San Blas is a small, mosquito-haunted Pacific coast town in Nayarit state that offers exactly nothing in the way of resort tourism and everything in the way of authentic coastal Mexico. A colonial-era port that once controlled shipping along the Pacific, it is now a bird-watching destination with decent surf, a mangrove estuary and a literary connection to Longfellow.
In This Article
The Longfellow Connection
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote “The Bells of San Blas” in 1882 about the ruined church on the hill above town. He never visited — he based the poem on traveler accounts. But the ruined Contaduria (customs house) and church on Cerro de San Basilio are still there, and the sunset view from the hilltop over the river and estuary is worth the short climb.
Surfing
Matanchen Bay, south of San Blas, has one of the longest rideable waves in the world when the conditions line up. In the right swell the wave peels for hundreds of meters along the bay. It is not a powerful wave — more of a longboard cruiser — but the ride length is the draw. The season runs roughly June through October. The rest of the year the bay is flat.
Whale Watching
Humpback whales pass along the coast from December through March. Boat tours from San Blas or the nearby Islas Marias area offer whale watching in season. The boats are basic pangas (fishing boats) — no luxury yacht tours here.
The Mosquitoes
I have to mention this because nobody else does honestly enough. San Blas has the worst mosquitoes and jejenes (sand flies) of anywhere I have been in Mexico. Bring strong repellent. The insects are worst at dawn and dusk and during the wet season (June-October). The dry season is more tolerable.
Getting There
San Blas is about 3 hours north of Puerto Vallarta by bus, or 1.5 hours west of Tepic (the Nayarit state capital). Buses run from Tepic bus terminal. There is no direct bus from Guadalajara — you transfer in Tepic.
