Mismaloya Beach
Best for. Travellers who want a calm, easy cove close to the city with a snorkel trip out to the Los Arcos arches, a plate of seafood under a palapa and a little film history above the sand.
Best spot. An early panga out to the Los Arcos marine park for the clearest snorkeling, then back to the cove for a long seafood lunch at a beachfront palapa restaurant.
Know this. This is a working cove with coarse sand and boat traffic, not a polished resort strand, so come for the snorkeling and the food rather than a manicured beach.
Mismaloya carries a name most beaches would envy. This is the cove where John Huston shot The Night of the Iguana in 1964, the film that helped turn a quiet fishing town into Puerto Vallarta, and the remains of the set still sit on the headland above the sand. That history gives the beach a certain romance, but the honest traveller should arrive knowing what Mismaloya is today, a small working cove south of the city with coarse sand, palapa restaurants and pangas drawn up on the beach, rather than a preserved film location or a manicured resort strand. Taken on those terms, it is one of the more rewarding easy beach days near Vallarta.
The real reason to come lies just offshore. Los Arcos is a protected marine park of rock arches and islets a short way north of the cove, one of the finest snorkeling and diving sites in Banderas Bay, with clear water, fish and the odd ray around the rocks. Local boatmen run pangas out from Mismaloya, and this is the cove's quiet luxury, a beach where you can step off the sand and be snorkeling a marine reserve within minutes. Back on shore, the bay setting keeps the water usually calm and swimmable, and the line of palapa seafood restaurants turns lunch into the other pleasure of the day. The honest caveats are modest. The sand is coarse, boats share the cove, and there is no organised beach club or reliable lifeguard, so this is a place for the snorkeling and the food, not for a polished lounger scene.
Play it as a morning built around the water. Go out early by panga to Los Arcos while the sea is calm and clear for the best snorkeling, come back to the cove for a swim in the sheltered bay, and settle into a long seafood lunch under a palapa as the day trippers arrive. Agree the boat price and return time before you set off, treat any quote as to be confirmed, bring water and sun cover for the open sand, and keep children clear of the panga lane. Used that way, Mismaloya delivers a genuine, easygoing slice of the coast a short drive from the city, history, snorkeling and seafood in one calm cove.
A seafood cove, not a club strip
Mismaloya has palapa restaurants and pangas, not daybeds and bottle service. The serviced beach club scene sits on the city beaches to the north.
If you want loungers, music and food and drink brought to a daybed, that is a different beach. The organised beach club scene in Puerto Vallarta runs along the city beaches and the Zona Romantica strip to the north, where the venues set out beds and tables. Mismaloya answers the opposite brief, a working cove for snorkeling at Los Arcos and a seafood lunch under a palapa. Many visitors pair the two, a snorkel morning here and a club afternoon nearer the city. Our Puerto Vallarta beach clubs guide points you to the venues worth booking when you want service and a scene on the sand.
South along Banderas Bay
Mismaloya lies about 10 to 12 kilometres south of central Puerto Vallarta on the coast road toward Boca de Tomatlan, a 20 to 30 minute drive by taxi or car. The local buses marked Mismaloya run from the city right past the cove, which makes it one of the easier southern beaches to reach without a boat. Follow the road down through the village to the sand at the river mouth, with some parking nearby.
Bring water, sun cover and snorkel gear, and arrange a panga to Los Arcos with the price and return time agreed in advance. Swim in the sheltered bay away from the boat lane, keep children close since there is no reliable lifeguard, and go early for the calmest, clearest water and the best snorkeling before the day trippers and heat arrive. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed.
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Mismaloya is a public seafood cove with no club on the sand, but tell us your dates and party size and we will help arrange a daybed or table at a beach club in Puerto Vallarta. We reply by email.
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Common questions about Mismaloya Beach
Where is Mismaloya Beach and how do you get there?
Mismaloya is a small cove about 10 to 12 kilometres south of central Puerto Vallarta, on the coast road toward Boca de Tomatlan in Banderas Bay. It is a 20 to 30 minute drive by taxi or car, and the local buses marked Mismaloya from the city run right past it, which makes it one of the easier southern beaches to reach without a boat. Follow the road down through the village to the sand at the river mouth.
Is Mismaloya Beach good for swimming?
On a typical day yes, since Mismaloya sits inside sheltered Banderas Bay where the water is usually calmer than the open Pacific coast, which makes it a pleasant cove for a swim. The sand is coarse and can shelve, and boats use the cove, so keep to the swimming areas and away from the panga traffic. There is no reliable lifeguard, so supervise children and treat conditions as typical rather than guaranteed.
Can you snorkel at Los Arcos from Mismaloya?
Yes, and it is the main reason many people come. Los Arcos is a protected marine park of rock arches and islets just offshore to the north of Mismaloya, one of the best snorkeling and diving spots in the bay, with clear water and plenty of fish. Local pangas run out to it from the cove, and you can also join a boat tour. Bring or rent a mask, go on a calm clear morning, and agree the price and time with the boat before you set off.
What is the film history of Mismaloya Beach?
Mismaloya is where the 1964 film The Night of the Iguana was shot, the John Huston production that helped put Puerto Vallarta on the map. Remains of the film set sit on the headland above the cove, and the story of the shoot is part of local lore. It is a nice piece of history to layer onto a beach day, though the beach today is a working cove with palapa restaurants rather than a preserved film location.
When is the best time to visit Mismaloya Beach?
The dry season from November to April brings the calmest, clearest water and the best snorkeling visibility at Los Arcos, with warm settled days. Summer is hotter and wetter with afternoon storms that can cloud the water, and the odd swell arrives late in the year. Mornings are usually calmest and best for the boat out to the arches, before the day trippers and the midday heat build.