The Beach Village of Yelapa is an Easy Trip by Panga Boat From Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Getting Prepared For Your Yelapa Day Trip
Fanny’s Restaurant and Bar is a Favorite Yelapa Beachfront Eatery, Owner Tovar Chavarin “Romeo” Talks about Yelapa History
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Hello fellow travelers, welcome this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel show. I am your host Barry Kessler and I am just so happy to be introducing you to my favorite vacation destination, and maybe even yours, Puerto Vallarta Mexico.
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That music you were just listening to is performed by Alberto Perez, the owner of the La Palapa Group of Restaurants. Those are La Palapa, Puerto Vallarta’s Oldest Restaurant on the famous Los Muertos Beach, and The El Dorado Restaurant and Beach Club right next door so you can enjoy that fantastic view of the Los Muertos Pier all lit up at night in beautiful colors, or during the day in its grand splendor for breakfast, lunch or dinner, seated with your toes in the sand right at the water’s edge. It’s so romantic, it’s so, Puerto Vallarta my friends.
This week we are getting out of town and heading to Yelapa, in Cabo Corrientes, a beach village south of Puerto Vallarta on the Bahia de Banderas. I’ll be telling you how you can get to Yelapa, what to bring along, places to visit and what to expect. And you will listen in on a conversation I had with the owner of Fanny’s Restaurant and Bar right right on the beach, Tovar Chavarin, you can call him Romeo. He will tell you about the town. I hiked through the town and I also stopped in the cute museum they have in Yelapa and visited there but before we get to the adventure, let’s see what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta, the 5th of October, 2020.
Contact Information For Fanny’s Restaurant & Bar Yelapa
Facebook Link to Fanny’s Restaurant in Yelapa
Cruise Ships Will Not Be Returning in November and December
The CDC has put a kabash on the cruise industry setting back arrivals to Puerto Vallarta for at least 2 more months. Last week I reported plans to resume cruise ship travel, with Princess and Norwegian both saying they were going to go for it the middle of November but not so fast says the health agency. Unless you are cruising out of Miami or Port Canaveral, you will not be cruising till next year evidently. And if you are sailing out of Florida, chances are really good you aren’t going to Puerto Vallarta. So, we will be looking for the next set of announcements in a couple of months I guess. And I’ll put off my episode about Puerto Magico with Dean Regehr for awhile.
However I am pleased to report the Magic Market at Puerto Magico is growing and going strong. Every Friday evening from 4 till 9. The Gecko Band will be there this Friday.
New attraction a Cable Car from The Malecon to the Cross
If you have ever hiked up to the cross at the top of the hill overlooking Puerto Vallarta, The Mirador de la Cruz, you will notice, as you get close to the top. And are doing the
Stairmaster thing, what looks like a pully system and tracks. Someone once told me they were planning on doing a cable car ala Disneyland, that would travel from the Malecon,
up to the cross. So it does look like according to the article here they plan to have the cable car begin it’s ascent at the Hotel Rosita, and that will be tied into the new 1
kilometer extension of the Malecon from the Rosita to the Sheraton Hotel that I was talking about last week. The plan is for the cable car to go up over the city beginning at the Rosita, up to the cross, and then across all the way to Ampas. Then back to the
Rosita. The big plans were announced as Mayor Davalos Pena made his last state of the city report last week. Davalos Pena is finishing up his last year of his second term, of mayor of Puerto Vallerta, and was laying out his plans and dreams for the future of Puerto Vallarta. He mentioned the Cable Car project is being built with private funds and not with city dinero. So yahoo, Vallarta is turning into Disneyland! It should be spectacular to take that ride. Wonder if I’ll live long enough to actually see it.
I have a link in the shownotes.
