With lush rainforests and steep mountain backdrops greeting you in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, you might feel you’ve landed in Costa Rica but this destination is considerably closer and has much to offer the nature lover.

A 300-kilometre coastline sweeping north of Puerto Vallarta along Banderas Bay is the centerpiece of Riviera Nayarit. There are several luxury resorts so you don’t need to suffer but the slower pace offers more chance for discovery and chances to reconnect with nature including the following experiences.

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Swim at Isla Del Coral in Riviera Nayarit

Although most beaches in this part of Mexico aren’t crowded, if you’d like aqua-blue water and some island time, take a boat tour with Xplore Mexico to Isla Del Coral. This rocky outcrop is home to brown pelicans and black vultures; you can watch them soar over the beach while lizards streak across the rock cliffs and vendors sell cold drinks.

There’s a bit of surf on the crescent white-sand beach but most swimmers will find it easy to enter the water. You can also snorkel or paddleboard although you need to be an experienced boarder to deal with the wind and waves. Take an early morning tour as boatloads of water lovers arrive mid-day. You can rent a table and chairs in the shade to avoid too much sun between dips.

Bird Watch at San Blas

A three-hour drive north of Puerto Vallarta airport is the small village of San Blas known for colonial architecture and birds. This relatively undiscovered Riviera Nayarit destination offers a variety of habitats close to town so if birds are your thing, you can see a lot of them here in a short time. Each January there is a migratory bird festival where nature lovers gather to see the avian visitors.

Frolic on the Beach at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit Resort

Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit Resort is a very comfortable place to base your explorations and sits on a long beach for early morning walking or running. From June to November you can discover sea turtle tracks if you’re up early.

You can also parasail or boogie board, and the resort has several pools (one just for adults) for water lovers.

To keep up your fitness for nature explorations consider booking a wellness suite for your stay. You’ll find a stationary bike next to your bed (no excuses not to exercise here), a vitamin-C shower, in-suite personal training sessions, breakfast smoothies, aromatherapy, and a wellness concierge to help you organize it all.

Walk Through a Magic Town

It sounds like a song lyric but a magic town is a real thing in Mexico. The designation is given to small towns with unique history, culture or aesthetics. There are currently 111 magic towns in the country but it’s a difficult accreditation to get. Only 28 of 180 applicants were added to the list in 2015.

Sayulita is a magic town popular with surfers but also great for land lovers and walking. The bright crayon-coloured buildings and cobblestone streets mean your camera is never turned off and you’ll probably walk longer than you planned. Take time to sit in the town plaza under the trees and soak in the rhythms of this ocean-side community.