Nuevo Nayarit Voyage Tips and guide

Nuevo Nayarit, for a long time named Nuevo Vallarta and colloquially referred to as Nuevo, is a resort community in Nayarit on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, immediately north of Puerto Vallarta. The community is home to luxury villas and canals lined with tropical gardens, along over 18 km (11 mi) of white sandy beach.

The federal government began developing Nuevo Vallarta in the 1980s, across the Ameca River and airport that forms the northern boundary of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco state, an old town that had blossomed into a major beach resort a few decades prior.

In July 2022, the Nayarit state government officially renamed Nuevo Vallarta to Nuevo Nayarit, in order to strengthen the state's identity and downplay its larger neighbor in Jalisco. As of 2026, most signage in the area still refers to Nuevo Vallarta, but more and more branding is switching over.

The climate is as hot as (but a little less wet than) that of Puerto Vallarta due to the formation of mountains that surround the bay. The annual average temperature is 25 °C (77 °F) and in the summer months the high temperatures can reach 32 °C (90 °F).

The Carretera Pacifico (Fed Hwy 200) is the main road between Puerto Vallarta and Tepic. It runs about 3 km (1.9 mi) inland from the beach resort strip.

While Nuevo is right next to Puerto Vallarta geographically, there's a 5 km (3.1 mi) airport in the way that you need to drive around, which creates a chokepoint that can get snarled with traffic. Allow 25-45 minutes to get from the Nuevo Marina area to Centro. Unless you're parking yourself on the beach for your entire trip (a popular option here), it will be easier to explore the many towns to the north than to casually hop into PV.

Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR ^IATA) in Puerto Vallarta is the closest commercial airport. Buses and taxis are available at the airport.

Taxis in Puerto Vallarta and surrounding communities are willing to drive into Nuevo. Make sure you negotiate a price before you leave.

From the airport, purchase a taxi voucher near the exit.

The region is covered by Uber.

• 20.6219-105.22881 AutoTransportes Medina de Puerto Vallarta (ATM), (depot) 1410 Brasil, 5 Diciembre, ☏ +52 322 222-47-32. Goes north to Nuevo Vallarta, RIU/Flamingos, Mezcales, Bucerias, Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Punta de Mita, San Juan, La Penita, Valle de Banderas and anywhere in between. Grey or white buses with red & blue striping and "ATM" painted on the sides.  (updated Feb 2026)

ATM has two routes that serve Nuevo every 20-60 minutes. Look for the route name on the windshield. The fare is M$29 (Jan 2026), drivers can make change.

• Nuevo Vallarta serves the main resorts towards the south, up to Blvd Nuevo Vallarta and Marival.
• Nuevo/RIU drives northbound along Paseo de los Cocoteros all the way down the hotel zone to the Flamingos and RIU resorts at the north end, then completing a loop by going southbound on Hwy 200.

Each route drives along Carretera Tepic-Vallarta (Hwy 200), stopping at:

• 20.63338-105.229612 Las Glorias Bus Stop
• 20.656319-105.2397373 Walmart Bus Stop (near the marina). City buses from central Puerto Vallarta signed with "Walmart" stop here.
• The Airport Pedestrian Bridge.
• The Cerveza Corona Building, near the Central Bus Station.

If you're willing to walk a few kilometers, you can catch other regional buses that run along Hwy 200, with "Mega" or "Bucerias" painted on the front window.

The beach is walkable between Nuevo Vallarta and Bucerias. There is also a bike path from Flamingos/RIU to Bucerias via Av. Lázaro Cárdenas.

The marina development features a 3,000-slip state-of-the-art marina.

20°42′50″N 105°17′31″W

Map of Nuevo Nayarit

Paseo de los Cocoteros is the beach resort strip, running from the marina in the south to the Flamingos and RIU complexes in the north. The street is lined with wide sidewalks and a bike path down the center median.

