San Blas is ideal for travelers looking to venture in sparsely explored and enjoy some unspoilt areas still enjoy tranquility and unimaginable natural beauty destination. It is a place whose natural beauty framed a great cultural heritage, result in its history with expeditions of pirates, colonial conquests and victorious encounters for the Independence of Mexico.
As part of its attractions, San Blas features lush tropical jungle, abundant bird population, services and tourist facilities of high standards and panoramic views make it the perfect setting for a dream vacation.The coastline of San Blas features more than 30 km. completely untouched such as the King, El Borrego, Las Islitas, Matanchén, Aticama, Miramar, Los Cocos and Platanitos Santa Cruz beaches.
All services of small palapas where you can sample typical regional dishes: fish tossed, tatemado, shrimp empanadas, sopes oyster, banana bread, all made with fresh produce from the area. Venture to take a ride to the observation Humpback whale in the months of December to March, as many of dolphins, turtles and giant mantarrallas .
MexicGo beach in Nayarit, Mexico by Location: San Blas
San Blas, Mexico
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Must Know
It was an important port in the days of the Spanish trade with the Philippines (until Acapulco took over), wealthy enough to need a fortress to ward off the depredations of English piracy, but though it still boasts an enviable natural harbour and a sizeable deep-sea fishing fleet, almost no physical relic of the town’s glory days remains. Life in San Blas is extremely slow. The positive side of this is an enjoyably laid-back travellers’ scene, with plenty of people who seem to have turned up years ago and never quite summoned the energy to leave.
For such a small town, though, San Blas manages to absorb its many visitors – who come mainly in winter – without feeling overrun, submissive or resentful. During the summer it’s virtually deserted, but in January and February the town is a magnet for bird watchers, and in February the city also hosts its biggest festival in honor of San Blas (St Blaise). Do not come here without insect repellent or you will be eaten alive: legions of ferocious sand flies (jejénes) plague the beaches mornings and late afternoon, and the mosquitoes descend in masse at dusk.
Beyond lying on the pristine beaches to the south of San Blas, bird watching and taking a beguiling jungle-boat trip to La Tovara springs, most visitors seem content simply to relax or amble about town. A more focused hour can be spent at Las Ruinas de la Contaduría, the remains of a late eighteenth-century fort which, with the vaulted remains of a chapel, La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, crown the Cerro de San Basilio near the river, a kilometer along Juárez towards Tepic; the ruins are said to have inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Bells of San Blas, though the poet never came here.
From the top you get sensational views over the town to the ocean, where, according to Huichol legend, the small white island on the horizon is said to represent peyote. San Blas is also an excellent place for both fishing and whale-watching trips, the latter in the winter months. It is inexpensive as far as sport fishing goes, will get you a five- to seven-person boat for the day, allowing you to trawl for yellowfin tuna, barracuda and others.
The lagoons and creeks behind San Blas are almost unbelievably rich in bird life – white herons and egrets are ubiquitous, as are hundreds of other species that no one seems able to name (any bird here is described as a garza – a heron). The best way to catch a glimpse is to get on one of the three-hour boat trips into the jungle, the launch negotiating channels tunnelled through dense mangrove, past sunbaking turtles and flighty herons. The best time to go is at dawn, before other trips have disturbed the animals; you might even glimpse a caiman (alligator) along the way. Most trips head for La Tovara, a cool freshwater spring that fills a beautiful clear pool perfect for swimming and pirouetting off the rope swing – if you’re not put off by the presence of alligators, that is. Eat at the fairly pricey palapa restaurant or bring your own picnic. Trips leave from the river bridge 1km inland from the main plaza along Juárez: get a group together for the best prices.
As well as the fine beaches right in town (Playa El Borrego) and Isla de Rey, just offshore (by boat), there are others some 7km away around the Bahía de Matanchén, a vast, sweeping crescent of a bay entirely surrounded by fine soft sands. At the near end, the tiny community of Matanchén is the launching point for the long stretch of Playa Las Islitas (via dirt road), which has numerous palapa restaurants on the beach that serve up grilled fish and cold beers. At the far end of the bay lies the village Aticama (with more basic shops and places to eat), the Playa Los Cocos, where erosion is steadily eating away at what was once a pristine beach, and the better Playa La Miramar beyond. In between, acres of sand are fragmented only by flocks of pelicans and the occasional crab. There are plenty of spots where you can camp if you have the gear and lots of repellent.
You can walk from San Blas to Matanchén, just about, on the roads through the lagoons – it’s impossible to penetrate along the coast, which would be much shorter. Considering the sweltering temperatures in this area, it’s far easier to make the trip on one of the buses (“El Llano”) that leave several times daily from the bus station; these go along the Bahía de Matanchén, through Matanchén village (where you get off for Las Islitas) Aticama, Los Cocos and on to Santa Cruz. Coming back, just flag down the first bus. You can also take a local taxi (to Los Cocos).
