason I was dubious about this hippy idea. This stretch of coastline, just over the state border from Jalisco, has been rebranded in recent years. No longer is it the easily overlooked southern corner of Nayarit state, a ragtag of little towns overshadowed by Vallarta. No – these days it is Riviera Nayarit. Mexico’s tourism bigwigs are turning the full force of their will towards it, with the resorts already in place rather more power-shower than flower-power. And beware: the last time the tourist kingmakers got so exercised, Cancún was their target. We know what happened there.
Yet once we'd turned off the highway, the approach road to Sayulita – the best-known of Nayarit’s boho beach towns – certainly didn’t feel like it was gearing up for a touristic boom. Billowing trees crowded in as we drove along. Wire fences were strung between rudely carved posts. Little huts with thinning palapa roofs sat by battered old cars, parked at wonky angles on uneven ground. So far, so hippy.
But while Sayulita itself was a jumble, it was a just-so jumble. The functionally surfaced approach road gave way to tourist-pleasing cobbles. Every low-rise concrete building seemed to be painted a different colour. The central plaza was brisk with bunting and the trees here did as they were told, sprouting up out of little rectangular cut-outs in the sidewalk. It was quaint rather than kooky – and not a hippy in sight.
Guillermo, though, adamant about the town's alternative credentials, directed me towards the local "galleries" lurking in the shadows of those neatly managed trees. They were shops. Artsy shops, certainly, but shops nonetheless.
I liked them. In one, staffed by a hip local, I bought a boho-chic throw, knowingly striped in shocking pink and neon yellow. Another specialized in the art of the Huichols, a shamanistic and animistic people local to this region. Their art is eye-popping – which is quite how it should be, given that ritual use of peyote (a hallucinogenic cactus) is its inspiration. I solemnly purchased some Huichol art greetings cards to mark my brush with this weighty, mystical culture. (Though what greeting I hope to convey by sending someone an image of two wolf-people playing banjos, or one of a woman with snakes for arms and hair like electrified golden seaweed, firing out multicoloured babies from between her splayed legs, I do not know. I may need peyote to find out.)
So at this juncture, Sayulita seemed to be more about window-shopping than tree-hugging. But peyote – now that was interesting. Guillermo had already revealed that the first wave of hippies arrived at this coastline in the 1960s. So I pondered (paraphrasing Mrs Merton), what could possibly have attracted a group of mind-altering-drug enthusiasts to an area associated with hallucinogenic cacti?
Well, the surf, actually. Or so Guillermo assured me. That pioneering bunch were Sayulita dreamin’. And their followers still are – the conditions here are some of the finest in Mexico. The beach itself was gorgeous too. Yet, as in town, there was a wash of commercialism to it all: a surf board rental shack here, sun loungers for hire there, beach hawkers selling everything from shrimp skewers to woven baskets.
That's not to say I didn't like Sayulita. I liked it a lot. I’d happily spend a holiday there. But I'd sort of pictured it more like The Beach. It seemed to me that its legendary hippy identity had been commodified somewhat. So I started wondering – had my sighting been running away?
As it turns out, she might well have been – but probably only ten minutes north along the road. San Francisco, or San Pancho as everyone knows it, felt like Sayulita – just without all the people. Its beach had precisely the same sweep, the same marshy area to one side, the same sun, the same sea. Yet that was about it. An elemental place. Huge grey and white herons floated languidly around. Maybe they had at Sayulita too. I just hadn't noticed. My mind started moving with them.
I noticed that a few dome tents sat towards the back of the beach. I sat at one of the few beachside restaurants and ate superb, smoky aguachile, watching a long-haired guy who was sitting on a pile of backpacks plonked in the middle of the sand. I waited to see if he would move. He didn’t. He was on to something good.
17 days / from1590 USD
The Magic of the Yucatan and Mexico City
Explore the magic of the Yucatan Peninsula: from colonial towns like Merida to Archaeological sites like Uxmal and Calakmul, close to the Guatemala border, to beaches in Bacalar and Tulum, this itinerary shows you the real Yucatan before heading out to explore Mexico City.
view tour ⤍15 days / from1430 USD
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Explore Central Mexico with its ever-busy capital Mexico City, visiting Teotihuacan and the famous museums in the city. Further on to Oaxaca City, the gateway to the Archaeological Site Monte Alban. Afterwards, continue to the white beaches of the Yucatan: Cancun and Isla Holbox await.
