Guests stepping off a water taxi onto the sand at Los Chonchos with their bags

What to bring

Everything you need arrives with you

There is no shop at Los Chonchos, and the nearest pharmacy is in Puerto Vallarta. This is the list guests tell us they wish they had read twice.

If you read nothing else

Six things. The rest of the list is useful; these six are the ones that change your week.

Pesos. More than you think.

There are no ATMs at Los Chonchos or in Chimo, and cards are not accepted anywhere here. Everything — the boat, the restaurants, the two village stores, a cook, a mule — is cash. Draw it in Puerto Vallarta, and draw more than your arithmetic says.

A headlamp or flashlight each

Not one between you. The paths are not lit, and your phone light will not do it on a jungle path at ten at night. Bring spare batteries or a way to charge.

Soft bags, not wheels

A rolling case is useless on a beach landing and worse on a mule. A backpack for what you want with you, and a soft holdall for provisions, is what works.

A dry bag

You step off the boat into ankle-deep water. Phones, cameras, passports and anything else that matters go in something water-tight before the boat leaves Boca.

Insect repellent

There is nowhere here to buy it. Several guests report no mosquitoes at all, and you will still want it for the trail and the evenings.

A sense of adventure

This is not a hotel and it is not a resort. It is an off-grid community on a coast with no road. Guests who arrive expecting that have a wonderful time; guests who do not, do not.

The full list

The whole list, in one place

Not everything on it is essential. But every item here is something a guest has told us they were glad they packed, or sorry they hadn’t.

Money and documents

  • Pesos — more than you think you need, for the boat, food, the stores and anything else
  • Passport and travel documents in a water-tight bag
  • Travel insurance details; there are no clinics or hospitals here

Light and power

  • A headlamp or flashlight for every person
  • Spare batteries, or a power bank
  • Chargers for everything you bring
  • A USB rechargeable fan if you feel the heat — nothing that plugs into the wall and makes heat

Bags and clothing

  • A backpack and a soft holdall; no rolling cases
  • Clothes you do not mind getting wet for the landing
  • Quick-dry clothing — things dry fast here and the sea gets on everything
  • Flip-flops for the beach, strapped sandals for the property
  • Boots and socks for the longer jungle hikes
  • Sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat
  • Bathing suits, more than one

Beach and water

  • Snorkel gear — there is nowhere here to rent or buy it
  • Fishing gear, if you intend to fish
  • Water shoes for the rocks
  • Reef-safe sunblock
  • A reusable water bottle

Food and kitchen

  • Everything you plan to eat, provisioned in Puerto Vallarta
  • A cooler or cooler bags for the hour on the water
  • Butter, cooking oil and seasoning — the three things guests always wish they had brought
  • Ground coffee; every bungalow has a French press
  • Snacks for the days you cannot be bothered to cook

Comfort and entertainment

  • Books — more than you expect to read
  • Binoculars, for the whales and the birds
  • Cards or a game
  • A Bluetooth speaker, if music matters to you
  • Earplugs; the surf is loud at night, and some people love that and some do not
  • A basic first aid kit
  • Toiletries and any medication you take

Leave at home

Four things that will not help you here

Not rules, just what experience says.

  • A hairdryer or electric kettle The solar system will not carry anything that makes heat.
  • A rolling suitcase Beach landing, sand, jungle path, possibly a mule. It will not survive and nor will your temper.
  • Expectations of a shop There is nothing to buy at Los Chonchos. What you did not bring, you do without — or you ask the staff, who may have one to lend.
  • Anything you would hate to get wet Or at least, not without a dry bag around it.

Questions about packing

What is the one thing people most often forget? +

Cash. Then butter and cooking oil. Then a flashlight for every person rather than one for the group. Those three come up again and again in the reviews.

Can I buy anything in Chimo if I forget something? +

Chimo is ten minutes away by boat and has two small stores. The selection is limited but real — vegetables, tortillas, chips, ice, beer, some meat and fresh fish. It will not replace your provisioning and it will not sell you sunblock or a flashlight.

Do I need to bring drinking water? +

No. Every bungalow has a five-gallon bottle of filtered drinking water on a dispenser, and the mountain spring runs to the taps and has been tested clean. The bottle is not swapped for a fresh one between stays, so yours may be part full when you arrive — when it runs out, ask and we will bring another. Bring a reusable bottle to carry it around in.

How much luggage can the boat take? +

More than you would guess — people arrive with a week of provisions for six. Soft bags stow better than hard cases, and if the boat reroutes to Chimo your bags go over the mountain on a mule, which is another argument for soft.

Got your list?

Send us your dates. We reply within two days, and once a booking is settled we tell you how to get here and everything worth knowing before you get on the boat.

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