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Colomitos Beach, or Playa Colomitos, is the perfect off the beaten path beach to visit if you’re looking for a fun place to visit near Puerto Vallarta.
What makes it even cooler is that you can only reach it by boat or by hiking through the rainforest!
After I came across photos of Colomitos Beach online, I knew I needed to do a Colomitos day trip from Puerto Vallarta. The only problem was, I struggled to find information online about how to get there…
I decided to just head there and hope for the best, and luckily, I had a great time at Playa Colomitos!
In this guide, I’m going to share everything you need to know about Colomitos Beach in Puerto Vallarta, including how to get there, how much it costs, and my top tips for visiting based on my personal experience.
So, are you ready to go on one of the best hikes in Puerto Vallarta to find a secret beach? Then let’s get started!
Top tip: The currency of Mexico is the Mexican Peso (MXN), but I have listed the prices in this post in US Dollars so that my readers will have a better idea of how much things cost.
Table of Contents
Where is Colomitos Beach?
Playa Colomitos, or Colomitos Beach, is around 23km south of Puerto Vallarta, in between Puerto Vallarta and Yelapa. Colomitos is in the Mexican State of Jalisco.
Unlike the developed, crowded and sometimes dirty beaches in central Puerto Vallarta, Colomitos Beach is tiny, undeveloped and downright intimate.
The beach is only around 50 metres wide, making it feel more like a secret cove.
How to Get to Colomitos Beach from Puerto Vallarta
You have two options for getting to Colomitos Beach – you’ll first need to get to Boca de Tomatlan and then you can either hike or catch a water taxi to Colomitos.
Guided tours do run from Puerto Vallarta to Colomitos but, at around $36 per person for the exact same thing you could do independently for around $6, joining a tour really isn’t necessary.
This is one of the easy ways to keep your Puerto Vallarta travel costs down.
To make the most of your trip to Colomitos I recommend heading to Boca de Tomatlan, going on the hike to Colomitos, chilling on the beach, and then taking the water taxi back to Boca de Tomatlan.
It sounds like a lot, but I’ll break it down here – I promise it’s actually very straightforward. I’ll summarise the steps here and then go into more detail below:
- Take the bus from Puerto Vallarta to Boca de Tomatlan
- Explore Boca de Tomatlan and have lunch on the beach
- Hike to Colomitos Beach
- Chill on Colomitos Beach
- Get the water taxi back from Colomitos to Boca de Tomatlan
- Get the bus back to Puerto Vallarta from Boca de Tomatlan
Getting to Boca de Tomatlan from Puerto Vallarta
The first step on your day trip to Colomitos Beach is to get the bus from Puerto Vallarta to Boca de Tomatlan. You’ll find the bus stop in Puerto Vallarta at Parada de Camiones a Mismaloya (here on Google Maps).
Buses depart every 20 minutes and cost 10 pesos each way ($0.50).
The journey to Boca de Tomatlan takes around 40 minutes, and it’s worth keeping your Google Maps open so that you can see when it’s time to get off.
I *think* Boca de Tomatlan is the last stop on the route, but that could have just been the bus that I was on.
The bus should have “Boca de Tomatlan” written on the window but, if you want to double check, just ask the driver.
Things to Do in Boca de Tomatlan
Boca de Tomatlan is a tiny, colourful fishing village that still feels largely untouched by tourism. It’s fascinating in contrast to the busy and developed Puerto Vallarta!
There’s not much to do here at all, but since it’s so cute it’s worth a short wander around before heading to the beach.
At the beach, you’ll find a few restaurants, and I recommend that you grab lunch here. There are no shops or restaurants at Colomitos Beach, so it’s important to eat in Boca de Tomatlan first.
The seafood at these beachfront restaurants is SO good since it’s so fresh. If you’re into seafood you won’t be disappointed here.
I ordered the red snapper which came with beans, tortillas and salsas and it was drool-worthy.
Colomitos Beach Hike from Boca de Tomatlan
With a full belly, it’s finally time to embark on the trail to Colomitos Beach. This was one of my favourite free things to do in Puerto Vallarta!
Follow the little river inland until around here, where you should see a bridge that you can use to cross the water.
The hike to Colomitos will take around 30 minutes, and some parts, particularly towards the end, are quite steep. I recommend wearing trainers for the hike because some areas can be muddy, especially in the rainy season.
If you have mobility issues you can just catch a boat to Colomitos from Boca de Tomatlan for 100 pesos per person.
Cross the bridge, and then walk back towards the ocean. Keep the water on your right the entire time, and basically just follow the path around the coast.
If in doubt, you can always ask one of the locals “dónde está el camino a Colomitos?” and they’ll point you in the right direction.
The motto is always to just follow the most obvious path, and keep the water on your right.
The humidity almost killed me on this hike, you guys. I was SWEATING!
You’ll definitely need a tonne of water packed, as well as mosquito repellent (douse yourself in this before you set off) and suncream.
Most of the hike from Boca de Tomatlan to Colomitos is shaded, as it goes through the jungle, but it’s worth putting suncream on regardless.
Visiting Colomitos Beach/Playa Colomitos
As you round the final corner of the Colomitos Beach hike you’ll get your first glimpse of the tiny Colomitos Beach, surrounded by the jungle.
The beach doesn’t usually get too busy, but there are some “beach hopping” tour boats that stop by occasionally and dump their guests out at Colomitos for 20 minutes or so.
There are no toilets and no shops at Colomitos, but there is a small drinks stand selling water, coconuts, and beer.
Having finally arrived, it’s time to roll out your towel, pick up a book, and relax on Puerto Vallarta’s secret beach!
Water Taxi from Colomitos to Boca de Tomatlan
Once you’re ready to head back to Boca de Tomatlan you can either hike back the way you came or take the easier and more relaxed option of taking the water taxi.
Guys will occasionally walk around the beach asking if you want to take the water taxi back to Boca de Tomatlan. The journey per person costs 100 pesos, and it takes around 10 minutes.
Getting the water taxi is an experience in and of itself as you’ll get to view Colomitos, the hiking trail, and Boca de Tomatlan from the water, and take loads of photos!
Getting to Puerto Vallarta from Boca de Tomatlan
The water taxi will drop you off at the Boca de Tomatlan harbour, which is just a few minutes walk from the bus stop.
The bus stop for heading back to Puerto Vallarta is the exact same one that you arrived at, and the journey costs 10 pesos once again.
The bus will drop you off at the bus stop you caught the bus from in Puerto Vallarta. Easy!
Is Colomitos Beach Worth Visiting?
Part of the joy of visiting Colomitos Beach is definitely in the journey itself.
Just getting to Colomitos Beach takes you through the charming village of Boca de Tomatlan and the winding jungle hiking paths towards the beach, with awesome views of the coastline.
I do think Colomitos is worth visiting if you have time on your Puerto Vallarta itinerary and fancy visiting an undeveloped beach away from the crowds. However, I wouldn’t necessarily label Colomitos Beach a “must-visit”.
If you have time, though, go for it! Playa Colomitos is a lovely break from the city of Puerto Vallarta
