San Blas & La Tovara Mangroves

San Blas lies about 90 km (1.5 hours) from Sayulita and roughly 45 minutes from Tepic along Federal Highway 15 and local roads, making a rental car or an organized tour from Puerto Vallarta or Sayulita hotels the most practical way to arrive; a direct bus also runs from the Tepic terminal. The day's centerpiece is a boat trip through La Tovara National Park, where flat-bottomed pangas glide along mangrove-lined channels from the La Tovara embarcadero, passing American crocodiles, herons, kingfishers, and troops of turtles basking on fallen logs before reaching a freshwater spring where swimming is possible. San Blas itself, a colonial-era port town, adds the hilltop ruins of the Fuerte de San Basilio overlooking the Pacific and the 18th-century Templo de San Blas on the town plaza. A typical day starts early, ideally at dawn, since the mangrove wildlife and birdlife are most active in the cool morning hours before the afternoon heat sets in; the boat tour runs 2 to 3 hours, after which visitors can walk the town center, browse the plaza market, and visit the fort ruins in the early afternoon. San Blas is also notorious for its jejenes (biting midges), especially near dusk, so insect repellent is essential and evening visits are best avoided. Lunch is typically taken at one of the palapa seafood restaurants along the Playa El Borrego or Playa Los Cocos, known for smoked marlin, shrimp tacos, and fresh oysters. The best season runs November through April, when water levels in the mangrove channels are manageable and mosquito activity is somewhat lower than in the humid rainy months of June through October.