Luxury Yachts in Puerto Vallarta

Private yacht charters on Banderas Bay. Los Arcos, Yelapa and the Marietas, humpbacks from December to March, and boats for 12 to 50 guests. Book direct.

Banderas Bay is one of the largest bays in the Americas, and that scale is what makes Puerto Vallarta a charter destination rather than a town with boats in it. Inside a single day you can be snorkelling the granite arches at Los Arcos, anchored off a village with no road to it, and watching humpbacks breach in open water, without ever crossing the same stretch twice. The water is warm, which is not true of most of the Pacific coast, and the bay is sheltered enough that a twelve-guest cruiser has a comfortable day when the open ocean would not. Our fleet here runs from a 47ft sailing catamaran up to a 122ft Hatteras, and one boat takes fifty guests, which is the largest capacity we list anywhere.

Los Arcos

The granite sea arches at the bay’s southern edge, a protected marine park twenty minutes out. Snorkelling here is the single most reliable thing on the water in Vallarta, shallow, clear, and full of fish. Go early, before the tour boats.

Yelapa and Quimixto

Villages on the southern shore reachable only by boat, which is exactly the point. Yelapa has a waterfall walk and beach palapas; Quimixto is quieter still. A lunch stop here is what separates a charter day from a harbour cruise.

The Marietas Islands

An hour across the bay at the northern side. The hidden beach inside a collapsed crater is the famous image and access is capped and permit-controlled, so it needs arranging ahead rather than deciding on the morning. The snorkelling around the outside is excellent regardless.

Marina Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta

The two berth areas. Marina Vallarta is closer to the old town and the airport; Nuevo Vallarta sits north across the river with the newer resorts. Which one you leave from changes your morning more than your day.

What Puerto Vallarta Is Known For

Humpback whales in the bay from roughly December to March, close enough that boats must keep their distance. Snorkelling the granite arches at Los Arcos marine park, twenty minutes from the berth. Lunch at Yelapa, a village with no road to it. The Marietas Islands and the hidden beach, permit-controlled and worth arranging ahead. A fleet that scales to 50 guests, the largest single-boat capacity we list anywhere. Warm Pacific water, which most of this coastline does not offer.

Best Time to Visit Puerto Vallarta

December through April is the dry season and the peak: warm, clear, and the window when humpbacks are in the bay to calve, roughly December to March. That is the single best reason to come, and it books earliest. May and November are shoulder months with good water and softer rates. June through October is the rainy season and the hurricane window; mornings are often fine and the storms arrive late in the day, so charters still run, but the forecast governs and September is the month most likely to lose a day.

Getting There

Puerto Vallarta International (PVR) sits between the two marina areas and is usually 10 to 25 minutes from the berth, which makes same-day arrival and departure realistic in a way most charter destinations do not. Direct flights run from most of the western United States and Canada. Confirm which marina you are leaving from before you book transport: Marina Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta are on opposite sides of the river and a wrong assumption costs 30 minutes in traffic.

When can we actually see whales?

Humpbacks are in Banderas Bay roughly December to March, with January and February the most reliable. They come to calve, so sightings are of mothers and young, often close in. Boats are required to keep their distance and the crews hold to it; a captain who promises a close approach is telling you something about how they operate.

Is the water warm?

Yes, and that is unusual for the Mexican Pacific. The bay runs comfortably swimmable most of the year and genuinely warm from summer into autumn. Compare that with Cabo, where the Pacific side is noticeably colder.

Los Arcos or the Marietas?

Los Arcos if you have a half day: twenty minutes out, protected, shallow, reliably clear. The Marietas if you have a full day and have arranged the permit ahead, because access to the hidden beach is capped and cannot be decided on the morning. Doing both well in one day is a stretch.

How big a group can you take?

Up to 50 on one boat, which is the largest single-vessel capacity in our catalog. The fleet also covers 12, 16, 22 and 25, so a group does not have to split or oversize. Tell us the real headcount including children, because day capacity and overnight capacity are different certificates.

What happens in the rainy season?

June through October, storms usually build late in the day, so morning charters run normally most of the time. Rates are materially lower. The trade is that September carries the highest chance of losing a day outright, and that call belongs to the captain rather than the calendar.

Can we get to the boat the same day we land?

Usually yes. PVR is 10 to 25 minutes from either marina area, which is unusually close. Just confirm which marina, because Marina Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta sit on opposite sides of the river.