Why go
Bahía de Banderas is useful as a planning area because its coastal towns offer different ways to spend time across the bay from Puerto Vallarta. La Cruz centers on a fishing harbor and marina; Bucerías and Punta de Mita are separate destinations farther along the Nayarit coast. The municipality's name also belongs to the wider bay, which extends beyond its borders into Jalisco.
What to look for
- La Cruz de Huanacaxtle's fishing harbor and marina.
- The separate Nayarit coastal towns of Bucerías and Punta de Mita.
- A municipal coast on the northern side of Banderas Bay.
Useful to know
- Pick one or two towns for an outing; the municipality has no single entrance or useful central map pin.
- Keep La Cruz and Bucerías together for a more coherent Nayarit coast visit than combining them with central Puerto Vallarta sights.