Altavista, Nayarit: What It's Like and What to Do

Altavista is a small village in the hills of Nayarit, a short drive inland from the coast between Chacala and La Peñita. It shows up in search results next to beach towns, so let's clear this up first: there is no beach in Altavista. What there is: one of the most important ancient rock art sites in western Mexico, real village life, and six beaches within about half an hour. We live here, so this is the honest version.

Should You Visit or Stay in Altavista, Nayarit?

What the village is like

Expect roosters before your alarm, church bells across the valley, and neighbors who wave whether they know you or not. When there's a fiesta, the whole village hears the music, and that's not a complaint: celebrations here are culture, not noise. Between them, the soundtrack is birds, breeze through banana trees, and not much else. Nothing here has rearranged itself for tourism, which is exactly the appeal.

Food in Altavista

Altavista has no restaurants, and you'll still eat well. At the local abarrotes (corner stores) you'll find basic groceries, some fresh vegetables, drinks, fresh tortillas, and local pastries like conchas and picones, both worth trying.

• Monday to Saturday: the bread guy comes through with music announcing he has pan. The bolillo is delicious.
• Saturdays: the abarrotes next to the cancha (basketball court) sells hot dogs and burgers.
• Daily: fresh tortillas at the tortillería.
• Some nights: someone's selling food in the plaza, though it's never guaranteed.
• Taxi delivery: pay the local taxi to bring back pollo asado with all the fixings from Las Varas, or even fresh ceviche.

For everything else, real grocery runs happen in Las Varas or La Peñita, and most guests cook.

The Altavista petroglyphs and La Pila del Rey

Altavista's claim to fame is just up the road: dozens of ancient carvings along a jungle creek, ending at the natural pools of La Pila del Rey. It's still a living sacred site where the Wixárika (Huichol) people leave offerings, so go respectfully: stay on the trail, don't touch the carvings, and leave the offerings alone. It's one of the most quietly powerful things you can do on this coast, and most visitors to the area never hear about it.

The annual festival

Starting in late April, the village festival runs for ten days, and it is the best show of the year. Each neighborhood parades with biblical scenes, traditional music, dance, and costumes. There's a bull riding event about a 20-minute walk from Cerrito Encantado, and daily fireworks at 6am, noon, and 7pm. On the final night, a man dressed as a bull covered in fireworks runs through the plaza, and the dancing after is open to everyone and lasts all night. If you're in the village during the festival, you're part of it; plan on joy, not sleep-ins.

Beaches near Altavista

You're in the hills, but the coast is close, and this is the part that surprises people: from Altavista you can reach a different beach every day of the week.

• Chacala, 25 to 30 minutes: a jungle cove with palapa restaurants on the sand.
• La Peñita, about 20 minutes: the working town with the coast's best tianguis.
• Rincón de Guayabitos, about 25 minutes: the classic swimmable family bay.
• Los Ayala, about 30 minutes: Guayabitos' calm water with half the people.
• Monteón: wide, wild, and usually empty.

Hot springs, waterfalls, and hikes

The hills themselves are the other attraction. Local guides can take you on trails through the jungle with views over the countryside and plenty of birds along the way. For a soak, the Aguas Termales Nuevo Ixtlán hot springs are nearby, with warm mineral-rich water. And Cascada El Salto, a waterfall reached by trail, has cool water for swimming when you've had enough beach for one week. Time it right: the falls run strongest during and just after green season (roughly July through November) and can slow to a trickle or run dry in the winter dry months. You can also walk around the hill of Altavista, but we recommend that you take a guide who knows how to wield a machete.

Getting there and getting around

Altavista sits in the hills off Highway 200, about an hour and a half north of Puerto Vallarta. A car makes the coast easiest to roam, and you don't need one to enjoy a stay: local taxis run guests to the beaches and bring back food and errands from Las Varas, and Altavista has its own colectivo. Monday to Friday it heads to La Peñita at 7am (it's the high school run) and comes back around 2:30pm; if you want the afternoon pickup, let the driver know ahead of time, and we're happy to coordinate it for you if you don't speak Spanish. Monday to Saturday it goes to Las Varas at 8am and picks up in Las Varas at 12:30pm, and some days there's a second 10am run to Las Varas, though that one's never guaranteed. If you miss it, you miss it; that's village time. Plenty of our guests without cars get everywhere they want to go. High season is November through April: dry, sunny, and whale season down in the bay. Green season (summer) is hotter, lusher, with afternoon rain and the jungle at full volume.

Where to stay

Altavista has no hotels; the only accommodation in the village is ours. Cerrito Encantado sits on a hill just below the main road: two casitas and private rooms, a salt water pool with valley and ocean views, an outdoor kitchen with a brick oven, Starlink wifi, and friendly dogs who will greet you like family. The grounds are full of fruit trees, star fruit, soursop, avocados, mangos, and bananas in season, and we love sharing whatever is ripe with our guests. Getting here is part of the privacy: guests with 4x4/AWD high-clearance vehicles drive right in, and everyone else parks at the entrance up top and walks down for about a minute. By the time you reach the pool, the road is a memory and the birds have taken over.

Frequently asked questions

Is Altavista, Nayarit worth visiting?

Yes, for the petroglyphs alone. If you're staying anywhere between Chacala and Guayabitos, the carvings and the La Pila del Rey pools are one of the best half-day trips on this stretch of coast.

Does Altavista have a beach?

No. Altavista is in the hills with an amazing view of the ocean. The closest beaches are La Peñita at about 20 minutes and Chacala at 25 to 30, with Guayabitos, Los Ayala, and Monteón all within about half an hour.

Does Altavista have restaurants?

No restaurants, but you won't go hungry: abarrotes with fresh basics, a daily tortillería, the bread guy Monday to Saturday, Saturday hot dogs at the cancha, and taxi delivery of pollo asado or ceviche from Las Varas. Most guests cook.

How far is Altavista from Puerto Vallarta?

Roughly an hour and a half by car up Highway 200, depending on traffic through the coastal towns.

Can you stay overnight in Altavista?

Yes. There are no hotels; Cerrito Encantado is the accommodation in the village, and winter dates go early.

Altavista has no hotels. Our casitas are the village's only stay: salt water pool, Starlink wifi, and six beaches within half an hour. Book direct.

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Keep reading

• Playa Chacala, Nayarit Travel Guide: Things to Do and Tips
• Rincón de Guayabitos: Mexico's Favorite Family Beach Town
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