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Vallarta: harán teleférico del Malecón a la montaña y taxis acuáticos a Punta de Mita
Alfaro Threatens Pushing the Red Button
Enrique Alfaro warns ANOTHER QUARANTINE in Jalisco “if measures are not taken care of”
I received a message from Salvador Estrada, the candyman on the Malecon, the marathon man in a wheel chair about Jalisco Govornot Alfaro threatening to push the panic button and shut down the economy for another 14 days if the peoples don’t shape up and stop spreading the rona. Seems hospitalizations and deaths are down, but the case count is increasing. Sound familiar? Here’s the article from Vallarta Opina Online…
Vallarta Reporters Comment Online
Vallarta Port
The governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro Ramírez, warned this Friday that there is still the possibility of pressing the emergency button, which in his own words means “stopping everything in its tracks”, if health protection measures continue to relax.
This after admitting that despite the fact that hospital occupancy is decreasing, the number of infections by COVID-19 is growing in Jalisco, especially among young people “who believe that it will not give them”, and in the context of the reactivation of night life.
“If the numbers continue to rise, we are going to be at risk and in need of applying what we have called the Emergency Button and we are going to have to stop again,” said the governor.
He also criticized that having been on a tour of several municipalities in the interior of the state (among them Puerto Vallarta), he observed a general relaxation of the measures, something that he regretted and urged to reverse.
The “red button” is an emergency protocol that would stop all non-essential activities and public mobility for 14 days, in order to stop the chain of infections. In other words, it would be another confinement.
And I have a link to that article in the shownotes.
Enrique Alfaro advierte OTRA CUARENTENA en Jalisco “si no se cuidan medidas”
and like I said before…he ain’t gonna do it. Wear your mask for sure if you are visiting and set a good example….but Alfaro will not close down tourism again. Trust me.
With that said, if you think Alfaro is a tuff cookie, the governor of Nayarit, Antonio Echevarría García still won’t allow you to sit on the sand at the beach.
Beaches are still Closed in Nayarit
We were talking about Nuevo Vallarta not long ago and what do you know…you still can’t go out on the beach in Bucerias or anywhere in Nayarit. Beach restaurants are open, but not the beaches. So, it’s still a wait and see in Nuevo Vallarta. At least you can still drink, independence celebrations are over…so get drunk and pretend you are at the beach.
With that said, here’s another article from Vallarta Opina Online about the return of Canadian and US Tourism to Mexico and to Puerto Vallarta in particular…
AMERICANS AND CANADIANS ARE COMING TO PUERTO VALLARTA
By vallartaopinaenlinea.com / 2020-10-01
Vallarta Reporters Comment Online
Vallarta Port
Since the reopening of Puerto Vallarta, its public spaces and recreational and entertainment centers, national tourism has not stopped coming to the city, eager to consume good gastronomy and enjoy beaches and parties, or simply relax.
However, the strong market for everyone in the bay is and has always been overseas, which is 99% American and Canadian. These have not yet returned in massive quantities to the port, and their arrival is already highly requested by all who, even before the pandemic, were used to making cash cuts by counting green bills.
The good news is that a winter is predicted with the return of this sector, as conditions are already accommodating to allow it.
First, insurers are already beginning to cover medical expenses in case of contracting COVID-19 abroad for Canadians, which will greatly motivate their return to the Mexican Pacific.
It was the news that Air Canada gave last week, that it would apply medical insurance for up to 200 thousand Canadian dollars at no additional cost to its passengers in case of illness, which caused positive expectations.
And as for the Americans, the Federal Secretary of Tourism, Miguel Torruco, announced today at a press conference from Mexico City that he has negotiated with the US authorities the availability of the necessary conditions for the return of mass tourism to the Mexican destinations in the Caribbean, the Gulf and the Pacific.
In particular, for the cruise industry, a protocol was agreed in conjunction with the Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association for safe travel in health matters, which is already being prepared to be executed.
In addition, the Mexican official revealed that the US health authorities informed Mexico of their intention to lower the health alert on US territory from 4 to 3, which will further motivate its citizens to travel.
