San Blas, Nayarit

November through April is the dry season. The weather is more pleasant and there is less humidity. It is warm, but not too hot. It is normally considered the best season.

In those months the surf is smaller, which is what suits you if you are coming to take your first surf lesson.

July through October is the rainy season. There is more humidity, the heat is stronger, and it is more common for certain spots around San Blas to have good waves.

Each season has its insect: in the dry season there are more no-see-ums (jejenes), and in the rains more mosquitoes.

Not always. The no-see-um is more common during the dry season, from November to May or June, depending on when the rains start.

Its cycle is determined by the phases of the moon. During the new moon and the full moon is when there are the most no-see-ums.

Two things reduce the amount of no-see-ums: wind, and a moon that is neither new nor full.

The best thing to do is to stay away from the estuary and the beach at sunrise and at sunset. Wear clothing that covers the whole body, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and use repellent as well.

The mosquito is more common during the rainy season, which generally runs from July through October.

Its cycle goes with the rainy days. It rains and, about two days later, you notice more mosquitoes.

To protect yourself, wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and stay away from overgrown places and places with a lot of vegetation, like the estuaries and the mangroves, which is where they breed.

There are four main areas: the town, playa El Borrego, Matanchen Bay, and Las Islitas.

A fifth option is to stay out toward Los Cocos or Santa Cruz, although from San Blas that is a 30 to 40 minute drive away.

In all of them you will find small hotels, more traditional hotels, rental houses and Airbnb.

From Tepic, San Blas is less than an hour away. There are shared vans, called combis, that run from downtown Tepic to San Blas, and there are also buses from the Tepic bus station. If you have your own vehicle you take the toll road.

From Puerto Vallarta there are two bus departures a day to San Blas and back. The trip takes approximately three to four hours, depending on traffic and road conditions.

Three days to visit the main attractions: the boat ride to La Tovara, the Spanish fort (La Contaduría), the dock and an afternoon at the beach.

If you also want to learn to surf, you need six days: three to start the camp, a rest day, and two days to finish it.

See the surf lessons →

Crocodiles live in brackish water, where salt water mixes with fresh water. That is why they are found mostly in the estuaries and in the lagoons that form when the tides come up.

They are territorial and they can move from one estuary to another. Sometimes it happens that, on that move, a crocodile comes out onto the beach instead of going into the estuary.