Must-see attractions in Central Pacific Coast

For a change of scenery from the beach, head for the tropical highlands of the Sierra Madre mountains and wander the well-curated Jardín Botánico de…

Home to a small fishing community, the picturesque beach of Yelapa hugs an emerald coastline backed by jungle-shrouded mountains. The remote coastal…

Acapulco’s most famous tourist attraction, the cliff divers of La Quebrada have been dazzling audiences since 1934. Every night, a team of seven lithe…

Graced with golden sands and serene aqua-green shallows, Playa Palmares is one sweet strip of coastline. Hugging an undeveloped shore about 6km (4 miles)…

With clear turquoise waters and golden sandy beaches, Playa Maruata is arguably the most beautiful beach in Michoacán. The Nahua fishing village has a bit…

The Fuerte de San Diego is home to this excellent 15-room museum, an enjoyable romp through history of the region, from its settlement by various pre…

Mazatlán's restored old town is a picturesque compendium of noble 19th-century buildings and pretty plazas. It's set back from Playa Olas Altas, a small…

Playa La Boquita is a beach with calm waters at the mouth of a lagoon where fishermen lay out their nets to dry by day, and shove off by night. The beach…

One of Acapulco's best attractions is the least well-known and also the least expected. High above the city, on the La Cuesta hill, it's a ceremonial and…

The best beaches are southeast of town around Bahía de Matanchén, starting with Playa Las Islitas, 7km from San Blas. To get here, take the main road…

Inside an impressive magenta palacio (palace), the regional museum features Huichol and other pre-Hispanic ceramics mostly sourced from burials from…

Surrounded by splendid 19th-century buildings, this gorgeous tree-lined plaza comes alive in the evening, when market stalls pop up, couples stroll hand…

Surrounded by forested mountains, this idyllic lake fills a volcanic crater that's over 100m deep and 2km in diameter. You can walk around the lake and in…

Isolated 'Cat Beach' is named – depending on whose story you believe – either after the whiskered nurse sharks that once inhabited its waters, or for the…

The gorgeous white-sand expanse of Playa La Ropa (Clothes Beach) was named after a Spanish galleon that was wrecked and had its cargo of silks washed…

More than 600 petroglyphs, some believed to be more than 5000 years old, are depicted on volcanic rocks along a sublime stretch of coast, some 60km north…

An estimated 70 per cent of the world’s population of green sea turtles, along with olive ridley and leatherback turtles, lay their eggs on the long flat…

This turtle sanctuary, located 4km east of Cuyutlán, has released more than two million green, black and leatherback turtle hatchlings into the wild here…

Playa Pérula, a sheltered beach at the northern end of the tranquil 11km-long Bahía de Chamela, is great for swimming and extended walks. There are cheap…

North of the Zona Dorada and marinas, 'Witch Beach' was once serene but has seen a flood of high-rise development in recent years. Still, it's one of…