In the end, another important factor will be that, according to the most recent market studies on tourism, Canadians and Americans will not be willing to vacation in a very remote destination, to guarantee their safety and return home in case of a contingency. , so they will not buy tickets for a city at a distance greater than 4 hours away.
This time is exactly what any Canadian does on a flight from his country to Puerto Vallarta, while most cities in the United States are less than 3 hours from the coast of Jalisco.
And I have a link to that article in the shownotes.
Ya vienen los estadounidenses y canadienses a Puerto Vallarta
Let’s get to the interviews shall we?
Taking a Daytrip to Yelapa from Puerto Vallarta
Yelapa is located about 15 miles south west of Puerto Vallarta, as the crow flies. Yelapa is a village, and it’s a beach with a river running through it. Like all the little beach
villages along the Bahia de Banderas south of Puerto Vallarta, Yelapa is built around the river that runs through town, and the one that runs through Yelapa is called the El Tuito
River which originates, you guessed it, in El Tuito and it comes rushing through Yelapa down a series of waterfalls during the rainy season. Yelapa means the place of gathering, or where two rivers meet, and the El Tuito River and another tributary cross each other
in Yelapa. Currently there are approximately 1,500 inhabitants living in Yelapa. And people have been living in Yelapa for centuries. We know that because there are some artifacts at the Yelapa Museum, and we will stop by the Yelapa Museum during this episode so stay tuned for that.
The current inhabitants are descendants of about 4 families who made their way down the mountain from the village of Chacala many moons ago. Chacala is just 13 kilometers
above Yelapa and you can get there on a windy dirt road. Today Chacala has a
population of about 1,000, and both the village of Yelapa, and the town of Chacala still tied together closely and are governed by the same government council.
Electricity and phones are a fairly new thing in Yelapa. They arrived in 2001, and as far as a water delivery system, it’s very primitive as impromptu pipes bring water from springs and the rivers to people’s homes. Plus there is no sewer system, so everyone is on septic tanks.
It’s been told that Yelapa and the surrounding area was discovered by a cousin of Hernan Cortez, Francisco Cortez, who came through El Tuito, and was greeted by the natives there who were dressed up in their finest feathered headgear. The
conquistadors were welcomed and encouraged to put down their arms and celebrate in peace and party. I’m guessing drugs and alcohol were involved, a big party ensued and after the fun and games, Cortez and his gang left with huge hangovers from the racilla and bad weed. But yeah, recorded history shows that Frank Cortez left Yelapa without a fuss.
So, you are asking…is it hard to get to Yelapa? What do I need to bring? First of all, leave your army at home. You don’t need to be a conquistador or a famous explorer to get there.
Well, bring a daypack, bring a bathing suit, sunscreen, bug repellant, sunglasses, a hat, pesos, enough pesos for the pangas, food, alcohol, raicilla, weed, pie, souvenirs, and a
horseback ride if you need that kind of thing. So, bring plenty of cash because there’s no ATM machines there. You will need walking shoes or sandals for hiking to waterfalls and around the village. Bring a pair of long pants for horseback riding if that’s your thing.
Water for drinking and a beach towel for sure. If you get seasick you might want to bring along Bonine or Dramamine, make sure you take the medicine an hour before you get
on the panga, not when you get on the boat or when you start to feel sick. By that time, it’s too late. So, take it early if you are sensitive in that way.
You need to be able to get in and out of a panga, stepping in from the water, or stepping off the panga into the shallow water which is why sandals are good to have on the boat. Shoes in your daypack for hiking in.
So how do you get to Yelapa from Puerto Vallarta?
There are several ways. The lazy way it to take a panga from the Los Muertos Pier to Yelapa…colectivo, meaning you are on a large panga with about 45 passengers. The trip will take you approximately 45 minutes and will cost you about 200 pesos or $10. US.
You could also take the bus down to Boca de Tomatlan, a 25 minute ride from the romantic zone…from Constitution and Basilio Badillo, 10 pesos cover, and take a panga collectivo for 100 pesos, from the pier at Boca. That ride will take you about 30 minutes to Yelapa, depending on if they are stopping at any of the other beaches along the way.
