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    Palm-thatched palapas on Playa El Anclote in Punta de Mita, Nayarit

    Photo by Wiper México, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    El Anclote beach and the breakwater of the Punta de Mita boat harbor, Playa El Anclote, Nayarit

    Photo by Wiper México, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    The restaurant street behind El Anclote beach, Playa El Anclote, Nayarit

    Photo by Lynx Burgos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Playa El Anclote

    Beach Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit Municipality of Bahía de Banderas Banderas Bay Riviera Nayarit

    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.

    From Puerto Vallarta: 50 min by car (45 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

    See everything nearby ↓

    Plan your visit to Playa El Anclote

    Where to stay near Playa El Anclote

    Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Playa El Anclote.

    Hotels in Playa El Anclote Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to Playa El Anclote

    Day trips and guided outings from Sayulita often include Playa El Anclote; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Playa El Anclote

    • From Puerto Vallarta: about 50 min by road (~45 km)
    • Nearest airport: Puerto Vallarta (PVR), 41 min by car to Sayulita
    Rent a car at PVR Flights to PVR

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    About Playa El Anclote

    El Anclote is the beach of Corral del Risco, the fishing village everyone calls Punta de Mita, near the northern tip of Banderas Bay. It runs along the front of the village, just outside the gated Punta Mita resort complex with its Four Seasons and St. Regis hotels, and it is the main public way onto the peninsula's coast. A short breakwater shelters the village's small boat harbor at one end.

    The water here is a clear blue-green, unlike much of the bay, and in places you can wade out a long way and still stand waist deep. The bottom is mostly sand with some rocky patches and lava rock along the shore, which makes for decent snorkeling. El Anclote is best known for its surf: a long, slow, smooth wave that is one of the best places in the bay to learn longboarding, with rides that some guides say can run a very long way on good days. Surf shops and schools along the beach rent boards and give lessons.

    Behind the sand is a narrow street of palapa restaurants, bars, small hotels and shops; fresh fish and seafood are the thing to order, often with your feet in the sand. It is also where the village fishing cooperative keeps its pangas. Licensed captains take visitors from here to the Islas Marietas, about a 15-minute ride, as well as on fishing trips for marlin, sailfish and dorado and out to the boat-only surf breaks around the point. The cooperative's pangas are rented by the hour.

    How to get to Playa El Anclote

    Drive from Puerto Vallarta: 50 min, 45 km

    El Anclote is about a 40-minute drive from Puerto Vallarta: take Highway 200 north to Bucerías, then the coastal road west through La Cruz de Huanacaxtle to Punta de Mita and turn down to the village beach; there is parking near the sand. Frequent buses to Punta Mita leave from the Walmart stop near the marina in Puerto Vallarta and from the airport pedestrian bridge, and stop in the village.

    Directions to Playa El Anclote on Google Maps

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

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

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    From the nearest cities to Playa El Anclote

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

    Before you go to Playa El Anclote: hours, prices and tips

    Best season
    The most comfortable weather in Punta Mita is generally from late December to the end of March. Wikivoyage · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    Not needed for the beach. For the Marietas, fishing or the outer surf breaks, hire a panga from the fishing cooperative, whose boats are based by the jetties; bookings rotate among the captains. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide Live Punta Mita · checked Oct 2026

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

    Visiting Playa El Anclote: what to see and do

    Take a longboard lesson on El Anclote's long, slow wave, one of the easiest in the bay for beginners.
    Snorkel off the sandy, rock-dotted shallows.
    Eat fresh fish and seafood at the palapa restaurants along the beach.
    Hire a licensed panga from the village cooperative to the Islas Marietas, about 15 minutes away.
    Book a fishing trip for marlin, sailfish or dorado, or a boat ride to the surf breaks around the point.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Playa El Anclote

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Playa El Anclote.

    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
    Vacation rentals on Vrbo Airbnb

    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Sayulita often include Playa El Anclote; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at PVR (Puerto Vallarta): about 41 min by road to Sayulita, then 14 km more to Playa El Anclote, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Puerto Vallarta (PVR), about 41 min by road from Sayulita, the base for Playa El Anclote.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    If you plan on swimming or surfing at Playa El Anclote, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Sayulita: download a map of the way to Playa El Anclote before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    Photos

    When to go to Playa El Anclote warm

    Playa El Anclote shares the climate of Sayulita, 14 km away. The best months to visit are March, April, May, and November.

    Playa El Anclote is best for swimming and time on the water in the warmest months (June, July, and August); in the rainiest ones (July, August, and September) expect storms in the afternoon.

    See the month-by-month climate of Sayulita

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Sayulita

    Palm-shaded street of shops and stalls in the center of Sayulita, Nayarit warm
    Nayarit Sayulita

    Sayulita is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Playa El Anclote, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Closest to Playa El Anclote

    Near Playa El Anclote

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

    Lists with Playa El Anclote

    Beaches in Nayarit · 25 Beaches near Sayulita · 42 Beaches near Puerto Vallarta · 40

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.