How do you get to Los Chonchos?

The Chonchos Journal · Getting here

How do you get to Los Chonchos?

There is no road. You arrive by boat from Boca de Tomatlán, about an hour along a coastline with nothing built on it, or you walk in from Chimo over the mountain. Here is the whole journey, with the fares.

The short answer

Fly to Puerto Vallarta, sleep there and buy your provisions. In the morning take a taxi thirty minutes south to Boca de Tomatlán, and the 8am water taxi an hour down the coast — 300 pesos a head. There is no dock, so the boat noses into the shallows and you step off into ankle-deep water. Staff meet the boat and handle the bags.

Why there is no road

Los Chonchos sits on the Cabo Corrientes coast south of Puerto Vallarta, inside an ecological preserve. The Sierra Madre comes down to the water here, and no road was ever cut through it. That is not a quirk of the property — it is the reason the beaches are the way they are. No developer, no council and no new hotel can undo it.

It also means the journey is part of the stay. Guests tell us the crossing was half the trip.

Option one: the public water taxi

The water taxi leaves Boca de Tomatlán at 8am, once a day, and takes about an hour. It stops at Yelapa and Pizota on the way, so you see a stretch of coast most visitors never do.

Because it goes once a day, flying in and crossing on the same day rarely works. Most guests spend the night in Puerto Vallarta and use the evening to provision.

  • 300 pesos per person, each way, paid in cash
  • Leaves Boca de Tomatlán at 8am — be there early
  • Boca is about thirty minutes by taxi from downtown Puerto Vallarta
  • Roughly an hour on the water

Option two: a private boat

A private boat can be arranged with notice, from Boca de Tomatlán or from the Puerto Vallarta marina. It is the way to come if you land late, if there are enough of you to share it, or if you simply would rather not keep to someone else’s timetable.

  • 2,500 pesos to Boca de Tomatlán, for up to six people
  • 3,500 pesos to Puerto Vallarta
  • Arranged with notice, not on the day

Option three: the mountain trail from Chimo

You can also reach Chonchos by land, almost. A taxi or Uber from Puerto Vallarta to Chimo takes about three hours, and from Chimo it is a walk over the mountain of roughly fifty minutes — steep in places, and a proper hike. Mules carry the luggage.

It is the slower way in and the more memorable one. It is also the fallback when the sea will not cooperate.

  • About three hours by road from Puerto Vallarta to Chimo
  • About fifty minutes on foot over the mountain
  • 500 pesos for a mule to carry your bags

What a wet landing actually involves

There is no dock and no pier at Los Chonchos, which is a large part of why no day boats stop here. The water taxi noses into the shallows and you step off into ankle-deep water and walk up the beach.

Staff meet every boat. They help people on and off it and they handle the bags, so you are not carrying luggage through the surf. Bring shoes or sandals you do not mind getting wet, and keep phones, cameras and documents in a dry bag.

When the swell is too high to land

Some mornings the surf is too big to put a boat on the sand. The captain makes that call on the day — nobody can forecast it for you in advance.

When it happens, the boat runs to Chimo instead and you come over the mountain on foot. There is no dock or beach landing at Chimo either, so a canoe transfers people and bags to shore.

It works the same way leaving. If the sea is up on your departure morning you walk out to Chimo, and staff walk with you and help with the luggage — though a heavy load may mean hiring a mule. Staff will tell you the night before.

Leave room in your plans in both directions, and especially on the day you fly, so a rough morning does not cost you a flight.

  • 350 pesos per person to Chimo instead of Los Chonchos
  • 50 pesos per person for the canoe transfer to shore
  • About fifty minutes on foot over the mountain from there

What the crossing costs

Public water taxi 300 pesos Per person, same fare either direction
Private boat, Boca 2,500 pesos To or from, up to six people
Private boat, Puerto Vallarta 3,500 pesos To or from, up to six people
Mule 500 pesos Bags over the mountain, either direction
Rerouted to Chimo 350 pesos Per person, arriving or leaving, when the swell is too high
Canoe transfer at Chimo 50 pesos Per person, each way. No dock, no beach landing

We neither operate these services nor set their prices. Every figure is what guests have most recently paid, and all of them can change at any time without notice. Everything is cash, in pesos — there are no ATMs and no card machines anywhere along the route.

Questions people ask

Can I fly in and cross the same day? +

Rarely. The water taxi goes once a day at 8am, so most guests spend the night in Puerto Vallarta and use the evening to buy provisions. If you land early enough and get the shopping done, a private boat — or a taxi or Uber to Chimo and the trail in — can still bring you over the same day.

Is the crossing rough? +

It varies. Mornings are usually calmest, and the captain will not run if it is genuinely unsafe. If you are prone to seasickness, take something before you board.

What happens to my luggage? +

Staff meet the boat and handle the bags at the landing. On the mountain trail, mules carry them for 500 pesos.

What time should I leave on departure day? +

Be on the beach earlier than 9am. The boat runs reliably; it is the timing that varies — if nobody needs dropping off or collecting at Chimo it turns around at Los Chonchos rather than carrying on, so it can leave earlier than you expect. Staff will tell you the night before exactly when to be ready. Build slack into the day you fly, too: if the swell is up you walk out to Chimo instead, which takes longer.

Six bungalows, one coastline.

The rate is the same all year, so booking early costs you nothing and gets you the months everybody wants.

See the bungalows