CRiverCruiser

For small groups I would recommend Vista Paraiso. They are located to the north far away from the Puerto Vallarta crowds that cram the tours especially on cruise ship days. Vista Paraiso offers ATVs, RZRs, horseback riding at an actual working ranch ( full gallop along a secluded beach) and Puerto Vallarta's largest zip line area. About 5.5 hours round trip with pickups 5 minutes away from the terminal. We have gone 8 times with Vista Paraiso and have averaged less than 8 people on the tours. The 2 times during a cruise ship day when we went there were five people on the tours.  Most others tours will be crammed,  busy and rushed. 

Thanks marcia014.  We plan to do Vista Paraiso next week.

I have traveled quite extensively and have been to New York and San Francisco several times.  $80  US taxi ride from the airport to Cabo. Going just a few miles is $15 US. Going into a bar $10 for a simple drink $70 for a meal and I'm not talking watered down drinks and fries at Medano beach. Golf $200 a round.  Average June ocean temperatures according to seatempurature.org,.  Acapulco and Huatulco 29.7 C / 85.5 F. Ixtapa 29.4 C/ 84.9 F,  Cancun 28.4 C/ 83.1 F,. Puerto Vallarta 28.4 C/ 83.1 F,. Cabo San Lucas 23.1 C/ 73.6 F.   In Huatulco I am swimming in the ocean or non heated swimming pool before 8 am in the winter time  just to cool off.  Try that in Cabo San Lucas without a wet suit.

 Glad you had a great time.

 I timed the one and only uphill walk at 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Some of the other zip line areas have multiple up hill hikes of 10 to 20 minutes each and hundreds of steep stairs to climb because you have to hike 100 percent of it.  

 Vista Paraiso is like a walk in the park compared to the others because they easily transport you to the top of the mountain and start right away. 

  Other zip line areas have mentioned 80 plus people on the tour during cruise ship days and the lines backing up 20 minutes.  

 I have done  Vista Paraiso many times and plan to go again this month. 

 Thanks for the information on getting to Collage Disco and the ride there and back.  What time did your cruise ship dock and what was the earliest you could leave?  I'm guessing people who booked  overpriced tours booked through the cruise line get off first?  I can't remember with ours. What was the pick up time  at Collage Disco?  About  what time did you get back?  I see 7:50  and 10:50 pick up times so assuming 10:50 am pick up time.

 I'm thinking it would be nice to get dropped off at Bucerias on the way back and enjoy the late afternoon there at the    beach bars and maybe some shopping.

 Thanks.  

Huatulco is a bit different.  It is paradise. Just grab a taxi and they will take you anywhere. Huatulco has some of the cheapest taxis in Mexico. About 250 pesos an hour for a taxi.  30 pesos by taxi gets you anywhere in town and 75 pesos by taxi will get you to about 20 beaches.  

If it was me I would just take a bus or taxi to Bucerias about 20 minutes away. Lots of toes in the sand beach bars , restaurants and shops to visit. La Cruz is only another 10 minutes up the road. Continue on to Destiladeras beach or Punta de Mita and Higuera Blanca.  Lots of nice  small  town Mexican places to visit. Why waste your time at an all inclusive off a cruise ship.

 I guess to logistically challenging but it there would be nice for cruise ships to dump Cabo San Lucas and add Huatulco. Cabo San Lucas has the coldest ocean and weather and the worst swimmable beaches in Mexico. Cabo San Lucas to me is also one of the most expensive places I have been to in Mexico. Maybe all of North America. There is no value in Cabo San Lucas and being hounded by timeshare sales people and vendors on Medano beach is no fun.

 Huatulco has some great snorkelling from the shore. 100 dive sites in town and one of the cleanest places you will see. Green Globe Certification and the only resort destination in Mexico that has it. Taxis only cost 30 pesos to go anywhere in town and 75 pesos by taxi will get you to about 20 beaches.  

 Huatulco has by far the warmest weather and warmest ocean and great snorkelling from the shore. 

 Come on cruise ships, dump Cabo San Lucas and add Huatulco.

Puerto Vallarta is the place to go zip lining for sure.  Vista Paraiso is by far the largest , all dual lines and they transport you to the top of a mountain. The other zip line areas you hike up a hill not a mountain. A couple take a mule part way. Vista Paraiso has a massive 460 meter vertical drop 2 and a half times that of Canopy River and Los Veranos.  Don't be fooled like I was with misleading zip line totals that count side by side lines or ones like Los Veranos that now list there zip lines in feet and have overnight stretched there zip line totals magically by thousands of feet compared to when they used meters. Best to look at the YouTube videos. Zip line operations can lie about there zip lines in length but they can't lie about duration time in seconds  of their zip lines. Los Veranos for example has 8 zip lines that only last from 5 to 15 seconds each in duration. 15 to 80 meters. Vista  Paraiso's zip lines average 485 meters each and  over 35 seconds in duration. Los Veranos has Zero.  Some zip lines totals in meters that you actually go on, Vista Paraiso 4848, Canopy River 2630, Los Veranos  2500. Speeds in kph, Vista Paraiso 75 kph, Canopy River 55 kph, Los Veranos 48 kph.   Vallarta Outdoor Adventures was ok but they have other things like mules, repelling and water slides. The zip lining portion of Vallarta Outdoor Adventures is quite small at only 1300 meters. They don't let people take videos or use Go Pros because they don't want people to see online  how embarassingly small there zip lines are. Pretty smart. I went  from the cruise ship with Vallarta Outdoor Adventures believing the hype and fancy brochures. Nobody told me they were the most expensive, had the most expensive photos and had by far the smallest and shortest zip lines. My own fault for not doing proper research.  

About 11 zip line areas in Puerto Vallarta.  Vista Paraiso is by far the largest almost twice the size of Canopy River and Los Veranos. Three and a half times the size of Vallarta Outdoor Adventures. 

 Ones like Los Veranos are mostly baby practise zip lines with 8 of their baby practice lines lasting only from 5 to 15 seconds.  Reiviews mention 100 people and the lines  backing up 20 minutes on Cruise ship days.  Vists Paraiso small groups. 

 Vista Paraiso's zip lines average 485 meters each and over 35 seconds in duration. Los Veranos has Zero.   

 Vista Paraiso has 3 superman lines lasting over 50 and 55 seconds. 

 Vista Paraiso transports you to the top of the mountain. No long uphill hikes and no stairs to climb. The others you have to do uphill hikes and climb hundreds of stairs. 

 Vists Paraiso dual lines. Canopy River and Los Veranos single lines.  Vista Paraiso has washrooms at the mid way point. The others you are out of luck.

  Vista Paraiso has by far the best views and  is the only one with zip lining above the ocean.  

 Top three zip lines in meters:

 Vista Paraiso 1000, 880, 800

 Canopy River  650, 420, 294

 Los Veranos  400, 360, 360

 Vallarta Outdoor Adventures  300, 250, 145. 

 Dont be fooled by the hype and  fancy brochures. 

 Good luck and enjoy your long zip lines.