When you’re staying in Mexico’s Nayarit state, you may feel enchanted by the gorgeous jungles, mountains and beaches, but if you can tear yourself away from your stunning luxury villa for a few day trips, you will find it more than worth your while to check out the unparalleled Nayarit eco-sanctuary tours. The nature tours and ecotourism in the region is positively stunning and exceptionally varied.
Nayarit Eco-Sanctuary Tours Abound!
Whether you’re in the mood for watching hatching sea turtles, visiting wildlife sanctuaries, heading out on bird watching tours, touring biosphere reserves or going out on the water for whale watching cruises, you won’t be disappointed.
A Wide Variety of Nayarit Eco-Sanctuary Tour Choices
Consider a few of the following options as gorgeous Nayarit eco-sanctuary tours for your day trips while staying at Villa Estrella.
Sierra de Vallejo State Biosphere Reserve
Located across 154 acres in the state, it is located about 1 hour and a half to 2 hours and 50 minutes from Villa Estrella, depending on the type of tour you want to take. Keep your eyes open for pelicans, herons, seagulls and ducks in the bird habitat where the Pacific Ocean’s salty water and the Ameca River’s fresh water come together near Nuevo Vallarta.
There are several options from which to choose, including mangrove swamp eco-cruises or eco-tour boat cruises along the local canals. The biosphere itself protects forests beneath the San Juan and Sangaguey volcano. Inland, you could be lucky enough to see parrots, wild boars or even jaguars and crocodiles throughout the jungles and National Marshes which boast 20 percent of the country’s mangroves.
La Tovara National Park Bird Sanctuary
Located just to the northwest of San Blas, just a fifty minute drive from Villa Estrella, this national mangrove forest offers bird watching cruises with guides who will show you the difference between white herons and boat billed herons, as well as the great blue heron, black-bellied tree ducks, roseate spoonbill, the Mexican wood nymph and the bumblebee hummingbird, as well as a number of other species native to the area, of which there are over 250. That said, this ecosystem is also home to crocodiles and swamp turtles, so you won’t just be observing your feathered friends along the way.
Marietas Islands Whale Watching Tours
About 2 hours from Villa Estrella, you’ll find Punta de Mita and the Marietas Islands offshore. If you’re visiting in the area in December to March, you’re likely to see one of up to 600 humpbacks that come to the region during their annual migration. Here, they give birth to their calves before they will eventually make their way back to the waters ranging from Hawaii to Alaska. That said, wild dolphins stay in the area year round and will mesmerize you with their antics.
Sea Turtle Conservation
This ecotourism attraction is located in several locations depending on the time of the turtle’s life. The Riviera Nayarit region is home to four types of sea turtles that create their nests and lay their eggs along the beaches. These include the leatherback, the Olive Ridley, the hawksbill and green turtles.
The Punta Custodio sea turtle sanctuary is a stone’s throw from Villa Estrada and protects around 3,000 nests each year through the hard work of volunteers from around the globe. Around an hour and fifty minutes from Villa Estrella you can find the Grupo Ecologico’s marine turtle nursery in Costa Verde. If you’re there during the summer through fall turtle nesting season, you may even be able to take part in the sea turtle hatchling release after sunset. After the hatchlings have been released, the Costa Azul Hotel in the same area offers an educational photo show about the turtles that were just assisted.
Getting to Nayarit Eco-Sanctuary Tours from Villa Estrella is Easy
Throughout your stay at Villa Estrella, you can either head out on Nayarit eco-sanctuary tours in your own car or you can simply head to the gate house to have a driver arranged to take you for a reasonable fee. This allows you to sit back and enjoy the scenery as you’re driven from one part of your day trip to the next. If you’d like, your driver can also play the role of tour guide, sharing a wealth of fascinating information on your way to your destination.
