Escape to Yelapa

By Nicole

As we hauled the anchor and got underway for Yelapa, I actually felt a little sick inside watching the La Cruz de Huanacaxtle anchorage grow smaller and smaller in our wake.  Why were we leaving this laidback paradise and saying goodbye to our friends?  Couldn’t we just stay one more week?  We spent more than six weeks living here, and it really started to feel like home. 

But cruising isn’t about parking in one comfortable spot forever, no matter how great it is.  And so Bella Star is on the move again.

Approaching the village of Yelapa, Jalisco, Mexico

Despite its close proximity to Puerto Vallarta, the village of Yelapa is still quite remote.  There are no roads into town, so everything must be brought in via horseback or on pangas (small boats).  And electricity was only run to the village in 2001. 

It is an incredibly beautiful place, surrounded by lush, tropical mountainsides that plunge into the ocean.  The town is quiet and charming, with houses nestled here and there along the steep mountainside – many perched on stilts as protection from the summer rains.  And the locals you pass along the winding cobblestone paths are always ready with a friendly greeting.

The only downside is the anchorage.  It’s quite deep (over 120’) with only a small shelf appropriate for setting an anchor, and (on most days) it’s extremely rolly.  The locals devised a solution to the first problem, though… they installed a number of mooring buoys.  The moorings are owned by different companies and before you even get into the bay, a panga driver is zooming out to escort you to his particular mooring.  For 200 pesos, you can tie up to the buoy and get a ride to shore (and back) from the panga driver. 

 Erlin and Jenn on Ventured tying up to the mooring with the help of the panga guys

It was one of those super rolly days, which made being on the boat uncomfortable.  I tried to make sandwiches for lunch but had to stop, since we were rolling rail to rail through 60 degrees, and plates and tuna fish were flying everywhere.  Yikes!  We can handle some bouncing around for sure, but this was just crazy.  So we got in touch with Ventured on the VHF, flagged down our panga dude and headed to a palapa restaurant on the beach to have a little lunch and wait for Zack and Steve on Panache to arrive.

The view from our palapa restaurant

Once the gang was all together, we set out on our next adventure… finding a waterfall.  There are two waterfalls near Yelapa – one requires a 1 1/2-hour hike, the other only a saunter through town.  It was getting late in the day and we were feeling a bit lazy (not to mention that in his hurry to get off the boat and into the bouncing panga, Zack forgot his shoes), so we opted for the leisurely stroll option.

We walked down the beach, across the mouth of the estuary, up a set of winding stairs and through the meandering paths of the village to the waterfall.

Boats in the estuary

A Snowy Egret takes a stroll on the beach

Pangas and cruising boats bob around


Gorgeous views out to the Pacific

Cobblestone paths led past brightly colored shops, houses with laundry drying in the sun and lovely brick buildings with elegant arched windows…

… And finally (I say “finally,” but it was really like a 20-minute walk) to the base of the town’s waterfall.


 Erlin, Zack and I couldn’t resist taking a dip

 
Erlin and I enjoying a little ginger time

 The waterfall shower was a little chilly, but it felt great!  And no, I’m not interested in knowing what’s upstream.

We all made our way back down to the beach for some refreshing Pacificos and a couple plates of nachos.  Another tough day at the office.

We’d hoped to spend the night in Yelapa and see the other waterfall the next day, but the rolling was too intense (and we didn’t feel like paying another 200 pesos anyway).  Just after dark, we all pulled our anchors and set out for an overnight trip around Cabo Corrientes to Bahia Chamela.  Southward!