So you want to visit the beautiful town of Sayulita? excellent choice. Sayulita quickly became one of the most enjoyable places I visited in Mexico.
But getting there can be tricky as there are many routes and some are definitely better than others.
Sayulita is located in the estate of Nayarit, one of the smallest in the country. So small that it doesn’t even have its own airport. Thankfully, there are a couple of easy options.
How to get to Sayulita for international travelers
If you are coming from the US, Canada, or Europe, the best way to get to Sayulita is to fly first to Puerto Vallarta. PV is another popular beach destination located in the neighboring estate of Jalisco. It is much more touristy and full of resorts than Saluyita but it is also worth a visit if you want to stay for a day or two on your way there.
Many major airports in the US like LAX, JFK, and ORD have direct flights to Puerto Vallarta (PVR).
Puerto Vallarta is only 36 kilometers (22 miles) away from Sayulita. So, from there it is a short ride.
Just a small recommendation though. Even though both Sayulita and PV are very safe for tourists, some roads in Mexico aren’t. Especially at night. So, if you are going to go directly from PV to Sayulita, try to plan your arrival so you can make that trip by day.
How to get to Sayulita from Puerto Vallarta
From Puerto Vallarta, there are two options to get to Sayulita. Taxi or bus.
You can grab a taxi at the airport. It is a small building so you can’t miss them on your way to the exit. The airport’s taxi service is very safe even though the fares are a bit higher. I’d definitely recommend getting one there over trying to grab one outside. If you do decide to stay in PV, ask your hotel to call a taxi service for you.
The cost for a taxi ride from Puerto Vallarta to Sayulita is somewhere between $700 and $800 pesos ($35 to $40 USD).
By the way, make sure to exchange pesos in Puerto Vallarta if you didn’t do it before. Sayulita isn’t as sollar friendly as resort towns in Mexico.
The taxi ride will be between 45 and 60 minutes.
Bus from Puerto Vallarta to Sayulita
Taking a bus is a much more affordable option to get to Sayulita from PV. You just need to find the bus stop which is right outside the airport.
Here’s what you do:
- On your way out of Puerto Vallarta’s airport locate the taxis and walk toward them
- Turn left
- You will see a bridge to cross the road. Cross it.
- Right on the other side of the bridge, you will find a bus stop.
- Just wait there until you see one with a sign that reads Sayulita.
A bus to Sayulita passes every 20 minutes approximately so you will not have to wait for too long.
The cost of the bus at the time of writing this is $50 pesos ($2.50 USD).
The bus will leave you right at the entrance of the town. Sayulita is quite small so you won’t have much trouble getting from there to your destination. Still, ask your hotel or Airbnb host for directions on how to get there from that point.
How to get to Sayulita from Mexico City / Cancun / Southern Mexico
If you are going to Sayulita from the center / southern regions of Mexico (or even from South America), it can be cheaper to get to Guadalajara’s airport (GDL) instead of Puerto Vallarta’s. Flights from Mexico City to Guadalajara are plenty and can sometimes be very affordable.
This option takes considerably more time than flying to Puerto Vallarta (instructions for that above), but if you are on a budget it might be worth exploring.
Guadalajara is in the estate of Jalisco which shares a border with Nayarit. It is approximately 250 kilometers away from Sayulita.
The trickiest part about this route is getting from Guadalajara’s airport to the Vallarta Plus bus station in Zapopan. You can grab a taxi directly from the airport to the station ($600 pesos / $30 USD) or a bus that leaves you at the city’s center and grab an uber or taxi from that point.
It is approximately a one-hour ride, but Guadalajara is a large city with traffic issues so make sure you have some time to spare.
Getting to Sayulita from Guadalajara
Once you are at the Vallarta Plus station, you can purchase your ticket to Sayulita. The cost at the time of writing this is $700 pesos ($35 USD). There are 5-8 daily departures to Sayulita, most of them in the morning. You can reserve a seat and check out the schedules on their website but most of the time you should be able to find an empty seat for the next bus directly at the counter.
The ride from Guadalajara to Sayulita is 4 or 5 hours long. Thankfully, these buses are much more comfortable. Try getting a window seat as some of the views on the way there are nice.
Getting to Sayulita from Mexico City by bus only
Finally, if you are coming from Mexico City there’s a third option which is taking an almost direct bus. This one goes from the bus station Terminal del Norte to Bucerias, which is a town only 15 minutes away from Sayulita. The cost is somewhere around $1,300 pesos ($65 USD) but it is almost 12 hours long. You will lose a whole day doing this and you’ll end up absolutely tired. I honestly wouldn’t recommend it.
Summary
- There are two main routes to get to Sayulita. From Puerto Vallarta or Guadalajara.
- From Puerto Vallarta’s airport, you can grab a taxi or bus and you’ll be in Sayulita in about an hour
- From Guadalajara, you can take a bus at Vallarta Plus Station. It is a 4-5 hour ride. This is usually the more affordable, but longer and more complicated option.
