Estado de Colima Travel Forum

We have booked tickets to Puerta Vallarta for a mini vacation at the end of April. Our first week will be spent with family at a resort in Vallarta. We then have one week to travel on our own.

Questions:

1. Is camping a good option for some of the nights on the route from Vallarta to Colima to Guadalajara? Is security a major issue when camping? Can you leave your tent up and unattended for the day or do you need to pack it along with you wherever you go?

2. Recommendations for things to see and budget accomodations along the route? Any transportation do's and don'ts for this circuit? What are the busses like and how long does it take to travel these sections of road? Is a week long enough to enjoy this area? or should we just hang out in Vallarta for two weeks?

3. Has anyone climbed the volcanoes near Colima? Do you need a guide? Will there be snow this time of year at the peaks? Transportation to and/from an issue? Camping in the park? Special considerations for gear or time to allow for climb?

Any information on your experiences in the above areas would be greatly appreciated. Also, any tips on what to see and do in Puerto Vallarta would also be great.

Thanks in advance.

Scott

Hi! Wife & I did this loop from PV last March over 17 days,but stayed in digs ranging about $70usd/night, so have no suggestions to offer on more rustic travelling arrangements. Travel was done in four legs; PV to Manzanillo,
Manzanillo to Colima (a Very intereresting city if you've any interest in
the cultural stuff you can pick up in Museums! - we wish we'd budgeted more time in Colima] Colima to Guadaljara, and Guad to PV. The Premier Class Buses are simply great! You leave the bus relaxed and in shape for exploration. A five hour "premier classe" bus trip is FAR easier on the body than the four hour flight from Seattle to PV, and the fares aren't THAT much more than 2nd class. [Save the 2nd class trips for hops shorter than 2 hours...]
You MIGHT want to consider your first week with family as your "beach" portion of the trip and head for Guad for a more intensive cultural experience, but I've gotta guess that tenting would be out of the question-[would you tent near Seattle as a sidetrip from the beaches?...and remember Guad is a HUGE metropolis...population around 6 million...]
BTW, I see you've pictured yourself with a 12-pound Yelloweye Rockfish...
Are you a Commercial Fisherman? Longliner/Halibut/Sablefish? I used to own a 52foot Freezer Troller/Longliner, but the Federal Regs and restrictions got to be so brain-damaging by the mid-90's, I got out and now run tourist-type excursion vessels [like the dinnerboat "Serape" you'd see in PV most evenings]
and other passenger carrying v/l's.
My "travel Bible" on Mexico is Jophn Fisher's 1000+ page "Mexico, The Rough Guide," ISBN 1-85825-342-6 , lots of great info there! Have great fun researching; it's half the fun...
Specific questions? Fire away!
Brian

Thanks for the info! Unfortunately our plans have changed due to an unexpected hitch in travel arrangements. We are now bound for Mazatlan instead. I am a bit depressed as I have been there before and wanted to see the PV/Guadalajara area. Have you ever been to the Mazatlan area? Any suggestions on things I might not have seen before? Durango or any other side trips?

That yelloweye was caught sportfishing in the area around Port Hardy, BC. I thought it was a trophy at the time but when I moved to Alaska saw photos of much larger yelloweye. Still a great fish to look at (and eat)!

Thanks again,

Scott