For such a small town, though, San Blas manages to absorb its many visitors – who come mainly in winter – without feeling overrun, submissive or resentful. During the summer it’s virtually deserted, but in January and February the town is a magnet for bird watchers, and in February the city also hosts its biggest festival in honor of San Blas (St Blaise). Do not come here without insect repellent or you will be eaten alive: legions of ferocious sand flies (jejénes) plague the beaches mornings and late afternoon, and the mosquitoes descend in masse at dusk.
Beyond lying on the pristine beaches to the south of San Blas, bird watching and taking a beguiling jungle-boat trip to La Tovara springs, most visitors seem content simply to relax or amble about town. A more focused hour can be spent at Las Ruinas de la Contaduría, the remains of a late eighteenth-century fort which, with the vaulted remains of a chapel, La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, crown the Cerro de San Basilio near the river, a kilometer along Juárez towards Tepic; the ruins are said to have inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Bells of San Blas, though the poet never came here.
From the top you get sensational views over the town to the ocean, where, according to Huichol legend, the small white island on the horizon is said to represent peyote. San Blas is also an excellent place for both fishing and whale-watching trips, the latter in the winter months. It is inexpensive as far as sport fishing goes, will get you a five- to seven-person boat for the day, allowing you to trawl for yellowfin tuna, barracuda and others.
The lagoons and creeks behind San Blas are almost unbelievably rich in bird life – white herons and egrets are ubiquitous, as are hundreds of other species that no one seems able to name (any bird here is described as a garza – a heron). The best way to catch a glimpse is to get on one of the three-hour boat trips into the jungle, the launch negotiating channels tunnelled through dense mangrove, past sunbaking turtles and flighty herons. The best time to go is at dawn, before other trips have disturbed the animals; you might even glimpse a caiman (alligator) along the way. Most trips head for La Tovara, a cool freshwater spring that fills a beautiful clear pool perfect for swimming and pirouetting off the rope swing – if you’re not put off by the presence of alligators, that is. Eat at the fairly pricey palapa restaurant or bring your own picnic. Trips leave from the river bridge 1km inland from the main plaza along Juárez: get a group together for the best prices.
As well as the fine beaches right in town (Playa El Borrego) and Isla de Rey, just offshore (by boat), there are others some 7km away around the Bahía de Matanchén, a vast, sweeping crescent of a bay entirely surrounded by fine soft sands. At the near end, the tiny community of Matanchén is the launching point for the long stretch of Playa Las Islitas (via dirt road), which has numerous palapa restaurants on the beach that serve up grilled fish and cold beers. At the far end of the bay lies the village Aticama (with more basic shops and places to eat), the Playa Los Cocos, where erosion is steadily eating away at what was once a pristine beach, and the better Playa La Miramar beyond. In between, acres of sand are fragmented only by flocks of pelicans and the occasional crab. There are plenty of spots where you can camp if you have the gear and lots of repellent.
You can walk from San Blas to Matanchén, just about, on the roads through the lagoons – it’s impossible to penetrate along the coast, which would be much shorter. Considering the sweltering temperatures in this area, it’s far easier to make the trip on one of the buses (“El Llano”) that leave several times daily from the bus station; these go along the Bahía de Matanchén, through Matanchén village (where you get off for Las Islitas) Aticama, Los Cocos and on to Santa Cruz. Coming back, just flag down the first bus. You can also take a local taxi (to Los Cocos).
Get There
San Blas is located only 70 kilometers northwest of Tepic in the coastal region of the Pacific Ocean, via Highway 15 junction with the road number 54.
By Road:
The bus station Tepic has outputs to different destinations . country 24 hours a day offering different alternatives depending on the destination that travelers want to perform road If you prefer, you can from Mexico City and take the route Mexico - Guadalajara - Puerto Vallarta - Jarretaderas - Bucerías, with a time of travel eight hours and thirty minutes or so.
By air:
Just outside of town just 10 km.away from Tepic Amado Nervo is the airport, which has flights to all the Mexico.
By Road:
The bus station Tepic has outputs to different destinations . country 24 hours a day offering different alternatives depending on the destination that travelers want to perform road If you prefer, you can from Mexico City and take the route Mexico - Guadalajara - Puerto Vallarta - Jarretaderas - Bucerías, with a time of travel eight hours and thirty minutes or so.
By air:
Just outside of town just 10 km.away from Tepic Amado Nervo is the airport, which has flights to all the Mexico.
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