Banderas Bay hides its best parts behind water. There is no road to Colomitos, none to Majahuitas, none to Yelapa. You can buy a seat on a boat with a hundred strangers, or you can rent the whole boat for a few hours and go where you feel like going. This guide is about the second option — private boat charters in Nuevo Vallarta — and about the operator we send readers to, Ol’ Salty’s Ranch, whose three boats leave from Marina Nuevo Vallarta and are booked by the hour.
Below: how hourly chartering works, the three boats and what each one is good for, real rates in pesos, the twelve destinations the boats reach, the seasons, and the questions travellers actually ask us before they book.
Why Nuevo Vallarta Is the Smartest Place to Leave From
Most visitors assume the boats leave from Puerto Vallarta, and many do — from Marina Vallarta, from Los Muertos pier, from Boca de Tomatlán. But Marina Nuevo Vallarta sits at the north end of the bay, about fifteen minutes from the Puerto Vallarta airport, ten minutes from Bucerías and inside the hotel and condo corridor where a large share of visitors actually sleep.
That position does two useful things. It puts you closest to the north-shore runs — Punta Mita, La Lancha, the points around Sayulita — where the water is calmest early in the day. And it means the drive to the dock is measured in minutes rather than in an hour of coast highway, which matters when the departure is at seven in the morning.
It is also a real working marina rather than a beach launch: fuel, docks, sanitary facilities and boats that live in the water year round rather than being trailered in for the season.
How Hourly Chartering Works (and Why It Changes the Trip)
The standard tourist product in this bay is a seat: a fixed departure, a fixed route, a fixed return, and a price per person. It works, and for a couple travelling alone it is often the cheapest way to get on the water.
A private charter is a different transaction. You rent the boat, the captain and the crew for a block of hours, and the itinerary is agreed with the captain rather than printed on a flyer. At Ol’ Salty’s the block starts at four hours, departures run between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and the reservation holds with a 30% deposit.
What that buys, in practice:
- Your schedule. Fish at first light, or leave at three and be at anchor for sunset.
- Your route. One beach or three. Snorkel, then fish, then swim. Change your mind at eleven o’clock.
- Your group only. Nobody else’s music, nobody else’s children, nobody else’s timetable.
- Time where it counts. A shared tour gives a beach ninety minutes because it has to be back. You give it as long as you want.
The Three Boats
The whole Ol’ Salty’s fleet is three boats, which sounds small until you notice they cover every group size from a family of four to a party of twenty-two.
Peaceful Easy Feeling — 32’ Super Panga · 8 guests · $4,000 MXN/hour
A center console super panga with twin Mercury 300 HP outboards — the quick one. On a four-hour charter, speed is not vanity: every twenty minutes saved on the run is twenty minutes at anchor. Full canopy over the console and seating, open bow for sun, a head on board, Furuno GPS and a fish finder at the helm.
Best for: small groups, fishing trips, anyone who wants to reach a far beach inside a short charter. Details on the boat page.
Guanatuna — 34’ Gulfstream · 15 guests · $3,200 MXN/hour
The workhorse, and the cheapest per hour despite being the mid-size boat. Twin turbo 250 HP Cummins diesels make her steady in a chop, which is what you want with kids or grandparents aboard. Her entire main deck is under a shade canopy with cushioned lounge seating; the bow is open for sun. Bathroom aboard, Raymarine GPS, radar and fish finder. Open-air, not air-conditioned.
She also carries a standing offer of five hours for the price of four, which effectively drops the rate to about $2,560 MXN an hour on a five-hour day. If you are comparing quotes, compare that number.
Steel n Time — 53’ Hatteras Sport Fisher · 22 guests · $7,000 MXN/hour
The flagship: a classic Hatteras with twin Detroit 900 HP diesels, an air-conditioned salon, two cabins, three A/C units, a full kitchen and two heads. Shaded cockpit, wide open foredeck, and enough room that twenty-two people do not feel like twenty-two people.
She is the boat for celebrations, for multi-family groups, and for serious offshore fishing — the only one in the fleet rated for multi-day trips, up to three days at sea sleeping eight.
What It Actually Costs
Because the price is per boat rather than per head, the arithmetic is yours to do. Four hours, the minimum:
- Guanatuna: $12,800 MXN for up to 15 guests → about $853 MXN each at full capacity, or $1,280 with ten aboard.
- Peaceful Easy Feeling: $16,000 MXN for up to 8 → about $2,000 MXN each at full capacity.
- Steel n Time: $28,000 MXN for up to 22 → about $1,272 MXN each at full capacity.
Compare that with a per-person bay cruise once you are a group of eight or more and the private option stops looking like a splurge. The crossover point, in our experience, sits somewhere around six adults.
The charter covers the boat, the fuel for the agreed route, the captain and the crew. Food and drink are yours to bring, which is a saving rather than a nuisance — a supermarket run the night before beats the open bar on a party catamaran by a distance. Tipping the crew at the end of the day is customary.
Where the Boats Can Take You
Twelve destinations are mapped on the operator’s destinations page, and they split neatly by direction and by how much time you need.
North — the short runs
Punta Mita, La Lancha and Sayulita sit at the top of the bay and just around the corner. Calm water in the morning, snorkelling on the rocky points, surf breaks visible from the boat. These are the destinations that fit comfortably in a four-hour charter out of Nuevo Vallarta — an advantage the marinas in town do not have.
