Yelapa
ONLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY THERE

Mexico · near Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco · #8 of Mexico's ten by fame

Yelapa

No road. A 30-minute boat, fish tacos, and a return time to remember.

How we rated it: nothing lifts it and nothing sinks it. Photo: Vaquemami · CC BY 4.0

The hang

Yelapa has no road big enough for ordinary vehicles. The only way in is a water taxi, about 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta or from Boca de Tomatlán. The beach is long and the tourists are sparse, in Condé Nast Traveler's words, and a thatched-roof beach bar, Angelina's Gardens Beach Club, serves fish tacos and beer. The water taxis keep set schedules, so confirm your ride back. We measured 519 metres of sand.

The real intel

Best months · warmest sea
September (31.1 °C), then July and August. Coolest: March (22.2 °C). One year of data, 2025.
Best months · emptiest
Most of the time: the tourists are sparse.
Getting there
Water taxi from Puerto Vallarta (Los Muertos pier) or Boca de Tomatlán, about 30 minutes.
The catch nobody tells you
Water taxis keep set schedules. Confirm your return time.

The year at Yelapa

Warmest sea in September. Fewest wet days in February, March and April. Pick your fight.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sea (°C)
23
24.3
22.2
22.7
26.5
29.7
30.9
30.9
31.1
30.9
28.7
26.9
Air (°C)
22.5
23.8
22.9
23.7
26.7
28
28.4
28.5
28.1
28
26.6
25.3
Sun (h/day)
9.5
10.7
11.7
11.9
11.6
9.4
10.8
9.5
9.2
10
10.6
10
Rain (days)
3
0
0
0
3
22
23
20
28
20
1
2

One year of data, 2025, from Open-Meteo at this beach's coordinates. A rain day is 1 mm or more. The red bar is the month to aim for in each row.

The neighbours

4 beaches within 6 km, as the gull flies.

  1. 795 mPlaya Isabel77 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  2. 4.6 kmPlaya Manzanilla175 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  3. 4.8 kmPizota Beach206 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.
  4. 5.8 kmMajahuitas Resort167 m of beach, measured. Not rated yet.

Straight-line distances from the mapped beach shapes (OpenStreetMap). Roads are longer, and in Bali they are much longer.

The crowd

Long beach, sparse tourists.

The facts · we measured

Length
519 m
Mean width
30.9 m
Area
16,044 m²
Warmest sea (2025)
31.1 °C in Sep
Coldest sea (2025)
22.2 °C in Mar
Sea by month, °C
Jan 23.0 · Feb 24.3 · Mar 22.2 · Apr 22.7 · May 26.5 · Jun 29.7 · Jul 30.9 · Aug 30.9 · Sep 31.1 · Oct 30.9 · Nov 28.7 · Dec 26.9

Questions people ask

How do you get to Yelapa?

Only by water taxi from Puerto Vallarta or Boca de Tomatlán, about 30 minutes. There is no road for ordinary vehicles.

Is there food at Yelapa beach?

Yes. A thatched-roof beach bar, Angelina's Gardens Beach Club, serves fish tacos and beer.

Sources

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