Accessible only via guided tour, this botanic garden is home to a staggering 300 types of butterflies, abundant birdlife and equally abundant insect life (bring repellent). A trail wanders amid the ferns, cacti and bromeliads, and one of the highlights for flower lovers is the orchid garden. Book ahead; the meeting point is Las Lomas, halfway between San Francisco and Lo de Marcos, some 4km north of the former.
Lo de Perla Jardín de Selva
Central Pacific Coast
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.92 MILES
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)…
28.13 MILES
Mismaloya, the location for the 1964 film The Night of the Iguana, is about 12km south of Puerto Vallarta: you can still see the dilapidated Iguana sign…
25.26 MILES
Around 3km south of downtown is the beautiful condo enclave of Playa Conchas Chinas. It's a tiny cove favored by families for the shallow and sheltered…
29.19 MILES
Boca de Tomatlán is a seaside village that’s less commercialized than Puerto Vallarta and a good place to munch ceviche tostadas on the beach. You can get…
17.87 MILES
At this verdant site, reachable via a picturesque, jungly walk, there are numerous well-preserved petroglyphs, some geometrical, some depicting human…
24.32 MILES
On Isla Río Cuale, this museum has a small but very well-presented collection of pre-Hispanic ceramics by the Chupícuaro culture (400 BCE–200 CE), plus…
24.39 MILES
A trip to Vallarta wouldn't be complete without lingering on Isla Río Cuale, a sand island that appeared in the river mouth in the 1920s and was then…
29.36 MILES
Playa de las Ánimas is a long, sandy beach with a small fishing village and some palapa (thatched-roof) restaurants offering fresh seafood. It's also a…
Nearby Central Pacific Coast attractions
5.93 MILES
One popular destination near central Sayulita is Playa Los Muertos, where picnics and bodyboarding top the action. It’s a 15-minute walk south along the…
17.87 MILES
At this verdant site, reachable via a picturesque, jungly walk, there are numerous well-preserved petroglyphs, some geometrical, some depicting human…
3. Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
24.23 MILES
The crown-topped steeple of the Parish Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the town's central cathedral, is a Vallarta icon, and the hand-ringing of the…
24.32 MILES
On Isla Río Cuale, this museum has a small but very well-presented collection of pre-Hispanic ceramics by the Chupícuaro culture (400 BCE–200 CE), plus…
24.39 MILES
A trip to Vallarta wouldn't be complete without lingering on Isla Río Cuale, a sand island that appeared in the river mouth in the 1920s and was then…
24.44 MILES
The handiest beach to the Zona Centro is Playa Olas Altas, just south of the Río Cuale.
24.78 MILES
Despite its name, Playa de los Muertos (Beach of the Dead) is a lively beach which is handy for downtown. At the southern end of the beach, a stretch of…
25.26 MILES
Around 3km south of downtown is the beautiful condo enclave of Playa Conchas Chinas. It's a tiny cove favored by families for the shallow and sheltered…