Puerto Vallarta belongs to Jalisco, the cradle state of many of Mexico’s dearest symbols like mariachi, tequila and charros. It’s located in central Mexico and overlooks the Pacific Ocean from Bahia de Banderas, one of the world’s biggest bays that stretches out nearly 40 miles from coast to coast and whose waters are 20 miles deep.

The fact that is hedged by the Sierra Madre and the high eastern mountains protects the city from gusty winds and makes weather conditions semitropical and humid to mild, aloof from the hurricane beltway. This condition helped old Spanish galleons use it as a natural pathway for their northbound trips.

The northernmost and southernmost tips are dominated by Punta Mita and Cabo Corrientes, respectively.The Ameca River splits the Jalisco and Nayarit states right behind the bay, marking a one-hour time difference between them both.