Before you arrive
Sayulita,
from the inside.
Ten years of answering the same questions at reception, written down. No affiliate links, no sponsored taquerías.
Sayulita is a fishing village that found a surf break and never quite recovered. It is one long walk end to end, the streets are cobbled and half of them flood in September, and the town runs on papel picado, cold beer and whatever the tide is doing.
It is also more expensive than the rest of Nayarit, which surprises people. That is the single most useful thing to know before you come, and most of what follows is about how to enjoy it anyway.
Getting here
Puerto Vallarta airport is about an hour away. There is a bus for well under five dollars and a taxi for forty times that, and the gap between them is entirely a matter of knowing which door to walk out of.
What it costs
A dorm bed is the cheapest fixed cost of the trip; street tacos are a couple of dollars, and a restaurant dinner rather more than you expect. Budget around $30–40 a day if you cook some of your own meals and do not drink like it is your last night.
When to come
November to April is dry, busy and easiest — and Christmas and Semana Santa are the two weeks the whole of Guadalajara arrives. June to October is hot, green, cheaper, and rains in the afternoon rather than all day.
Where to surf
The main break is at the end of the street. La Lancha, El Anclote and Burros are twenty to thirty minutes away and worth the trip; San Pancho is closer and much less forgiving.
Getting out of town
San Pancho for the afternoon, Punta de Mita for the point breaks, the Marieta Islands by boat if you book it properly, and the jungle path to Playa de los Muertos for the ten minutes it takes.
Practical things
Drink filtered water — refill at the hostel rather than buying bottles. Bring cash; cards work in restaurants and rarely on the street. Mosquitoes arrive with the rain.
Go deeper
The journal
- 5 min read
Sayulita on a budget — a real $30 a day
Sayulita is more expensive than the rest of Nayarit. Here is what things actually cost, and how to have a good week here on around $30 a day without missing anything that matters.
Read more - 4 min read
What to pack for a Sayulita backpacking trip
A short, opinionated packing list for Sayulita — what you actually need, what you can buy here for less, and the four things people always forget.
Read more - 4 min read
The Sayulita nightlife guide
What a night out in Sayulita actually looks like — when things start, where people end up, what it costs, and the week at the hostel that means you never have to start alone.
Read more
Good to know
How many days do you need in Sayulita?
Three to see it, a week to enjoy it, a fortnight if you are learning to surf. Most people here booked fewer nights than they ended up staying.
Is Sayulita safe?
It is a small tourist town and feels like one, day and night. The usual sense applies — watch your things on the beach, walk home with somebody, and treat the sea with more respect than the town.
Do people speak English?
Widely, in anything to do with tourism. Spanish will get you better tacos and better conversations, and nobody will mind you being bad at it.
Can I drink the tap water?
No. There is filtered water at the hostel — bring a bottle and fill it up rather than buying plastic all week.
While you are here
Your Sayulita story
starts here.
Dorm beds and private cabins, breakfast included.