Riviera Nayarit Packages/Deals & Travel Agents Near Me

Starting about 10 minutes north of the Puerto Vallarta International Airport and heading north, Riviera Nayarit is at the heart of the Banderas Bay. The northern border of the region has been officially extended to include the entire coast of the state of Nayarit—a section made up of vast areas of mangroves and wetlands that are unsuitable for building but ideal for bird-watching and other ecotourism activities.

The area includes the developed area of Nuevo Vallarta, just north of Puerto Vallarta Airport; the beach towns of Flamingos, Bucerias and La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, along the highway north that follows Banderas Bay; Punta Mita, which juts into the Pacific and is home to luxury resorts Four Seasons and St. Regis; the more isolated resort area of Litibu; Sayulita and San Francisco (also known as San Pancho); two surfing towns with large American expat communities; and a string of even more remote small towns along a lovely coast of rocky coves and mangroves to the northern border it shares with the state of Sinaloa.

Not so long ago, these charming towns were sleepy little villages. Now, they are quickly being discovered by tourists and retirees seeking a quieter part of Mexico. And for those who want to experience both sides of the country, Riviera Nayarit is within an easy distance of the shopping, dining and nightlife of Puerto Vallarta.

Among the highlights in the region is the chance to shop for local artwork and colorful traditional Huichol handicrafts.

For more information, visit the region's Web site at http://www.rivieranayarit.com.

History

Riviera Nayarit was officially launched by the state's government in the spring of 2007. It started with 112 mi/180 km of coastline from the southernmost point at the resort area of Nuevo Vallarta just north of Puerto Vallarta Airport (roughly the boundaries of the states of Nayarit and Jalisco, the state where Puerto Vallarta is located) and stretched north to the colonial town of San Blas.

In the fall of 2008, Nayarit Gov. Ney Gonzalez announced that the boundary of the tourism destination would extend north another 80 mi/130 km, from San Blas to the border with the state of Sinaloa, so that it covers the entire coastline of Nayarit state.

Since 2005, Riviera Nayarit has benefited from a major investment in the region's tourism facilities and infrastructure from the Mexican government. The primary project in that investment was the construction of a four-lane highway between Tepic in the northernmost part of Nayarit and the Riviera Nayarit that help connect major population centers to the resort area.

The four major sections of Riviera Nayarit are Nuevo Vallarta, Punta de Mita, Litibu (which is an extension of Punta de Mita) and Flamingos.