Sayulita is a surf town first, but the bay gives you far more than waves. Within half an hour you can dive the Marietas, ride a horse across a river onto the sand, climb the highest hill above the bay or ride a mountain bike through the jungle to the next town.
This guide sorts it all by element, water, land and air, with the season each is best in and who to go with. The last part is the year's calendar: the contests, races and regattas worth timing a trip around, from the longboard contest on Sayulita's own beach to riders dropping down the stairs of old Puerto Vallarta.
Water, land or air: pick your element
Most of what there is to do here falls into three groups, and they suit different days. The sea is best in the morning, before the wind gets up. The trails are best in the dry months from November to May, and before the heat. The zip lines run all year, rain or shine, which makes them the easy answer on a grey day in the wet season.
If you only have a few days, pick one of each: a surf lesson or a dive, a hike or a ride, and an afternoon in the canopy. Everything below can be booked in town, and most outfits will pick you up.
Water
- Surf lessons on the main beach all year
- Stand-up paddle in the cove at Los Muertos
- Snorkelling and diving at the Marietas
- Humpback whales from December to March
- Sport fishing from pangas launched off the beach
Land
- Monkey Mountain, the highest point above the bay
- Jungle singletrack on a mountain bike
- Horseback rides from family ranches
- Birding with a local guide, best October to March
- Pickleball in town, golf 20 minutes away
Air
- A canopy tour of cables and hanging bridges just outside town
- Runs morning, midday and afternoon, all year
- Suits beginners; check the age and weight limits when you book
On the water: surf, paddle, dive and fish
The sandy middle of the main beach is one of the gentlest places in Mexico to stand up on a board for the first time, and the schools along it will have you riding whitewater within the hour. November to May brings smaller, cleaner swells for learning; from June to October the south swells grow and the better surfers head to the points and to breaks like La Lancha, about 25 minutes south. There are no lifeguards, so stay out of the river mouth on big days.
For flat water, carry a paddleboard to Los Muertos early on a still morning. For something deeper, Sayulita's dive shops drive you to Punta de Mita for two-tank dives at the Marietas, and to El Morro further out if you have logged enough dives. In winter, small boats leave straight from the beach to look for humpbacks; the rest of the year, pangas head out for roosterfish and dorado, and in autumn the offshore banks hold marlin, sailfish and tuna.
Lunazul Surf School & Shop
Surf school and shop on Marlín, a minute from the beginner waves.
Marea Surf School
Family-owned school with small groups of up to four per instructor, on the main beach or at La Lancha.
Sayulita Surf Center
Fernando Stalla's school for lessons, surf trips and paddleboard rental.
WildMex Surf School & Adventure Center
Big outfitter with lessons, boards, SUPs, bikes and Marietas trips.
Sayulita Entourage
PADI dive shop running courses and dives at the Marietas, with boats from Punta de Mita.
Oceano Adventure
Small-group scuba and snorkel trips of up to six guests.
La Orca de Sayulita
Biologist-led whale trips of up to eight people, straight from the beach in town.
Fishing Sayulita
Six-hour panga trips for up to four anglers, with an afternoon option.
On land: the mountain, the jungle and the ranches
Monkey Mountain, Cerro del Mono, is the big walk: a steep climb from the village of Higuera Blanca to a rocky top about 320 metres above the sea, with Sayulita, Punta de Mita and the Marietas laid out below. Allow about three hours there and back, carry two or three litres of water, and start at first light in the warmer months. The longer routes from town cross ranch land and are hard to follow, so take a guide for those.
Mountain bikers have a short, flowing run of jungle singletrack north of town toward San Pancho, and dirt roads around Punta Sayulita for easier riding; the trails are at their best from November to June and muddy in the rains. Family ranches just outside town take riders through the jungle, across the river and onto the beach, and the good ones rest their horses through the middle of the day. If you'd rather walk slowly and look, a local birding guide often finds dozens of species in a morning without leaving the area.
From the top of Monkey Mountain the whole bay fits in one look: the town, the point and the islands beyond.
EcoHike Sayulita - Hiking & Biking Tours
Local outfit for guided Monkey Mountain climbs, easier morning walks and bike rides.
Rancho Manuel
A Sayulita family that has run private horseback rides for generations.
Sayulita Bird Watching
Vidal Prado's early-morning birding walks near town, with binoculars supplied.
Natikari - Rancho Verde
A private reserve outside town with biologist-led jungle hikes and birding.
Nawalli (Sayulita) Pickleball Club
Two lit courts on Calle Miramar with drop-in play, leagues and lessons.
