Nayarit is Mexico's rising Pacific-coast star, home to the glamorous Riviera Nayarit beach towns of Sayulita, Punta de Mita, and Nuevo Vallarta, the colonial surf port of San Blas, and the Wixárika (Huichol) heartland of the Sierra Madre Occidental. It blends barefoot-luxury resorts, world-class surf breaks, mangrove wildlife, and small-town Mexican culture within a couple of hours of Puerto Vallarta's international airport.
Nayarit's coastal tourist towns are among the safest in Mexico for visitors, with a large expatriate and tourism-dependent population and a strong law-enforcement presence in resort areas. Risk rises on unlit inland highways after dark and in the sparsely populated Sierra interior, which are not part of any typical visitor itinerary.
Current safety advisory
Level 2 - Exercise Increased Caution
The US State Department rates the state of Mexico at Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) overall, and Nayarit specifically (including the Punta de Mita/Riviera Nayarit area) also carries a Level 2 rating as of 2026. There are no restrictions on US government employee travel to Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit resort corridor, even though neighboring Jalisco state carries a higher Level 3 advisory overall. In February 2026, a security operation in Jalisco produced temporary road blockages and a shelter-in-place alert from the US Embassy affecting parts of the wider region; conditions normalized within days and did not affect the coastal tourist zone. Coastal towns — Sayulita, Punta de Mita, Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías, and San Blas — see millions of visitors annually with very low rates of violent crime against tourists.
Last updated: 2026-09-05
Official advisories
Guidance from national travel-advisory services.
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Essential safety tips
Practical advice that applies everywhere.
Stick to the well-traveled coastal corridor: Sayulita, San Pancho, Punta de Mita, Bucerías, Nuevo Vallarta, and San Blas town center
Use Uber/Didi in Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías, and Sayulita instead of hailing taxis on the street
Avoid driving unfamiliar rural highways after dark, especially inland routes toward Tepic and the Sierra
Swim only at beaches with visible lifeguards or posted flags — several Riviera Nayarit breaks have strong rip currents
Use reef-safe sunscreen and reapply often; the Pacific sun here is intense year-round
Book accommodation and tours through verified platforms and read recent reviews
Register with your country's embassy or consulate before traveling — US travelers can use the STEP program at step.state.gov
Common scams to avoid
Recognise and sidestep tourist-targeted scams.
Health considerations
Staying healthy on your trip.
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- Water
- Advice
- Tap water is not safe to drink anywhere in Nayarit; drink bottled or purified water, which hotels and most restaurants provide
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- Sun exposure
- Advice
- Use SPF 50+ reef-safe sunscreen and reapply every 2 hours; the Pacific sun is intense year-round
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- Mosquito-borne illness
- Advice
- Dengue and occasional Zika cases occur, especially in the rainy season (June-October); use insect repellent with DEET at dusk
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- Medical facilities
- Advice
- Hospital San Javier Marina (Puerto Vallarta) and Amerimed Nuevo Vallarta provide the best private care near the coast; Tepic has larger public hospitals for the interior
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- Travel insurance
- Advice
- Purchase travel insurance with medical evacuation coverage; private hospital care is not free and can be expensive without it
Safety for specific travellers
Tailored advice for different groups.
Solo travellers
Solo travelers are common in Sayulita and generally safe in the well-traveled coastal towns during daytime and evening hours. Use Uber/Didi rather than street-hailed taxis after dark, stick to lit and populated streets, and share your itinerary with someone at home.
Female travellers
Solo female travelers report Sayulita, San Pancho, and Nuevo Vallarta as comfortable and welcoming. Standard precautions apply: avoid walking alone on unlit beaches or backstreets late at night, and use registered transport after dark rather than flagging unmarked vehicles.
Families
Family travel is straightforward in the resort corridor; the main risks for families are rip currents at certain beaches (San Pancho and stretches near Punta Raza) and sun exposure rather than crime. Supervise children closely at unguarded beaches.
LGBTQ+ travellers
Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nayarit corridor are among the most LGBTQ+-friendly destinations in Mexico, with an established LGBTQ+ tourism scene extending into Nuevo Vallarta and Bucerías. Public attitudes are generally accepting in tourist areas; more conservative attitudes may be encountered in smaller inland towns like Tepic or Compostela.
Emergency contacts
Numbers to know before you go.
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