Adventure Guide: Mazatlan & Vicinity (Hunter Travel Guides)

217 Pages·2007·6.92 MB·English

by  Vivien Lougheed

dv enture Guide to dv enture Guide to
Mazatlán Puerto Vallarta
& Vicinity & Vicinity
1-58843-591-1 1-58843-594-6
Vivien Lougheed. Each guide is 200 pp, $15.99, color throughout, 5 x 8 paperback, Mar.
Vivien Lougheed wrote our successful Adventure Guide to Belize 5th ed.,
as well as Mexico’s Pacific Coast Adventure Guide.
Mazatlán, on the Central Pacific Coast of Mexico, offers bullfights, cliff-diving, offshore islands with surf-
ing and snorkeling, caves with ancient paintings, carved stones dating from 5,000 years ago and hosts the
world’s largest carnival every year, after Rio and New Orleans. 176 cruise ships visit every year, with 370,000
passengers.
n Shop here for pottery, blown glass, leather goods, jewelry, masks and sculpture.
n San Blas, nearby, is a tiny fishing village, with the most beautiful beach in all of Mexico – 50 miles of surf
and sand.
n Surrounded by rainforests on one side and the ocean on the other, it is home to more bird species than any
area except Panama. The waterfalls are spectacular.
n For surfers, the longest wave in the world is here. It can carry a surfer over a mile before petering out.
Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico’s Southern Pacific Coast, became a world attraction when John Huston
filmed Night of the Iguana here. It was during the filming that Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor fell in
love; they built adjoining houses and lived here for many years. 244 cruise ships visit each year, with 420,000
passengers.
n There are 40 beaches here and innumerable little coves where you can spend the entire day alone.
n Among the attractions are whale-watching, turtle-spotting, birding, snorkeling, canopy tours of the
jungle, where you swing on a cable at treetop height.
n Puerto Vallarta has become an international music scene as well, with many prominent performers such
as Jethro Tull spending time here.
n Guadalajara is nearby, as is Chapala Lake and Los Arcos Underwater National Park.
In both regions, the choices of tropical, palm-lined lagoons and soft sandy beaches seem without end yet are
easily accessible, thanks to Mexico’s Highway 200 on the Pacific coast. Each beach resort town is different in
character and the author explores them all.
Like all Adventure Guides, these books show you how to experience this coast intensely and directly – seeing it
close-up through walks, watersports of all kinds, bike rides, horseback excursions, culinary adventures, lan-
guage courses and interacting with the people. That discovery is the essence of adventure travel.
The places to stay are all reviewed in depth, based on personal visits, from budget spots to lavish resorts, plus
every restaurant and food stand worth mentioning is described. Our author has tried them all!
Competition
n Moon Handbook Pacific Mexico, $21.95, 600 pp.
n Lonely Planet Pacific Mexico, $16.99, 360 pp
We are appealing to the person who wants to get out of the car and walk, or ride a bike, and get to know each
place more intimately than a normal guide would permit. Our author takes you behind the facades to meet the
people and join in local activities – to make your trip unforgettable. We have the only guides on Mazatlán
and Puerto Vallarta specifically. And these are the only all-color guides to the region.
Hunter Publishing, 130 Campus Drive, Edison NJ 08818-7816; 732-225-1900, 800-255-0343; fax
732-417-1744;
dventure Guide
Mazatlan
& Vicinity
dventure Guide
Mazatlan
& Vicinity
Vivien Lougheed
HUNTER
HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC,
130 Campus Drive, Edison, NJ 08818
732-225-1900; 800-255-0343; fax [phone]
www.hunterpublishing.com
Ulysses Travel Publications
4176 Saint-Denis, Montréal, Québec
Canada H2W 2M5
514-843-9882, ext. 2232; fax [phone]
Windsor Books
The Boundary, Wheatley Road, Garsington
Oxford, OX44 9EJ England
01865-361122; fax [phone]
ISBN 10: 1-58843-591-1
ISBN 13: 978-1-58843-591-0
© 2007 Hunter Publishing, Inc.
This and other Hunter travel guides are also
available as e-books in a variety of digital formats
through our online partners, including Netlibrary.com,
Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be re-
produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, pho-
tocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written
permission of the publisher.
This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such
activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author,
affiliated individuals and companies disclaim responsi-
bility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to
anyone through, or by use of, the information in this
book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of in-
formation in this book, but the publisher and author do
not assume, and hereby disclaim, liability for any loss or
damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading infor-
mation or potential travel problems caused by this
guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negli-
gence, accident or any other cause.
Cover photo: Sign, Mazatlan © darrell lecorre/Alamy
Index by: Mary Ellen McGrath
Maps by Kim André, © 2007 Hunter Publishing, Inc.
1 2 3 4
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Photo Credits
We are grateful to the following people and organizations
who provided use of their images.
The author, Vivien Lougheed: Pages 15, 28, 33, 104,
116.
Island Expeditions: 29.
Mexico Tourism Board: 53, 107, 109, 115, 117, 125.
All other image credits as shown.
Contents
INTRODUCTION
History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Government. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Officials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Military Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Police Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Maquiladoras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
People & Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Cultural Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Traditional Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Embroidery & Weavings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Huichol Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Leather Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Pottery, Glass & Ceramics . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Dress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Mariachi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Dance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
The Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Environmental Concerns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Hurricanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Tsunamis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Earthquakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Plant Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Ecological Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Tropical Deciduous Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Pacific Thorn Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Savannah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Mesquite Grassland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Pine-Oak Forests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Cloud Forests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Tropical Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Animal Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
On Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Rodents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Bats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
viii n Contents
Cats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Monkeys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Amphibians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Reptiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Insects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Other Beasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Airborne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
In the Ocean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
National Emblems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
National Flag. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
National Anthem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Coat of Arms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
National Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
National Bird. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Facts at Your Fingertips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
When to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
National & Religious Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Seasonal Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
What to Take . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Required Documents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Traveling with Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Packing List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Health Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Medical Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Common Ailments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Fevers & Worse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Bugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Jellyfish Stings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Treatment Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
IAMAT Clinics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Money Matters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Banking/Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Credit Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Planning Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Hotel Price Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Taxes & Tipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Dangers & Annoyances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Airport Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Common-Sense Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Toilets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Tourist Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Contents n ix
Police & Other Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Telephone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Mail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Mexican Newspapers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Culture Shock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Public Affection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Gay & Lesbian Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Special Needs Travelers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Favorite Dishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Booking a Room. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Getting Here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
By Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Arriving at the Airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Overland by Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Overland by Car or RV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Insurance Companies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
By Sea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Private Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Boat Charters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Getting Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
By Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
By Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
By Car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Toll Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Gas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Police/Tickets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Hitchhiking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Author’s Top Picks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
CENTRAL PACIFIC MEXICO
Mazatlan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Getting Here & Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
By Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
By Bus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
By Ferry/Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
By Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Publications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Sightseeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107