The 8 Guided Tours in Puerto Vallarta That Earn Their Price

1.Butterfly Sanctuary & Museum Guided Tour in Puerto Vallarta

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 422 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $28Our pick

Explore Mariposario Jardin Magico with an expert guide such as Fabian, Adrian, Danilo, or Andre. Learn how local butterflies grow, feed, and survive, then help a three-hour-old butterfly take its first flight. The one-hour tour includes the Butterfly Heritage Museum.

“It was a positive experience. The guide was very experienced and it was noticeable that he really loves his job. We learned a lot about butterflies and their life and also took part in the ceremony of releasing young butterflies, which was also a very beautiful and interesting experience. The territory of the institution is very calm and balanced, a great place to relax from the city bustle and learn something new.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.3-Hour Guided Food Tour in Puerto Vallarta

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $59

Walk through Old Town Puerto Vallarta with guides such as Roman or Manny, stopping at local taco stands, restaurants, the Viejo Vallarta market, and a candy shop. Learn how Mexican chiles work, taste four main food stops, and finish with dessert. The tour runs about 2.5 hours for groups of up to 15.

“Manny knew what he was talking about. The tour wasn’t just good food but also a lot of good history about the food and restaurants in the area. Highly recommend doing at the beginning of your trip so you don’t waste your time on mediocre food.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Guided San Sebastian Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 38 reviews · 6 hours · from $88

Travel from Puerto Vallarta to San Sebastian del Oeste with a bilingual guide such as Alfonso or Alejandro. Walk the old mining town, visit a distillery and organic coffee factory, taste local drinks, and enjoy lunch overlooking the Sierra Madre.

“We missed the booking because we were getting Mexican residency on that day. The trip was rescheduled for free after the fact! Alejandro was great. Highly recommended!”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Half day Private tour of Puerto Vallarta with a Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 33 reviews · 5 hours 15 minutes (approx.)

See Puerto Vallarta in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with a local guide such as Cervando or Pepe. Walk the Malecon, visit Zona Romántica and Mismaloya, learn about tequila and raicilla, and shape the day around your interests, food stops, comfort, and pace.

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We had a fantastic half-day tour of Puerto Vallarta with Cervando! He was knowledgeable, friendly, and shared great insights into the island’s history, culture, and hidden gems. Perfect balance of sightseeing and local perspective—highly recommend this tour and Cervando as a guide.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Full-Day Private Tour to San Sebastian del Oeste with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 23 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.)

Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle from Puerto Vallarta to San Sebastian del Oeste with guides such as Cervando or Pepe. See a coffee plantation, colonial town sites, silversmith workshop, parish museum, and raicilla distillery, with tastings, coffee, water, and hotel pickup included.

“Cervando gave me a total historical, cultural and personal experience of San Sebastian. On my next trip to the area, I plan to stay in the area for a few days based on my wonderful experience.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.SINGLETRACK MOUNTAIN BIKE – Guided through the jungle

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · 1 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $115

Choose Punta Sayulita for a beginner-friendly ride or Malpaso for intermediate and advanced singletrack. Your private English-speaking guide supplies the bike, helmet, gloves, and water, with Playa Los Muertos and Sayulita’s cemetery adding a cultural stop.

“We booked a “jungle” MTB ride with wild mex in salulyito DISASTER - will never go back to this operator ever Too many problems to get into - simply stated do not go to this operator for anything - they don’t give a toss about customer - safety or experience quality - ignoring equipment nightmares (flat tires on other people’s bikes and a broken chain on my 120 lbs wife’s bike - she couldn’t break a chain with a hack for goodness sakes! You have been warned”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Whale Watching with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 18 reviews · 3 hours · from $45

Join a three-hour boat trip in La Ventana to seek humpback whales and their calves. Captains provide the boat and safety gear, while the route includes views of the bay. English and Spanish are listed, but recent departures have often operated mainly in Spanish.

“Pros - always nice to be on the water - saw some whales! - beautiful weather! Cons - advertised as a 3 hour tour. We left dock at 10:25 (for a 10am departure) and returned at noon. 1 hour 35minute trip - advertised guide/captain would share info on whales. Nothing - no safety instructions - Spanish only - small boat, think Yelapa watertaxi Don’t get me wrong, totally enjoyed the trip but description is false.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Guided tour of Vallarta in one day

★★★★★★★★★★3.1 · 5 reviews · 6 hours · from $12Best value

See Puerto Vallarta’s Malecon, church, markets, silver workshop, Los Arcos viewpoint, tequila factory, and El Eden waterfall in six hours. English- and Spanish-speaking guides lead the tour, with hotel pickup in the coastal area. Bring cash and a towel if you plan to swim.

“a la mera hora avisaron que no podrían pasar por mí al hotel donde me hospedaba (siendo qué estaba incluido dicho servicio) llegamos a las oficinas principales de la agencia qué nos iba a hacer el tour y estuvimos esperando al rededor de una hora o más. El tour parece más bien una serie de convenios con diferentes locales para que uno vaya a comprar productos. Siento se puede mejorar buscando más opciones no sólo los locales qué te ofrecen descuento sólo por ser parte del tour. De igual forma los tiempos se sienten muy justos, mi hermana hizo la tirolesa en el Edén y no pudo comer sus alimentos…”

Check availability →Read our full review