25 Beaches in Nayarit, Mexico: Map & Photos

25 beaches

Nayarit has 25 beaches with their own page on Puebloteca, near the Pueblo Mágico of San Blas. The closest to a pueblo is Bahía de Matanchén, 5 km from San Blas; the farthest out is Playa Platanitos, 21 km from San Blas.

The dry season, November to April, brings the calmest seas. From June to October expect afternoon storms, and on the Caribbean coast, sargassum in some years.

Best months, when most of these towns are dry with comfortable afternoons: Mar, Apr, May, Dec.

The Beaches 25

Bahía de Matanchén · Beach · 5 km from San Blas
A wide bay south of San Blas with calm swimming beaches, seafood palapas, and the famous long wave at Las Islitas.
Playa Platanitos · Beach · 21 km from San Blas
A fishing village beach south of Santa Cruz de Miramar with grilled-fish ramadas, a river-mouth surf break and a sea turtle camp.
Litibú · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A long sandy bay on the north side of the Punta de Mita peninsula, next to Higuera Blanca, with a Greg Norman golf course and beach resorts.
Playa Boca de Chila · Beach · Compostela
A long, empty beach of pale sand at the mouth of the Chila river, with mangroves, water birds and a sea-turtle camp, west of Zacualpan.
Playa Careyeros · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A quiet, almost undeveloped beach between Punta de Mita and Higuera Blanca, with clear turquoise water and a rough, poorly signed dirt road in.
Playa Destiladeras · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A long, wide sweep of fine pale sand on the road to Punta de Mita, with seafood palapas, shallow water and waves for surfing and boogie boarding.
Playa El Anclote · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
Punta de Mita's town beach: long, gentle waves for beginner surfers, a row of seafood palapas and the pangas that run to the Marietas.
Playa El Borrego · Beach · San Blas
San Blas's town beach: almost 3 km of soft sand at the end of Calle Azueta, with seafood palapas, beginner surf and sunsets.
Playa El Naranjo · Beach · Compostela
Long, empty beach north of La Peñita at the far end of Jaltemba Bay, with a sea-turtle camp where you can camp and help release hatchlings.
Playa La Lancha · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A wild sand beach and point break east of Punta de Mita, reached on foot: lefts and rights for longboarders, best on winter swells.
Playa La Manzanilla · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle's family beach: a mile-long crescent of grey sand with calm, shallow water and palapa restaurants on the sand.
Playa Las Cuevas · Beach · Compostela
A little-visited surf beach about 2.5 km south of Chacala, under the volcanic hill of Cerro de las Cuevas; strong waves and almost no one around.
Playa Las Cuevas · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A small cove of white sand and weathered boulders north of Sayulita, reached by a jungle path, with a rock arch to Playa Malpaso at low tide.
Playa Las Minitas · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A small, secluded beach southwest of Lo de Marcos at the end of the Camino a Las Minitas, between the main beach and Playa Los Venados.
Playa Los Venados · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A small, quiet bay just south of Lo de Marcos where big waves break into curtains of spray and the south end is calm, with a lookout on the hill.
Playa Malpaso · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A wild, mile-long beach between Sayulita and San Pancho, reached on foot by a jungle trail; strong rip currents make swimming dangerous.
Playa Patzcuarito · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A tiny wild beach of dark sand southwest of Sayulita, reached by scrambling over the rocks from Carricitos; few people and big sunsets.
Playa Punta Raza · Beach · Compostela
A wild beach of about 3 km below the Punta Raza headland, reached on foot from El Monteón; strong surf, a turtle camp and no services.
Playa Pátzcuaro · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A quiet, unsigned local favorite on the open coast just southwest of Sayulita, reached by a dirt track and a creek off the Punta de Mita road.
Playa de Barro · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A remote jungle-backed beach north of San Pancho with a small natural mud bath and rock pools, reached by a long hike or a rough 4x4 road.
Playa de las Tortugas · Beach · Compostela
A long, nearly empty turtle-nesting beach just south of Platanitos, with coconut palms, surf, a mangrove estuary and a Conanp turtle camp.
Playa del Amor · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
The Hidden Beach of the Marietas: a patch of sand inside an open hollow in the rock, reached by swimming through a short sea tunnel.
Playa del Beso · Beach · Compostela
A small cove among rocks just past Los Ayala, also called Playa Frideras, reached by a 15-minute jungle path or along the shore at low tide.
Playa del Toro · Beach · Compostela
A tiny cove of golden sand under a cliff-top lookout on the Punta Raza headland, about an hour's jungle walk from Los Ayala.
Punta Monterrey · Beach · Bahía de Banderas
A secluded, jungle-backed point and beach between San Pancho and Lo de Marcos, reached by a dirt road; camping is not allowed.