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    Satellite view of La Bajada, Nayarit

    Photo by EOX IT Services, Copernicus Sentinel data 2016, CC BY 4.0, via EOxCloudless

    La Bajada

    Village San Blas, Nayarit Municipality of San Blas Banderas Bay Riviera Nayarit

    A hill village of about 450 people above La Palma, inland from Matanchén Bay; its forest and plantations are a stop on the San Blas Christmas Bird Count.

    From Tepic: 45 min by car (51 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

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    Plan your visit to La Bajada

    Where to stay near La Bajada

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in La Bajada.

    Hotels in La Bajada Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to La Bajada

    Day trips and guided outings from San Blas often include La Bajada; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Tours from Sayulita Yelapa & Secluded Private Beach ALL INCLUSIVE Adventure ★ 4.8 (2,559) · From US$135
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to La Bajada

    • From Tepic: about 45 min by road (~51 km)
    • Nearest airport: Tepic (TPQ), 1 h 5 min by car to San Blas
    Rent a car at TPQ Flights to TPQ

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    Tours from Sayulita, near La Bajada

    Yelapa & Secluded Private Beach ALL INCLUSIVE Adventure ★ 4.8 (2,559) 6–7 h From US$135
    Marietas Islands National Park: Full Day ALL INCLUSIVE Tour ★ 4.8 (772) 6 h From US$130
    Horseback Riding in Sayulita Through Jungle Trails to the Beach ★ 4.9 (215) 2 h From US$79
    Hike and Yoga Jungle Experience in Mexico ★ 5.0 (175) 2 h 30 min From US$30
    Sayulita Taco Tour ★ 5.0 (159) 2–3 h From US$54

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About La Bajada

    La Bajada is a village in the foothills of the municipality of San Blas, Nayarit, where the coastal plain behind Matanchén Bay meets the first forested hills. It sits at about 163 meters above sea level, some 2.5 km northeast of the village of La Palma and about 4.5 km inland from Aticama and the bay, with steep hills all around: Cerro La Gritona, 489 meters, rises just to the north and Cerro La Campanilla, 766 meters, to the northeast. San Blas is about 14 km away in a straight line, roughly 19 km and half an hour by road.

    The 2020 census counted 450 people in 149 occupied homes, fewer than the 537 of 2010; it is the 19th largest locality of the municipality, and unusually for the area, more than four in ten homes had internet. The village has a kindergarten and two schools. Its land is ejido land: in the agrarian reform of the 1930s the fields of the Hacienda de Navarrete, the most powerful estate on the central Nayarit coast, were divided among new ejidos that included La Bajada.

    For visitors, La Bajada is known mainly to birdwatchers. It is one of the 24 sections of the San Blas Christmas Bird Count, and birders reach it on the rocky dirt road that climbs into the forest beyond La Palma, sometimes described as the old Camino Real between Mexico City and San Blas; one count team logged 62 species in four hours around La Bajada and the La Palma to Tecuitata road, including Sinaloa Wren and Rusty-crowned Ground-Sparrow. There are no hotels or restaurants aimed at tourists; food and rooms are in Aticama, Matanchén and San Blas, and the nearest beach, El Borrego, is about 18 km away.

    How to get to La Bajada

    Drive from Tepic: 45 min, 51 km

    From San Blas, take the coast road south toward Santa Cruz de Miramar along Matanchén Bay. At Aticama, turn inland to the village of La Palma, about 2 km east, and from there follow the local road about 2.5 km northeast, uphill, to La Bajada. The whole trip is about 19 km and 30 minutes by car.

    Directions to La Bajada on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Best with a guide Tours to La Bajada on Viator With transport and a guide, leaving from nearby towns and cities. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to La Bajada

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to La Bajada: hours, prices and tips

    Best time of day
    Go early in the morning: at the coffee plantations of the San Blas hills, such as nearby Tecuitata, birding is best at first light. 10,000 Birds · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    Birding around San Blas is best from late October to late March, when northern migrants join the resident birds. 10,000 Birds · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    A local birding guide helps; Christmas Bird Count teams work La Bajada with local experts. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide Sonoran Joint Venture · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting La Bajada: what to see and do

    Go birding at dawn in the forest and plantations around the village, part of the San Blas Christmas Bird Count.
    Walk the rocky road that climbs from La Palma into the forested hills.
    Look up at Cerro La Gritona and Cerro La Campanilla, the steep hills around the village.
    Head down to Aticama and Matanchén Bay for oysters and the beach.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in La Bajada

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around La Bajada.

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
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    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from San Blas often include La Bajada; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at TPQ (Tepic): about 1 h 5 min by road to San Blas, then 14 km more to La Bajada, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Tepic (TPQ), about 1 h 5 min by road from San Blas, the base for La Bajada.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    Medical and trip cover for Mexico, by the week or month.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from San Blas: download a map of the way to La Bajada before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    When to go to La Bajada warm

    La Bajada shares the climate of San Blas, 14 km away. The best months to visit are March, April, May, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of San Blas

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: San Blas

    Aerial view of San Blas and its long beach on the Pacific, Nayarit warm
    Nayarit San Blas

    San Blas is the Pueblo Mágico closest to La Bajada, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Closest to La Bajada

    Near La Bajada

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.