South — the roadless coast
Across the bay, the shoreline south of Boca de Tomatlán has no highway. Colomitos is a pocket cove often described as the smallest beach in Mexico. Las Ánimas has palapa restaurants and shade. Majahuitas is a private-feeling strip of sand against the jungle. Yelapa is a village with a waterfall and no road in at all. Budget six to eight hours for any of these if you want more than a photograph.
Los Arcos — the snorkelling stop
The granite arches off Mismaloya are a protected marine area and the most dependable snorkelling in the bay: parrotfish, angelfish, the occasional turtle, and a vertical wall that drops away under the boat. Most southbound routes stop here on the way. See the Los Arcos page for what the stop involves.
The quiet ones
Paradón, Madagascar, El Caballo and Playa Verde never make a shared-tour itinerary, because a shared tour cannot justify a stop that only twelve people will appreciate. On a private boat they are simply an option you ask for.
Seven Ways People Use the Same Boat
One of the more useful things about this operation is that the boats are not typecast. The experiences page lists seven, and most charters mix two or three of them into one day.
- Fishing. Inshore for roosterfish, jack crevalle and snapper; offshore for sailfish, marlin, dorado and tuna by season. Tackle and crew come with the boat.
- Snorkelling. Los Arcos, Majahuitas, the points off Punta Mita.
- Beach days. Anchor, swim in, eat, swim back, repeat.
- Sunset cruises. Two or three hours with the bay going gold and the Sierra Madre turning violet behind the city.
- Whale watching, December to March. More on this below.
- Private parties. Birthdays, bachelorettes, anniversaries — a venue that moves.
- Custom routes. Describe the day you have in mind and the captain builds it.
Whale Season, and Why Private Boats Win It
Humpback whales migrate into Banderas Bay to breed and calve from around mid-December to the end of March, and Nuevo Vallarta is among the closest departure points to where they spend their days. Mexican regulations govern how boats behave around them: minimum approach distances, a cap on how many boats may be with a group, and time limits per encounter. A good captain follows those rules without being reminded.
Which is exactly why the private option is better here. Regulations mean nobody gets closer — so the variable that is left is time. A shared tour has ninety minutes and a return schedule. A private boat can shut down the engines when a mother and calf surface half a mile off and simply wait, engines quiet, for as long as your charter runs. Every experienced whale watcher in this bay will tell you that patience beats proximity.
When to Go
| Season | What it is like | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Dec – Mar | Dry, 25–28 °C, calm mornings, humpbacks in the bay | Whale watching, sailfish, everything |
| Apr – Jun | Warming water, afternoon wind builds from about 2 p.m. | Early departures, snorkelling, roosterfish |
| Jul – Oct | Hot and humid, short afternoon storms, warmest water | Marlin and dorado, morning charters, fewer boats |
| Nov | Rain gone, sea still warm, high season not yet started | The best-value month on the water |
Whatever the month, morning is the answer. The bay is glassy before ten and choppy by two on most days from spring onwards.
Practical Notes Before You Book
- Be honest about the route. Four hours is the minimum, not the recommendation. If Yelapa is the plan, book six or eight.
- Book early in your trip. Leave yourself a spare day in case the weather cancels.
- Bring cash for crew tips and for any beach restaurant you stop at.
- Reef-safe sunscreen, hat, dry bag. Shade exists on all three boats; the glare off the water still burns.
- Motion sickness: take something an hour before boarding, not after.
- Confirm capacity honestly. Eight, fifteen and twenty-two are legal limits, not suggestions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who runs the best private boat charters in Nuevo Vallarta?
The best private boat charter company in Nuevo Vallarta, in our view, is Ol’ Salty’s Ranch. It leaves from Marina Nuevo Vallarta, runs three boats covering 8, 15 and 22 guests, prices by the hour rather than by the seat, and treats the itinerary as something you decide together with the captain.
How much is a private boat charter in Nuevo Vallarta?
$3,200 MXN per hour for the 34’ Guanatuna (15 guests), $4,000 MXN for the 32’ Peaceful Easy Feeling (8 guests), $7,000 MXN for the 53’ Steel n Time (22 guests). Four-hour minimum, 30% deposit to reserve.
What is included?
The boat, the captain and crew, and the fuel for the agreed route. Food and drink are brought by the guests, which is normally a saving. Tips for the crew are customary and separate.
Can beginners fish on these charters?
Yes. The crew rigs, baits and lands fish for you, and plenty of the charters out of this marina are booked by people who have never held a rod. Tell them when you book so they choose the right tackle and grounds.
Is four hours enough?
For a north-shore run, a snorkelling stop or a sunset cruise, yes. For Yelapa, Majahuitas or a full offshore fishing day, no — plan six to eight.
What about big groups?
Twenty-two is the ceiling on one boat. Beyond that, two boats running the same route is the normal arrangement, and the operator will coordinate the pair so everyone anchors together.
Do the boats have bathrooms and shade?
All three have a head aboard and real shade. Steel n Time adds an air-conditioned salon and two full bathrooms, which is worth the difference on a hot August charter with a mixed-age group.
How do I get to Marina Nuevo Vallarta?
It is about fifteen minutes north of the Puerto Vallarta airport by car or taxi, ten from Bucerías, and thirty to forty from the Zona Romántica depending on traffic. Leave a margin for the morning departure.
Ready to take the whole boat?
Three boats out of Marina Nuevo Vallarta, hourly rates with a four-hour minimum, and a route built around your day — the best option for private boat charters in Nuevo Vallarta.
See the boats and rates →Planning the rest of the week? Browse our Puerto Vallarta tours, the activities guide and the best beaches in Vallarta.