Nobody arrives in Puerto Vallarta knowing how to ride an ATV, and nobody needs to.
The machine takes ten minutes to learn, the guide is there for exactly that, and every one of our tours is private — so the pace is whatever your group is comfortable with, not whatever the group in front of you decides.
What actually makes the difference is the smaller stuff: what you wear, what you bring, and which route you picked. Here is all of it.
Filmed on the route by one of our riders.
You do not need to know how to ride one
This is the question we get most, and the answer is always the same: no experience needed. An ATV is a thumb throttle, a brake and handlebars — the whole machine takes about ten minutes to understand, and that is exactly what the orientation at the shop is for. Your guide walks you through the controls, you try them in the parking area, and nobody leaves until you are comfortable.
Every one of our ATV tours is private. That matters more than it sounds: there is no group of twenty strangers behind you setting the pace, so if you want to go slowly for the first twenty minutes, you go slowly for the first twenty minutes.
The only route that genuinely asks for experience is the five-hour Spring Waters ride. Everything else is built for first-timers.
What to wear
The short version: clothes you would not mind ruining, and shoes that cover your toes.
- Closed-toe shoes. Not negotiable, and not sandals. Sneakers you already own are perfect — they may come back a different colour.
- Clothes you do not care about. There is dust in the dry season and mud in the green season, and both of them find you. Nothing white.
- Swimwear underneath. Every ATV route stops at a waterfall, and most people get in. Wearing your swimsuit under your clothes saves you the awkward changing situation later.
- Long shorts or light trousers. Either works. Long trousers protect your legs from branches on the narrower trails; shorts are cooler. In the middle of summer, most people pick shorts and accept the scratches.
- Sunglasses if you like, though we hand out goggles and they are better.
What we give you, and what you bring
We provide the riding gear: helmet, goggles and a bandana. The bandana is not decoration — it keeps dust out of your mouth on the dry trails and you will be glad it is there.
Bring:
- A towel, if you plan to swim.
- Sunscreen — put it on before you leave, not at the first stop.
- Cash for drinks and snacks. Food and drinks are not included on any of the ATV tours, but there are stops where you can buy them.
- A phone in a case, or a small action camera. See below.
Leave behind anything that cannot get wet or fall out of a pocket.
Single rider or double rider?
Every route is priced two ways: one person per ATV, or two sharing.
Riding double costs less per person and is genuinely fun — but the passenger has no control over anything, and on the bumpier sections that is a different experience than it sounds. If both of you actually want to drive, take two machines. Couples who book double almost always spend the day swapping halfway through anyway.
Choosing your route
Five ATV tours, and they differ mostly in how long you are out and how far into the mountains you get.
- Sierra Madre ATV Adventure — 2 hours. The shortest one. Straight up into the mountains behind the city, a taste of the trails, back before lunch. Good if you have a half-day or you are not sure ATVs are your thing.
- Río Cuale — 3 hours. The classic. City to mountains to a river stop that still feels like a local secret, with a waterfall and a jungle bar along the way. If you are only doing one ATV tour, this is the one to do.
- El Edén — 4 hours. Deeper in, to the jungle river at El Edén, with the option of a small fishing village for lunch instead of more trails.
- Spring Waters — 5 hours. The long mountain day: local communities, a small mountain town, and the hot spring pools. Built for riders who already know what they are doing.
- ATV A La Carte — 3 hours. You tell us what you want — trails, river crossings, old towns, quiet beaches — and we build the route around it.
All of them start at our shop in downtown Puerto Vallarta, all of them include a waterfall stop, and all of them finish with a tequila tasting.
What the riding is actually like
The first fifteen minutes are pavement and cobblestone, getting out of town. Then the road turns to dirt and the temperature drops a couple of degrees as the jungle closes in.
Expect river crossings — how many depends on the season and how much water is coming down. Expect to get splashed. Expect the trail to be dusty from November to May and slick and green from June to October. Neither one is worse; they are just different days. The green season is prettier and muddier, the dry season is faster and dustier.
You stop often. That is the point of a private tour: for photos, for the view, for the waterfall, and because somebody in the group wants to catch their breath.
Phones and photos
Your phone will survive the ride in a zipped pocket, and it will not survive being held in your hand — you need both of those for the handlebars. If you want photos while moving, bring a chest or helmet mount for an action camera. Otherwise, take your pictures at the stops, where the good ones are anyway.
Your guide will happily take the group shot. Ask.
When to go
Mornings, almost always. It is cooler, the light is better, and in the summer months the afternoon storm has not arrived yet. A tour that starts at nine in the morning is a different, better experience than the same tour starting at two.
Book a day or two ahead in high season. The tours are private, so there are only so many slots.
Ready when you are
Tell us how much time you have and whether anybody in the group has ridden before, and we will point you at the right route. Browse all of them on the ATV tours page, or send us a message on WhatsApp with your dates.