• 20.74371-105.304161 Flamingos Golf Course. Known as one of the easiest to play in the area  
• Nayar Golf Course, Paseo de las Moras S/N, Fraccionamiento Náutico Turístico, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit. 18-hole par 71 course designed by Jim Lipe 
• Vidanta Vallarta. Fun course with many obstacles is on the spectacular beaches of Vallarta. The Vallarta course offers interesting competitive advantages and challenges to golf lovers for the vast fairways appear to be the easy part but the lakes complicate the game for the most expert golfers. 
• 20.6988-105.282452 El Tigre Golf Club. Long course with many traps and water  

• 20.70276-105.2707163 Aquaventuras Park, Carretera a Tepic Km 155 S/N México 200 lt 140 (First exit of Nuevo Vallarta; look for the water slides from the road), ☏ +52 800 727 5391. Sa Su Tu-Th 10:00-18:00. Discover Sea Life Park.  

• 20.698397-105.2702044 Splash Parque Acuatico Vallarta, Vallarta, Jacarandas. Daily 10:00 - 18:00. Water park with lots of slides and tubes. Has a seal show. Picnic area available and you can bring your own food (but not drinks).  (updated Feb 2025)

In winter, the endangered caguama turtles lay their eggs on the beaches of Nuevo Nayarit. To stop illegal poaching, turtle eggs are taken to a safe place with biologists and environmentalists who can take care of them.

Crocodiles live in the brackish swamps between the hotel zone and the main highway. There are a few sanctuaries where you can get up close in a safe way.

• 20.69416-105.294291 Paradise Plaza Shopping Center, Av. Cocoteros #85 Sur. A shopping mall with most of the city's retail.  (updated Mar 2026)
• 20.69771-105.294982 Riviera Farmers Market (behind the hospital). Tue 09:00-14:00. Weekly market with a large food court and wide range of upscale vendors. Expensive by Mexican standards, but with many goods that can justify a premium price.  (updated Mar 2026)

Generally, the resorts have onsite dining that serve Tex-Mex cuisine, fried shrimp and Italian-ish seafood and pasta. The restaurant scene is not well developed outside of this; foodies will find more variety in Puerto Vallarta.

There are a handful of independent restaurants near Paradise Plaza and along the two main access roads from Hwy 200, Blvd Nayarit and Blvd Nuevo Vallarta.

• 20.71019-105.285171 El Coleguita Mariscos, Blvd. Nuevo Vallarta #62. A seafood place specializing in ceviche and fried snapper, prepared in a more local style than most other nearby restaurants. Every meal starts with a complimentary soup and shot of tequila.  (updated Mar 2026)

• 20.71022-105.289191 Cerveceria Chapultepec, Blvd. Nuevo Vallarta 280. Part of a beer concept chain with a party atmosphere and a variety of beers that includes its own house brand of craft beers  

This is a land of large-scale resorts and all-inclusives. Those looking for something more modest can find short-term rentals in the condominium complexes.

• 20.70727-105.300231 Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, Av. Cocoteros 98 Sur, ☏ +52 322 226-8000.  
• 20.739-105.3192 Riu Palace Pacifico, Av. de los Cocateros (On Flamingo Beach, minutes drive from Riu Vallarta and Riu Jalisco).  
• 20.741-105.3223 Villa La Estancia Nuevo Vallarta, Paseo Cocoteros 750 Sur, Flamingos, ☏ +52 322-226-9700, fax: +52 322-226-6901, [email protected]. Reservations – 01800 725-6277 / 01800–823-4488. Spacious garden surround the pool with its dancing fountains and Jacuzzis. The earthy colored buildings form a U-shape on top of a hill looking out to the Bay of Banderas.  
• 20.741-105.3214 Villa del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort & Spa, Paseo Cocoteros 750 Sur, Flamingos, ☏ +52 322-226-8100, toll-free: +1-877-845-5247 (Reservations US & Canada), fax: +52 322-226-8101, [email protected]. Featuring Vanguard architecture with a fine Mexican touch, distinctive eight-story Spanish Colonial-style buildings are topped with red-tile roofs and blue-tile domes. Bordering a central garden courtyard with freeform pool, the tan buildings form a U-shape looking out to the Bay of Banderas.