How To Get To Chacala

HOW TO GET TO CHACALA FROM THE PUERTO VALLARTA AIRPORT

To see step-by-step photos of how to take a taxi or bus to Chacala, go to

Chacala Nayarit http://chacalanayarit.blogspot.com

Be sure to go to the other website (above) after reading the following post.

GETTING TO CHACALA

You have at least three of choices about how you get to Chacala from the Puerto Vallarta airport. You can either take public transportation (taxi or bus) or make prior arrangements to be picked up at the airport. Or you can rent a car. About which I know nothing.

In any case, if you are arriving after 4pm or so, I would suggest you get something to eat before you head out for Chacala. Or bring some snacks, because if you arrive in Chacala after about 6 or 7pm most restaurants are closed or closing down. The very small groceries/tiendas are open later however. During the winter months it gets dark around 5pm.

Remember that the PV time zone is one hour early than Chacala time, giving you an extra hour to get to Chacala before dark.

The Malecon (walkway) between the beach and the little harbor,
with a view of Isreal and Chata's garden below the terrace/palapa
for guests of their rental units.

PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION TO CHACALA FROM THE PV AIRPORT
There are some options for people who do not want to take the bus north to Chacala. Or don't have friends who are willing to pick them up. Or for people who just want to get to Chacala, and are not on a tight budget. Or for tired people with tons of luggage and small kids, etc etc etc. Or for people who have late flights.

There is a locally-based taxi services that will pick you up up, by reservation, at the airport, and bring you to wherever you are staying in Chacala. The fare is set ahead of time and depends on various factors (arriving or departing, other guests arriving/departing at the same time, season of the year, and if you want to stop at a market or whatever, etc). The driver stands at the area where you come out of airport customs with a sign with your name on it. The driver can show you where the bathrooms, ATM's and money changers are in the airport.

Cundo's Van Service
Cundo and his brother Juan can be reached for reservations and price quotes at trinimoya2@ hotmail.com. In order to get a price estimate, please provide airline and date and time of flight arrival, and number of passengers. Trini, Cundo's wife and famous Spanish teacher, can also be reached at 011 52 327 219 4018 (from the US).
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO CHACALA FROM THE PV AIRPORT

As of Dec 2007

As you walk out of the immigration/baggage area of the airport you will be in the main floor of the airport, which is generally full of resort reps, taxi drivers etc, most with signs. At this moment, if you need a restroom, ATM, phone, money exchange, food, or a newspaper don't walk out the doors in front of you, but walk back around behind the area you just came out of and find what you need. The three ATM s are spread out along wall of the terminal, on your left. The entire terminal in being remodeled and the selection of restauants is very limited. a Carl's and a Cuban Bar and a couple of coffee/bakery kind of places. And a Starbucks hidden near the far right end of the Departures counters. Across the street via the bridge are some shops and a Feliz Chicken outlet.

When you are ready to head to Chacala, and if haven't made prior arrangements to be picked up you have several choices.

1. You can take a taxi to Chacala. If you engage a taxi driver within the airport or right outside the door you will pay top price. If you walk out the doors right in front of you as you leave the baggage area and look to the left you will see a ramp leading to a bridge across the highway. On the other side there are other taxi's who haven't paid the special airport fees to be allowed to work right out of the airport. So they are cheaper and no different, as far as I know. (for photos showing these locations go to Chacala Nayarit. http://chacalanayarit.blogspot.com

Be sure to negotiate the fare before you get in or let the driver take your bags.
You will need pesos from now on, and the airport ATMs are good because they give out smaller bills, which you will need. I think the cheaper taxis are between $60-80 dollars (400-800 pesos) to Chacala. Might be less, might be more. The drive takes less than two hours, depending on this and that. Most of these drivers seem to speak enough English to negotiate a deal with you. Clarify to the driver that you are going to Chacala, Nayarit, because there is another Chacala (Jalisco) to the south.

The taxi driver probably won't know the location of where you are staying in Chacala, but he can ask around and find out for you. Be sure you are taken right to where you are staying and that someone is there with a key before the taxi leaves.

Most planes land in mid-to-late afternoon in Puerto Vallarta, and chances are you will arrive in Chacala after dark from December-March. The person you have made reservations with will probably make clear arrangements with you about the location of your rental and accessing the key. Remember the time difference between P.V. and Chacala.

If you are coming to town without a reservation you should try to arrive before dark. There are several nice places on the paved road (don't turn off onto the dirt road at the Playa Chacala sign). Casa Chacala is on the left, and then Aurora's is on the right. Concha's and Sarahi are downhill at the first cobblestone left turn.

Casa Chacala from the street

2. You can hitchhike, which would be very unusual in urban Mexico and you would possibly attract the interest of the police or (other) disreputable people. And you really don't want to be hitchhiking after dark. Really.

3. You can go to the central bus station (about a mile north of the airport) via a taxi from either inside or across the bridge from the airport. Tell the taxi driver you want to go to the Camionera Central. There is no ATM at the bus terminal, so be sure to get pesos at the airport ATM's. The fare from right at the airport is about $15/150pesosUSD or a little more, and from across the bridge is about $6USD/60pesos. There is a baggage holding place at the terminal, in case you need to go do errands before you head north. There is NO baggage storage at the airport. There is a major shopping center about three blocks south of the airport, on the only road. Across the bridge and head south.

4. You can get to the central bus station by going out the airport door and over the bridge and catch a city bus going north for 50 cents (US). Ask specifically for Camionera Central before you get on. Or you can write the name on a larger piece of paper and show it to the driver if you aren't sure about your Spanish. the bus takes you right near the terminal. It's very obvious.

This is the bedroom of Aurora's Techo de Mexico upstairs rental unit,
with a large bath, and covered patio with view of Chacala Bay and a nice kitchen.

When you arrive at the bus terminal (Central Camionera) enter and go to the Pacifico bus counter and ask for a ticket to Las Varas (V pronounced as B). Usually they run every half hour or so. The ticket is about 76 pesos or about $7USD.

Ask what number gate the bus leaves from and what time. There are clean bathrooms with TP and turnsiles (30centsUSD). Some toilets have seats, at least in the Ladies. They usually take small change only. No bills. There are a couple of snack shops and little restaurant. You go through little security gate where the guy writes his initals on your ticket. This is a new thing and I have n0 idea what the point is except to slow you down when you are late for the bus.

The buses are loaded very quickly. If you have more stuff than you want to take on the bus with you, you can check your stuff under the bus. It's probably a good idea to sit on the passenger side so you can watch your stuff during the brief stops on your way north. So it won't get taken off by accident. They usually give you a claim check. Don't lose it if they do.

There are taxis to Chacala at the Pacifico bus terminal in Las Varas until later in the evening, and the fare is usually about $9us or 90 pesos. There are two collectivo's (small vans) going back and forth to Chacala from about 7am to about 5pm for 12 pesos. The taxi drivers may be willing to point out the collectivo stop to you (However, the collectivos are competition for them. Or not. It's about two blocks back the way you came into town and near the Taco stand and in front of the Toltec cement sign, which points south. Most of the taxi and collectivo drivers know their way around Chacala.

For a description of life in Chacala go here , that is http://mylifeinchacala.blogspot.com.

Bedroom of Concha's Techo de Mexico upstairs unit
with kitchen and terrace, and bath and lovely view