I have relocated within Mexico once again. I am exploring an area new to me and am very excited to be doing so. Its been a travel day! PV to Rincon de Guayabitos by car along Highway 200.
The Ride
I was lucky to be given the contact information of a local private driver. His vehicle was impeccably clean, he was so friendly and spoke good English. Along the way, we chatted easily and I learned about different foods to try and places I can visit on my next trip to Mexico.
Omar picked me up promptly from my Airbnb in the 5th of Decembre neighbourhood in PV and we were off. I was prepared for the trip to be between 1.5-2 hours depending on traffic volume and construction.
Leaving the city
Leaving PV was time consuming as always. The roads are congested, especially nearing the airport. Once past the airport the highway is large and with fewer traffic lights. It doesn’t take long once you pass PVR to change states from Jalisco to the state of Nayarit.
Bombing along this stretch, there is a steady stream of civilization on both sides of the highway right through Nuevo Vallarta and past Bucerius.
Bucerius to Sayulita
After Bucerius, the road becomes single lane in each direction and the terrain starts to slowly climb. Not too high, but up into the gentle Sierra Madre mountains. There is not too much to see for this part of the journey. The lush green jungle is quite close to the roadway at most times and there are no houses or buildings.
Somewhere along this stretch is construction which held us up for about 20 minutes. A new highway is being built and it looks like double lanes to Tepic both ways.
Once past the construction you take a steady decline down the other side of the mountain range. Here you will pass the exit to Sayulita and then San Pancho (San Fransisco).
The last part of the ride
Once past the San Pancho exit, the land becomes flatter and the area is full of agricultural plots growing mostly pineapples! There are ranches dotted here and there and the countryside is quiet and charming. Every once in a while you will pass a roadside restaurant and a surprising number of local produce stands and small markets. There are a few small roadside villages along the route as well, offering the drivers a chance to take a break and have a meal.
No sooner have you passed the fields then you have reached the turn off to Los Ayala, Rincon de Guayabitos and La Penita. All three small villages are very close together. The ride took almost exactly two hours. Not too bad at all really.
I am so excited to be in this area. I can’t wait to explore these little towns, getting to know the streets, stores and most of all the people. The beach in this area is supposed to be amazing as well. Not sure I could really ask for anything more!