In the air: the canopy and the views
The closest canopy tour is about five minutes out of town on the road to Higuera Blanca: thirteen cables and four hanging bridges strung through a patch of jungle, with pick-up from Sayulita. Departures run morning, midday and afternoon all year, so it works on a rainy-season day when the sea is brown and the trails are mud.
It suits first-timers, but there's a weight limit of about 136 kg and it isn't for pregnancy; age rules differ between listings, so ask before you book with children. Adult tickets were about US$105 to 110 in 2025–26. For a free view from on high, the climbs above town to the Nanzal hill and the south point give you the bay at sunset.
- 13
- zip-line cables in the canopy outside town
- 4
- hanging bridges between them
- 136 kg
- about the weight limit
The year in contests and races
Sayulita hosts two contests of its own on the main beach, and the rest of the bay fills the calendar from January to November. Dates move from year to year, so treat the ones below as the latest confirmed and check with the organisers before you book a trip around them.
The Sayulita Longboard Contest is the town's own: three days of stylish longboarding in Open, Junior and Kahuna divisions, an aerial show and a final round of heats after dark under lights, with half the town on the sand. It ran in December in 2024 and 2025 and moved to October in 2026. Down in Puerto Vallarta, the Downhill & Freestyle sends about forty invited mountain bikers down a 900-metre course of stairs, alleys and rooftops from the Cerro de la Cruz lookout to the Malecón, then a best-trick show; it's free to watch, and more than 20,000 people came in May 2026.
- Mar 6–8, 2026Sayulita SUP Open on the main beach: SUP surf heats, technical and long-distance races, and a fun race for everyone.
- Mar 17–21, 2026Banderas Bay Regatta for cruising yachts, held every March since 1994 (2027: from March 17).
- Apr 16–18, 2026Puerto Vallarta Mexico by UTMB, trail races from the Sierra Madre villages down to the bay (2027: March 4–6, provisional).
- Apr 18–19, 2026GranFondo Riviera Nayarit road ride through Punta de Mita, La Cruz and Sayulita, and the Puerto Vallarta marathon the next morning (2027 marathon: April 11).
- May 1–2, 2026Puerto Vallarta Downhill & Freestyle: riders race the stairs and alleys of the old town to the Malecón.
- Oct 16–18, 2026Sayulita Longboard Contest: Open, Junior and Kahuna heats, an aerial show and night heats under lights.
- Oct 29–Nov 1, 2026The Day of the Dead surf tournament on Sayulita's beach, with shortboard, longboard, SUP, bodyboard and adaptive divisions; the PGA Tour's Mexico Open plays at Vidanta the same days.
- Nov 11–14, 2026Puerto Vallarta's international marlin and tuna fishing tournament, 70 years old this year, from Marina Vallarta.
- Nov 15, 2026Puerto Vallarta half marathon and 5K, in its 22nd year.
Before you go: seasons, safety and booking
The dry season, November to May, is the best time for almost everything on land and for calm seas; the wet months from June to October bring bigger surf, green hills, muddy trails and afternoon storms. Whales come from December to March, birds are best from October to March, and turtle hatchlings are released on the beach at sunset through the autumn.
Book through people who know the water and the hills. For the Marietas, use a CONANP-licensed operator; for the mountain and the longer jungle trails, a guide. Ask what's included, whether there's a pick-up, and what happens if the sea or the weather turns. Our guides to a morning on the water and to hikes and jungle walks go into more detail on both.
Questions people ask
What adventure activities are there in Sayulita?
Surfing, stand-up paddle, snorkelling and diving at the Marietas, whale watching in winter, sport fishing, Monkey Mountain and other hikes, mountain biking, horseback riding, birding and a canopy zip-line tour just outside town.
When is the Sayulita Longboard Contest?
The 2026 contest ran on October 16 to 18 on the main beach; the 2024 and 2025 editions were in December. Check the contest's own site for the next dates.
Is there zip-lining near Sayulita?
Yes, about five minutes out of town on the road to Higuera Blanca, with thirteen cables and four hanging bridges and pick-up in town. It runs all year.
When is the best time of year for adventure in Sayulita?
November to May, when the trails are dry and the sea is calmer. Experienced surfers prefer the bigger swells of June to October.
Can you watch the Puerto Vallarta downhill race for free?
Yes. The course runs through the streets of the old town down to the Malecón, and spectators line it; the 2026 race was on May 1 and 2.
Written by sayulita.co from our own research, checked against 36 sources. Nothing here is paid for. Photos: ; ; ; ; . See something out of date? Tell us.