Vacation photos in Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita: where, when and what to know

A vacation photo session in Puerto Vallarta or Sayulita is a short shoot of 30 minutes, from $130, built around one stretch of Banderas Bay and the last half hour before the sun drops into the Pacific. The bay faces west, which is the whole reason it works: almost every beach and promenade between Mismaloya and Punta Mita gets a sunset over the water.

One bay, two states, one clock

Puerto Vallarta is in Jalisco; Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerías, Sayulita and Punta de Mita are across the Río Ameca in the Nayarit municipality of Bahía de Banderas. The Ley de los Husos Horarios puts Jalisco and the municipality of Bahía de Banderas on Zona Centro time, UTC−6, so the whole bay shares one clock. The rest of Nayarit is on Zona Pacífico time, UTC−7, one hour earlier. That catches visitors who drive north beyond the municipality for the day and arrive an hour before they meant to.

The sunset hour, month by month

The US Naval Observatory gives these times for Puerto Vallarta on the 15th of each month of 2026. Sayulita, further up the same coast, sets within a minute or two of them.

We start a vacation session about 30 minutes before sunset, so it ends as the sun touches the water. The twenty-odd minutes of civil twilight that follow give a blue, even light that suits a last frame on the Malecón.

Five places, compared

The Malecón

The Malecón is Puerto Vallarta's seafront promenade through the Centro, lined with bronze sculptures and with the bay on one side and the town's hills on the other. It is the classic sunset backdrop, which also makes it the busiest one. We walk it from south to north as the light goes, staying on the sea side of the railing for clean backgrounds.

Zona Romántica and Playa de los Muertos

South of the Río Cuale, the Zona Romántica packs cobbled streets, small plazas and Playa de los Muertos with its sail-shaped pier into a few walkable blocks. A morning session here means empty lanes and soft light off the hills; an evening session means the pier against the sunset. Either one fills a 30-minute session on its own.

Mismaloya

Mismaloya is a small cove south of town, where the coastal road meets the jungle and boats line up on the sand. It suits a couple session that wants a wilder look than the town gives. The road there is narrow and slow at rush hour, so we allow extra time.

Sayulita

Sayulita is a surf town in Nayarit with a long beach, a central plaza and streets hung with papel picado. The town is crowded from mid-morning to late evening, so we photograph the streets at sunrise and the beach either early or at its quieter north end at sunset. Mexican beaches are public under Article 8 of the Ley General de Bienes Nacionales, so a family and a photographer with a handheld camera need no booking; any set-up on the sand is a question for the local ZOFEMAT office first.

Punta Mita

Punta Mita is a private, gated resort development at the northern tip of the bay. We could not find any published rule on outside photographers there, and access is controlled at the gate, so a session inside works only through the resort or villa you are staying in. Ask them to clear the photographer's entry before you book. If you are not staying inside, the public beaches of the fishing village of Punta de Mita, outside the gates, offer the same sunset.

Whale season in Banderas Bay

Humpback whales winter in Banderas Bay, and SEMARNAT publishes each season's dates in the Diario Oficial. The 2025–2026 notice ran the Bahía de Banderas season from 8 December 2025 to 23 March 2026, and the 2026–2027 notice had not been published by late October 2026. The same notice banned whale watching within 1.5 km of the Islas Marietas and in a 2 km coastal strip from Punta Mita to the mouth of the Río Ameca. Licensed boats follow NOM-131-SEMARNAT-2010: at most 4 boats per whale or group, for at most 30 minutes. A vacation photo from a whale-watching boat is a bonus moment, not a session we can plan around.

Islas Marietas

Parque Nacional Islas Marietas lies off Punta Mita, and CONANP lists its access fee at MXN 125 per person per day, a figure set in Article 198 of the Ley Federal de Derechos. The same CONANP page gives Playa del Amor opening days of Wednesday to Sunday, 08:00 to 17:00. Access to Playa del Amor is capped and runs only through CONANP-authorised boat operators, in small timed groups. A professional shoot in the park would need CONANP authorisation under Article 88 of the protected-areas regulation, so we do not promise sessions on the islands.

Rain and storms

The eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from 15 May to 30 November, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Summer is also the rainy season on this coast, with storms that often build in the evening, so in those months we watch the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) forecast and keep a sunrise slot as the fallback. December to April is the dry, busy season, when sunsets are most reliable and whales are in the bay.

Drones

Aerial shots over the bay are possible when flown by a Mexican-registered, insured pilot under NOM-107-SCT3-2019, which requires 9.2 km from any aerodrome without special authorisation. Puerto Vallarta's international airport sits between the Marina and Nuevo Vallarta, so much of the town's waterfront lies close to it and the pilot checks each spot before you book. Our drone guide covers the details.

Which session fits

Each of the three starts at 30 minutes and 20 edited photos, which fits one place, such as the Malecón or a stretch of Sayulita beach, or two a few steps apart, such as the Zona Romántica streets and Playa de los Muertos. A longer session, a farther second spot or more photos can be added and are quoted in writing before booking.

Book your sunset

Tell us where you are staying and the evening you have free, and we will choose the spot and the start time. Start on the booking page, or read more about Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.