Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business San Blas is a small port town on the Pacific coast of Nayarit, once a major base for Spanish ships and now a relaxed stop for beaches, birds and history. It was named a Pueblo Mágico, which recognizes its cultural value.
Fuerte de San Basilio
The ruined church
The old customs house
The pier
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San Blas feels different from the resort towns farther south on the Riviera Nayarit. Its plaza is lively but small, its beaches are long and uncrowded, and its history runs deep.
Biting insects kept mass tourism away, so the town stayed modest. You come here for slow mornings on a boat in a mangrove, surf in a long bay, birds in the wetlands and sunsets over the pier.
The town also works well as a quiet base for exploring the wider Nayarit coast. Surfers, birders and history lovers all find something to do, and the pace of the plaza at dusk, when families gather and vendors set out their crafts, is a pleasure in its own right.
The fort stands on a hilltop above the harbor and was built to defend the port's trade. You can walk through the remains and enjoy views over the water and town.
The hillside fort above San Blas was built to defend the port. Photo: Heterotrofo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
On the hill behind the fort stand the ruins of a church from 1769. The bells of San Blas are said to have inspired a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of his last.
The ruins of the old church stand on the hill behind the fort. Photo: Mechitas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The ruins of a nineteenth-century customs house stand on Calle Benito Juárez, a few blocks from the main plaza. It is a short stop on a walk through the center.
The San Blas pier is a place for boat trips and evening walks. Photo: Esteban Perez Bañuel…, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The renovated pier is a good place to walk in the evening, with benches, trees, vendors and sculptures. It inspired a well-known song by the Mexican band Maná.
La Tovara is a mangrove nature reserve reached by small boat from near San Blas. Photo: WendyAvilesR, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
La Tovara is a mangrove reserve of channels and spring-fed pools, reached by small boat. Tours leave from the Matanchén bridge when enough passengers have gathered.
Matanchén Bay is known for long, gentle surf waves. Photo: House, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
This long bay south of town is known for gentle, long surf. Surfers have called it one of the longest rideable waves in the world, though a storm filled part of the bay with sand and reduced the size of the waves.
Playa Las Islitas has seaside palapa restaurants along the bay. Photo: Esteban Perez Bañuel…, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Las Islitas is a beach with seaside palapa restaurants that serve regional seafood. Plan a long lunch here and stay for the sunset.
The estuaries and palm forests around San Blas draw migratory birds, and the annual Christmas Bird Count regularly records more than two hundred species. Hire a local guide for the best results.
Mexcaltitán is an island village that some historians link to the origin of the Mexica people. Photo: Luis Méndez Covarrubias, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mexcaltitán is an unusual island village in a lagoon, which some historians regard as the original homeland of the Mexica people.
Tepic is the capital of Nayarit and lies inland from San Blas. Photo: Olallo reyes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
The state capital lies about sixty-four kilometers east of San Blas, and buses connect the two. Visit the cathedral, the plaza and the regional museum, where you can learn about the shaft tomb culture of western Mexico.
Fresh seafood rules here. Pescado zarandeado is a grilled fish marinated in lime, soy sauce and chile, often served with onions, tomatoes and tortillas. Camarones a la momia are shrimp wrapped in bacon with cheese, then grilled, and several beach restaurants serve them.
To drink, try tejuino, a cold corn drink sweetened with unrefined sugar and served with lime and salt. Local cooks often use mangrove wood for cooking fires, which gives smoky flavor to grilled food.
Popular dishes to try in San Blas
The right base depends on how you like to spend your days. Centro is the best choice if you want to walk to the plaza, the pier and the restaurants, and it suits first-time visitors and those without a car. Several historic hotels sit around courtyards in the center, and the walk to the beach is short.
Playa Las Islitas suits travelers who want a beach stay with cabins steps from the water and sunset views. It is quieter at night, though you will need transport for dinner in town.
Where to stay in San Blas
The best months run from about January to May, when the dry season brings warm, comfortable weather without much rain. Whale watching tours are offered from San Blas, and the cooler months are the usual time to see whales passing the coast.
Summer and early autumn bring heavy rain and humidity, and storms and mosquitoes are most noticeable from July to October. Surfers visit all year, and the water is warmer from April through October.
San Blas is about 160 kilometers north of Puerto Vallarta and 64 kilometers west of Tepic, and about three hours by road from Guadalajara. The nearest large airports are Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, and Tepic has a small airport.
In town, you can walk to the beaches, restaurants and bars. Local buses run along the southern Nayarit coast, and taxis are easy to find. A rental car helps for reaching Matanchén Bay, Las Islitas and the reserve at your own pace.
Walk to the fort and church ruins in the morning, while the air is still cool, then wander the plaza and the old customs house. Stop for a cold drink in a shaded cafe.
Take an early boat tour through La Tovara and look for birds along the channels.
Go birdwatching with a local guide at dawn, then have a slow breakfast in town. If you have time and a car, continue to Tepic or plan a longer day to Mexcaltitán.
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