Mexico, just a few hours south of Phoenix actually took a long time for us to visit. But since we started our visits we have been four times and counting in multiple areas exploring the large and diverse country with cosmopolitan cities, exciting ruins and beautiful wildlife. We have visited Cabo and the surrounding beaches, Cancun and the many Mayan ruins and historical cities around it, the impressive Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta in 2023.
For travel knowing Spanish is a plus but English is widely spoken in most tourist places. Driving is relatively easy even though the traffic can get snarled in the downtown areas of large cities and it is best to avoid tertiary roads as they are not always in great shape.
Map of Travels
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Trips
- Returning home after one last morning at the ranch
Today it is time to leave beautiful Rancho Primavera relatively early and return to Puerto Vallarta and then to Phoenix - El Tuito Lunch Visit
For lunch we drive to El Tuito and spend some time exploring the historic downtown of this scenic town - Looking for Citreoline Trogons at Rancho Primavera
Our only full day at Rancho Primavera is spent searching for rare birds on the Ridge trail in the morning and close to our cabin in the evening - First day on our own at Rancho Primavera
Today we relocate from the glitzy beachside of Puerto Vallarta to the bird rich mountains and Rancho Primavera to spend a couple of nights there - Walk along the beaches of Vallarta
In the afternoon we take our first swim at the hotel beach followed by a long walk to Playa Los Muertes and back - Last festival trip to Rancho Primavera
The highlight of all festival trips this year has to be the trip to Rancho Primavera with many rarities and endemic species - Evening in Puerto Vallarta
A relaxing evening becomes quite tiring as we have to change our car on the other end of Puerto Vallarta after attending the festival lectures - Short stop at the butterfly sanctuary
Last part of the tour is at the Butterfly Sanctuary which is unexpectedly interesting with lots of local butterflies - Laguna El Quelele
On the second day of the festival our tour is taking us to the Laguna El Quelele to see birds and crocodiles - ….ending with a sunset cruise to Yelapa
We finish the day by visiting Los Arcos and Yelapa, enjoying a beautiful sunset and watching whales, macaws and other birds - …and then the Botanical Garden…
Our second stop at the Botanical Garden is longer than we expected but it is worth it due to the many special birds visiting the feeder - Exploring Puerto Vallarta proper
Full day spent exploring Puerto Vallarta’s Malecon and downtown area - First steps in Puerto Vallarta
Arriving in the afternoon in Puerto Vallarta we spend the day near the hotel exploring the beach and eating at a beachside restaurant enjoying the sunset