Alerta Bahía News - Before yesterday morning in Nuevo Vallarta Nayarit, state and federal authorities announced the start-up of the wastewater treatment plant in Sayulita, this means contamination of the area is finished, the next step is that the Oromapas (potable water operator) operate all the service because they are the only ones authorized for such action.
Director of the State Council of Potable Water of Nayarit Martha Patricia Urenda Delgado reported that the modernization of the wastewater treatment plant in Sayulita is ready, as well as the construction of a submarine emitter which is about to conclude and come to benefit the entire bay.
The plant has already begun to operate with a capacity of 20 liters per second, but it will have a growth of 80 liters per second and is ready to receive all that is generated when it is high holiday season.
Sewage treatment plant said the interviewee, had an investment of 41 million pesos and said that with good maintenance, this plant will have a useful life of 25 years and after this time, then it would require a good investment. They will be working three persons permanently and those determined by Oromapas.
Reading online about the water quality problems in Sayulita really put me off coming here, but my backpacking budget and the opportunity to volunteer at Wildmex lured me to Sayulita like a child to dorilocos. And you know what? I’m so glad I made it here. Here’s my take on Sayulita, as an experienced traveller from Australia, who has done a decent amount of vagabonding, sun-soaking and margarita drinking in Mexico – provecho!
Sayulita, if you don’t know, is about a 45-minute drive North of Puerto Vallarta. Although a relatively new town, made popular by international surf competitions in the 60’s, it still has a cool old-meets-new, chic-meets-rustic hippy vibe, and the great surfing conditions are still one of the main draws.
The town centre is a few cobblestone steps back from the beach, and the main plaza is surrounded by restaurants, such as the environmentally conscious Chocobanana, and a few lively clubs – Yambak and Don Pato being the main multi-level ones. If you hit the clubs a bit earlier in the night you can catch local musicians playing reggae or jazz. Atico is another vibing venue just off the main plaza where you can sip cervezas to live music each night.
The melting pot community here consists of: local surfers from the town or the nearby states of Nayarit or Jalisco; many Mexican, Canadian, American, Argentinian, European, and – of course – Australian tourists; and locals, who live in the area or travel to work here from other towns like Punta de Mita. The eclectic mix of people from all over gives this Pueblo Magico an international feel, as well as some inflated international prices. But it’s still possible to find tasty tacos for 13 pesos. If you want local prices stay away from fancy furnishings and go for roadside huts, and of course make an effort to order in Spanish, or you just may get gringo price.
Paradise Lost
Now there is a big, obvious problem in Sayulita that literally does stink: the sewage treatment plant is right by the local beach. Treated, but still smelly, water runs out into the sea near the point break, and many people here have experienced “Sayulita sickness” after swimming or surfing in the sea nearby. I was not going to swim here initially, as there are plenty of gorgeous beaches nearby (like La Lancha and Playa de los Muertos), however I gave in and have been fine. I would just say: swim when the plant is not operating after 4:00pm, or just go to the left or the right of the sewage facility. Many many people surf and swim here daily and are fine.
But Sayulita shouldn’t be defined by this one potential problem. The people that end up in Sayulita are special, and when you take time to chill in a cafe you will find many people who choose to live here with their families, or at least spend half the year here. It’s easy to strike up a conversation with a local at a cafe, or hitch a ride in one of the golf buggies cruising around – Sayulita has a positive energy. And if you want to be fit and healthy there are mountains to climb, beaches to surf, paddle board and explore, and, if you want to undo all your good efforts afterwards, there are great food and drinks to be had.
Paradise Found
On my first night here the sun was setting near the point break, there was a rainbow to my right, and turtles were being released on the beach. The surreal visuals were reminiscent of a Baz Luhrmann film. Yeah, Sayulita has a water quality problem, due to poor planning, rapid expansion and the infrastructural deficits of a developing country, but if you choose to come here, which I’m glad I did, you can’t help but have a good time! My verdict: Sayulita is the best, most colourful, exciting montage of memories I have made Mexico. Enjoy the food, the beaches and the unfolding story that your footsteps will create.
There is a range of mountain biking available in the Sayulita and Punta Mita area, with trails suitable for beginners through to advanced riders. The main existing options are the Malpaso Singletracks (only available for guided tours) and Punta Sayulita (beginner level). WildMex has worked hard over the years to develop good mountain bike trails in the area for the local community and for visitors, and we are currently developing an exciting new MTB project in the Monkey Mountain area. Read on to discover the latest news on our MTB trails!
Malpaso Singletracks
The Malpaso Singletrack Trails near Sayulita are some of the first trails in Mexico specifically designed and built for mountain biking. Proudly built by WildMex, they offer a wide range of mountain biking, suitable for the adventurous beginner through to advanced riders. The trails take you through the lush jungle in the area between Sayulita and San Pancho, with rides varying from mellow singletrack to challenging and fast routes with berms, steep climbs and rock gardens.
The area the mountain bike trails pass through is majority privately owned. The owners are under no obligation to let us ride on their property, however, in order to support the local community, they provide access under certain regulations, with the goal of preserving the environment and ensuring no accidents happen on their property. WildMex is fortunate enough to have permission to maintain and guide trips on the existing trails in the Malpaso area.
For this reason, WildMex offers guided mountain biking tours, but is now unable to offer unguided mountain bike rentals to be ridden in the Malpaso trail system. Please help the local riding community and the Malpaso land owners to keep a friendly relationship, and if you are visiting our area and would like to ride the Malpaso Trails, do so with an authorized company.
Our mountain bike tours and rentals are entirely non-profit; 100% of our proceeds go towards maintaining existing trails and building new ones so the community and its visitors can enjoy access to more multi-use trails in the Sayulita, San Pancho and Punta Mita area. We are currently working towards developing a further MTB trail network in the Monkey Mountain area (read more below).
All our guides:
Are local mountain bike riders
Help build and maintain the trails and know them like the backs of their hands
Are trained mechanics – just in case anything does go wrong on the trails!
Malpaso Singletracks Prices
Private 1 on 1
$110
personal instruction
Private Group (2 or more)
$75
per person
Open Group
$55
per person / Only Tue. Thu. Sat.
Help protect the environment, and support local riders in the community by taking a guided mountain bike tour with WildMex.
Trail Building Project
WildMex has proudly developed some of the first trails in Mexico specifically designed and sustainably built for mountain biking. The Malpaso trails now provide around a day’s worth of riding, but we don’t want to stop there! We are keen to continue building so that the community and its visitors can enjoy access to more multi-use trails in the Sayulita, San Pancho and Punta Mita area.
That is why WildMex is now beginning a new trail building project in the Monkey Mountain area between Sayulita and Punta de Mita. We are working with local riders to build these trails, and our intention is that they will benefit the entire community as they will be multi-use, creating options for hiking and bird watching as well as mountain biking.
Wildmex is committed to continuing to develop mountain biking in the area for the local community, and our existing trails have already opened up the sport to many local people. All our tours are guided by local mountain bike riders who helped build the trails, and all proceeds from the tours go towards cleaning and maintaining our existing trails, and developing the new trail network – our tours and rentals are 100% non-profit.
Keep checking back here to keep up to date on our new trail project!
Paradise Lost
Paradise Found