Town Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit Municipality of Bahía de Banderas Banderas Bay Riviera Nayarit
The first town in Nayarit after the Ameca River bridge, an old ejido beside Nuevo Vallarta known for seafood joints and its surf-fishing tournament.
From Puerto Vallarta: 15 min by car (14 km by road) How to get there ↓
Near here
Plan your visit to Las Jarretaderas
Where to stay near Las Jarretaderas
Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Las Jarretaderas.
Tours to Las Jarretaderas
Day trips around Sayulita sometimes stop in Las Jarretaderas; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Tours from Puerto Vallarta
Winner 2026 Downtown Vallarta Food Tour with Vallarta Food Tours
★ 5.0 (3,971) · From US$59
How to get to Las Jarretaderas
- From Puerto Vallarta: about 15 min by road (~14 km)
- Nearest airport: Puerto Vallarta (PVR), 41 min by car to Sayulita
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Tours from Puerto Vallarta, near Las Jarretaderas
Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.
About Las Jarretaderas
Las Jarretaderas is the first town you reach in Nayarit when you cross the Ameca River from Puerto Vallarta on Highway 200: it sits on the north bank of the river, about 16 kilometers and less than 20 minutes from downtown Vallarta. Nuevo Vallarta's resort zone begins about two and a half kilometers to the north, Valle Dorado and Mezcalitos are about the same distance to the west and northwest, and Las Juntas, on the Jalisco side of the river, is a little over three kilometers south. The municipal seat, Valle de Banderas, is about nine kilometers inland.
Jarretaderas is an old ejido, and its land helped make Nuevo Vallarta. In 1970 the federal government set up the Fideicomiso Bahía de Banderas to develop tourism on this coast, and its first holdings, some 5,162 hectares, were expropriated from the ejidos of Jarretaderas, Bucerías, Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Higuera Blanca and Sayulita, among others; the planned resort of Nuevo Vallarta grew on that land. The town has kept growing alongside it: about 5,600 people in 2005, 6,300 in 2010 and 9,462 in the 2020 census, with nearly every home connected to power and water and well over half of adults in work.
It is a working town rather than a resort, and that is its appeal. The streets around Avenida México and Niños Héroes hold family seafood restaurants, some of them long established, and evening cenadurías. The beach and river mouth on its doorstep feature among the municipality's listed attractions, and every May the Jarretaderas surf-fishing tournament, held since the early 2010s, brings families and anglers to the mouth of the Ameca to cast lures from the sand, with support from the Riviera Nayarit tourism board.
How to get to Las Jarretaderas
Drive from Puerto Vallarta: 15 min, 14 km
From downtown Puerto Vallarta take Avenida Francisco Medina Ascencio and Highway 200 north past the airport. Just after the bridge over the Ameca River, take the turn-off into Las Jarretaderas: about 16 km and 18 minutes. The ATM regional buses from Puerto Vallarta to Nuevo Vallarta, Mezcales and Bucerías use this stretch of the highway; in Vallarta they stop at the Walmart stop near Marina Vallarta and by the airport footbridge.
Directions to Las Jarretaderas on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
From the nearest cities to Las Jarretaderas
- Puerto Vallarta · 14 km by road, 15 min
- Tepic · 153 km by road, 2 h 15 min
- Autlán · about 180 km by road, ~2 h 40 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
What to see in Las Jarretaderas 5
Sights with their own page, closest to the centre first.
Landmarks and museums
-
Aquaventuras Park · Landmark · 1 km from the centre
Water park on Highway 200 at the entrance to Nuevo Vallarta, ten minutes from the airport: slides, a lazy river, zip line and a dolphin and sea lion habitat. -
VidantaWorld · Landmark · 1 km from the centre
Vast resort complex at the south end of Nuevo Vallarta: golf, the PGA Tour Mexico Open, Cirque du Soleil's LUDŌ and the new BON theme park. -
Paradise Village Marina · Landmark · 2 km from the centre
A 200-berth marina in a sheltered estuary inside the Paradise Village resort in Nuevo Vallarta, base of the Vallarta Yacht Club. -
Marina Vallarta · Landmark · 4 km from the centre
The yacht harbour and planned district between the airport and the cruise port: a waterside boardwalk, a lighthouse, and the docks where many bay tours start.
Beaches
-
Boca de Tomates · Beach · 2 km from the centre
A beach of seafood ramadas behind Puerto Vallarta's airport, by the Ameca river mouth: come for pescado sarandeado, not a swim, as crocodiles live here.
Map of Las Jarretaderas
Neighbourhoods and villages of Las Jarretaderas
Part of Las Jarretaderas or just outside it, closest first.
-
Nuevo Vallarta · Town · 2 km from the centre
Planned resort town just across the Ameca River from Puerto Vallarta: long beach, big hotels, canals, marinas and golf. Officially Nuevo Nayarit since 2022. -
Mezcalitos · Village · 3 km from the centre
A small community on Boulevard Nuevo Vallarta, between Valle Dorado and Mezcales, a couple of kilometers from the resorts of Nuevo Vallarta. -
Las Juntas · Town · 4 km from the centre
Fast-growing town on Highway 200 near Vallarta's airport and the Ameca bridges, where the mountain road to Mascota and San Sebastián begins.
Day trips and tours from Las Jarretaderas
The closest Pueblos Mágicos and places to visit, with the drive from Las Jarretaderas and tours that leave from it.
Times marked ~ are estimated from the distance. Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Before you go: getting to and around Las Jarretaderas
- The nearest airport is Puerto Vallarta (PVR).
- The best months to go are March, April, May, and November.
- 2 of the places on this page are more than 3 km from the centre: take a taxi, a ride-hailing app or a local bus.
- For day trips a rental car gives the most freedom; the tours above leave from Las Jarretaderas.
Before you go to Las Jarretaderas: hours, prices and tips
- Best season
- The Jarretaderas surf-fishing tournament is held each May at the mouth of the Ameca River. Puerto Vallarta Daily News · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Las Jarretaderas: what to see and do
Eat fresh seafood at one of the family restaurants in town.
Walk down to the mouth of the Ameca River, where Jalisco meets Nayarit.
Try surf fishing from the beach, or come for the May tournament.
Go out for supper at a local cenaduría.
Continue to the beaches and hotel strip of Nuevo Vallarta, a few minutes north.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Las Jarretaderas
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Las Jarretaderas.
Tours & activities
Day trips around Sayulita sometimes stop in Las Jarretaderas; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.
Rental cars
Pick up a car at PVR (Puerto Vallarta): about 41 min by road to Sayulita, then 26 km more to Las Jarretaderas, on your own schedule.
Flights
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puerto Vallarta (PVR), about 41 min by road from Sayulita, the base for Las Jarretaderas.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Sayulita: download a map of the way to Las Jarretaderas before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Photos
When to go to Las Jarretaderas warm
Las Jarretaderas shares the climate of Sayulita, 26 km away. The best months to visit are March, April, May, and November.
See the month-by-month climate of Sayulita
Weather in Las Jarretaderas now and the next 7 days
Live forecast from Open-Meteo. Chance of rain is the day's highest.
The closest Pueblo Mágico: Sayulita
Sayulita is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Las Jarretaderas, with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Mascota · Jalisco · 54 km away
- Talpa de Allende · Jalisco · 58 km away
- San Sebastián del Oeste · Jalisco · 72 km away
- Compostela · Nayarit · 72 km away
Near Las Jarretaderas
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.