About Yelapa
Pura Vida is situated on the edge of a small village near Puerto Vallarta called Yelapa that is only reachable by boat. The local community has refused to permit roads into town and are active in preserving their way of life. This has allowed Yelapa to become a unique oasis with pristine beaches, spectacular views, powerful waterfalls, and exciting adventures.
Yelapa is one of the few remaining places on Earth where the original inhabitants still reside on, own, and control their own land. As a comunidad indigena, Yelapa is a land grant or reservation legally set aside and protected for its indigenous people. The land is held collectively by the community.
There are no cars on Yelapa- locals get around by foot, horse, or ATV. It is not an island, but there are no roads leading to this village due to the lush jungle between here and Puerto Vallarta.
Since we are only accessible by boat, it is important to make sure that you arrive into Puerto Vallarta no later than 3pm in order to catch the boat taxi.
There are no ATMs in Yelapa as well, so make sure to take out pesos before you arrive. We do take credit card at Pura Vida, but there is a fee to do so.
Yelapa is home to two powerful waterfalls- a 60 foot tall one right in town, and one with swimming pools a 2 hour hike from Pura Vida. There are also two beautiful beaches- a calm and scenic sandy beach a 5 minute walk from Pura Vida, and the main beach a 25 minute walk away where you can people watch, order a juice, or even go paragliding!
Getting to Pura Vida is an easy, safe and very picturesque journey.
The closest airport to Yelapa is in Puerto Vallarta - only a 3 hour flight from San Francisco or 2 hour from Los Angeles. Puerto Vallarta Airport, 20-25 minute taxi drive from the water taxi port at Playa Muertos which is a 40 minute boat ride to Yelapa.
Somebody from Pura Vida will be meeting you upon your arrival in Yelapa at Playa Isabel- so please update us on your arrival time the day of your departure.
Almost any time is good to enjoy the natural beauty of Yelapa.
The High tourist season is between November – May. It’s a dry season, and the average temperatures vary between 70-85F during a day, at night – 60-65F. Expect moderate temperatures and almost no bugs.
The rainy season is between mid-June – mid-October. The hottest and most humid time is in September. The temperatures are 80-90F during the day and 65-75F at night. There will be more mosquitoes, flies and other insects. Mosquito repellent and a mosquito net are good remedies.
The advantages to coming in the off-season is that Yelapa gets very quiet! There are almost no tourists, it is wonderfully warm and the ocean is calm. The rains come usually every two to three days. They are short (1-2 hours in the late afternoon or at night), with an amazing display of lightnings across the sky, During the day it is usually sunny or partly cloudy between the rains. Expect lush, brilliantly green vegetation in the jungle and beautiful cloud formations in the sky.