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Discover Mexico from fascinating San Miguel de Allende over busy Mexico City all the way to the Yucatan Peninsula. This itinerary combines public transportation with domestic flights to ensure you can make the most of discovering fascinating Mexico within two weeks.
view tour ⤍18 days / from2190 USD
Marvelous Mexico: From Yucatan to Mexico City
Your trip starts on the wonderful coast of Yucatan, exploring the beaches and archaeological highlights like Chichen Itza and Tulum. From there on continue the exploration to Palenque and Oaxaca before taking a flight to Mexico City - 3 days in the capital await your discovery.
view tour ⤍10 days / from2147 USD
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Discover Mexico City's historic highlights and the wonders of sites like Teotihuacan, Campeche and Palenque before you jet off to the Central HIghlands. Discover archeological ruins and traditional tribal villages, then fall for the charms of Mexico's old colonial cities and glitzy Caribbean coast.
view tour ⤍7 days / from1499 USD
Mexico's Mayan Trail
Follow the Mayan Trail around Mexico on this archaeological adventure. Begin your journey with a refreshing taste of sea and salt air in the Yucatán Peninsula on one of Playa del Carmen's gorgeous Caribbean beaches before heading off to discover magical Mayan ruins and glorious colonial towns.
view tour ⤍12 days / from3057 USD
Magnificent Mexico and Mayan Treasures
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view tour ⤍7 days / from1518 USD
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view tour ⤍10 days / from890 USD
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Take your rental car and explore the beaches and islands of Cabo. Located in Baja California Sur, Los Cabos, Todos Santos, and Cabo San Lucas do not only have excellent beaches to offer for your exploration but also a fascinating wildlife.
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view tour ⤍9 days / from1670 USD
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view tour ⤍8 days / from1516 USD
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view tour ⤍10 days / from2307 USD
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view tour ⤍14 days / from1350 USD
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Explore the wide depths of Sumidero Canyon in Chiapas, the fascinating archaeological site of Palenque in Tabasco before moving on to the Yucatan to explore Merida, Chichen Itza and the peaceful island of Cozumel. This itinerary offers adventure and relaxation in 14 days.
view tour ⤍20 days / from1280 USD
Discovering Central Mexico: from Guanajuato to Oaxaca
With this itinerary, you will get to know the real Mexico: from magic towns to archaeological sites all the way down to the beautiful beaches of Huatulco - this itinerary combines history, cuisine, and relaxation, all compactly available in a 3-week trip.
view tour ⤍21 days / from1490 USD
Enchanting Mexico: from the capital to the beaches
Discover Mexico's capital before heading to your first Mexican beach: Puerto Escondido. After some days relaxing in the sun, head to Cancun to pick up your rental car and explore the Yucatan Peninsula in your own car. From archaeological sites to stunning beaches, the peninsula awaits.
view tour ⤍11 days / from2415 USD
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Get ready for an adventure through Chiapas with hosts who are prepared to welcome you and discover the natural beauty of canyons, waterfalls, lakes, and rivers! The magnificent archaeological sites will amaze you as well as the charming towns.
view tour ⤍16 days / from1850 USD
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view tour ⤍7 days / from925 USD
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view tour ⤍7 days / from590 USD
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view tour ⤍12 days / from3405 USD
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view tour ⤍10 days / from1695 USD
Oaxacan Coast Adventure
Adventure awaits you on this trip to the Oaxacan coast, a place as spectacular as the activities you will do. From a boat trip to the beautiful bays of Huatulco to a warm horseback ride on the seashore in Puerto Escondido. Enjoy freedom of traveling with your own rental car.
view tour ⤍12 days / from850 USD
The Gems of Yucatan - a Self Drive Trip
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view tour ⤍11 days / from2846 USD
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Baja California is an off-the-beaten-track unspoiled paradise. The area is home to mountains, deserts and thousands of kilometers of gorgeous Pacific coastline. Come here to explore, snorkel, dive or do a spot of whale watching (in season). Otherwise, sit back and relax on its soft sandy shores.
view tour ⤍9 days / from1475 USD
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Discover the most unique places in Mexico City before heading out to Puebla and Oaxaca, tasting the best Mexico has to offer: mole poblano, chocolate, a corn workshop - this is a hands-on tour, showing the variety Mexico has to offer, both in food and culture wise.
view tour ⤍8 days / from2230 USD
Small Group Tour: Yucatán Off the Beaten Path
This is a trip immersed in Maya culture, considering visits to essential places, accommodations in different Maya communities, and cultural and outdoor sports activities. Trip starts February 1st & April 29, 2024 - prefer to do this trip in private? Send us a request for individual pricing.
view tour ⤍9 days / from3035 USD
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Embark on a Yucatan self-drive adventure, blending renowned treasures like Tulum and Chichen Itza with hidden gems. Wander off the beaten track to discover local communities, engaging in community-based experiences. Delve into Mayan culture, sample authentic cuisine, and explore the region.
view tour ⤍7 days / from1800 USD
Immersive Mexico City
Discover the vibrant heart of Mexico City in 7 unforgettable days. A stroll through historic downtown, explore colorful markets, and savor delicious street food. Day trips to Teotihuacan's ancient pyramids and Chapultepec Park's museums offer cultural enrichment.
view tour ⤍10 days / from3275 USD
Flavours of Central Mexico
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view tour ⤍12 days / from3140 USD
Authentic Mexico City & Yucatan Peninsula
Start your trip in fascinating Mexico City - special views guaranteed during your hot air balloon ride over Teotihuacan. Continue to the Yucatan Peninsula with Merida, Valladolid, the famous Chichen Itza site and then to the dreamy beaches of Puerto Morelos. This trip has it all.
view tour ⤍Top image: View of Banderas Bay and Puerto Vallarta © Ferenz/Shutterstock
written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 20.07.2021
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From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Mexico