You can always take a party boat out of the Puerto Magico for a day trip to Yelapa or even Las Animas. Vallarta Adventures will take you to Las Caletas or Majuhatias. These tours usually include a tiny breakfast, booze, lunch, and a swim and stay at the beach for the afternoon.
That’s what my wife and I did on our first trip to Yelapa back in 1985. We took the Yelapa Princess with a whole group of tourists like us.
The other way is to take a private panga which is what I did. I reserved Mario, Super Mario for the day, and he gave me a great tour, un-rushed, passing all the beaches along the way, stopping and exploring, taking pictures, and I have lots of those pictures in the shownotes at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com. And if you want to hire Super Mario for the day, I have his information in the shownotes as well.
Facebook Link For Mario’s Tours The Best
Mario took me past Playa Colomitos and The Ocean Live Love Grill, Playa Las Animas, Majahuhitas, Las Caletas, Qumixto, and so on. He took me to beautiful coves and beaches. Offered to stop and go ashore wherever I wanted, and this is the beauty of
hiring a private panga. You can take your time and stop where as when you take the collective, it’s quick and dirty. It’s definitely cheaper, but you won’t get the personal service and your very own tour guide when you are at any of those beaches. That’s the beauty of that.
When we arrived in Yelapa, Mario dropped me off, directed me into Fanny’s Restaurant and Bar, where I grabbed a table and waited for Mario to moor his panga out with the
others, then he got a lift to the beach from another panga guy. They all seem to work together. It’s pretty cool.
I asked Mario who I should talk with and he suggested I talk with Tovar. Tovar Chavarin goes by the nickname, Romeo. I didn’t ask…maybe I should have but it certainly was an
opportunity missed. What I didn’t miss was the man behind Fanny’s…wait, that doesn’t sound right. What I didn’t miss was the genuine story of redemption. You will hear about
how Tovar turned his life around, earned the trust of a kind soul and now runs a successful beachfront seafood restaurant…and bar…in the beautiful town of Yelapa. So
let’s go right now to a table, under a palapa, on the beach where Frank Cortez was purported to have laid down his arms and enjoyed a coldie and a spliff with the natives….let’s meet Tovar Chavarin, Romeo at Fanny’s Restaurant and Bar, Yelapa, Cabo Corrientes, Mexico.
Contact Information for Fanny’s Yelapa
Fanny’s Restaurant and Bar, Yelapa Facebook Page Link
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Thank you Romeo. I have pictures in the shownotes.
We walked through the town with Mario leading the way. Hiked to the first waterfall which was a fairly easy hike. It can be done in sandals if you don’t have hiking shoes.
We then visited the local Yelapa Museum which is only a year old. I have photos of the inside of the Museum and pictures of the lovely guide.
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Yelapa Museum
Yelapa Museum Facebook Page Link
Okay, That should do it for this week.
Next week, stay tuned for more on the ground reports from Puerto Vallarta Mexico, with travel tips, great restaurant and excursion ideas and more. Until then, remember,
this is an interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message.
And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through
him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your
making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so
do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come on-board and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about
the tour. Again, contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message. Don’t forget his maps, his DIY tours and his revitalized Happy Hour Board. I have links to all of those in the show notes.
And once again, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. That way we can get the word out to more and
more people about the magic of this place. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Remember I made it easy for you to do just that with each episode I create. But if you haven’t been to my
website, you really need to have a look there. I have the links to the places we talk about, interesting pictures and the more all right there in my blog-posts and show-notes for each episode of the show so check them out for sure if you haven’t already all-right? All right.
Thank you to Tovar Chavarin, Romeo, you are a great host and I love your beach restaurant, Fanny’s. Check out his restaurant and beach club. . The food, the cocktails, the ambiance can’t be beat. Remember I have links and pictures in the shownotes.
And thanks to all of you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos!