Getting to Chacala
The nearest airport is Puerto Vallarta (PVR), roughly an hour and a half to two hours south by road. Chacala sits about 10 km off Highway 200 down a cobbled access road, in northern Nayarit past Sayulita, San Pancho and Lo de Marcos. Tepic (TPQ) is the other option, roughly two hours to the east, but almost everyone comes through PVR.
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Private transfer or taxi from PVR. The simplest door-to-door option, around 90 minutes to two hours depending on traffic through Bucerías and La Cruz. Book ahead through your hotel or a transfer service; a private van runs roughly 1,600 to 2,800 MXN one way (approximate). Agree the total before you leave, and confirm the driver will take the cobbled road all the way down to the cove, not just the highway junction.
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Rental car. The move if you plan to day-trip, which you probably should, since the town itself gives you little to fill a third day. Highway 200 north from the airport is a good two-lane road; the last stretch is the descent from Las Varas down the cobbled, sometimes steep and pot-holed access road into the cove. Take it in low gear and in daylight the first time. Parking in the village is informal and tight in peak season.
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Bus. Cheapest by far. From Puerto Vallarta’s north-side terminals, the green Autotransportes Pacífico and Compostela line buses run up Highway 200 toward Las Varas and Compostela, roughly two to two and a half hours and somewhere around 150 to 250 MXN (approximate). These are the second-class corridor buses that stop often, not the big ADO or ETN coaches, which do not serve this small a town directly. Ask for the Chacala turnoff or ride to Las Varas.
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The last few kilometers. Long-distance buses drop you on Highway 200 at the Chacala junction or in Las Varas, not down in the village. From there, take a local taxi or a colectivo the final stretch down the cobbled road to the cove. Confirm the fare before you get in, roughly 100 to 200 MXN from the junction (approximate).
Getting around once you’re there
You do not need a car in the village. Chacala is small enough to cross on foot in a few minutes, and the beach, restaurants and nearly all lodging are walkable. There are no colectivos or taxi apps operating inside the cove itself; Uber and DiDi do not run here. If you need a ride up to Las Varas for the ATM or the grocery store, your host or a restaurant owner can call a local driver.
- On foot. How you will get everywhere in town. Keep a phone light or headlamp for the unlit back lanes and the walk up to the hillside guesthouses at night.
- The coast path. The only real “route” beyond the lane is the rocky trail over the north point to Playa Chacalilla. Shoes, not flip-flops.
Honest notes
There is no ATM in the village and card acceptance is spotty, so arrive with cash. Pull pesos in Puerto Vallarta, Sayulita, San Pancho or Las Varas on the way in, and split it up rather than carrying one wad. If you are relying on buses, plan a daytime arrival; sorting a highway-to-cove taxi on a dark shoulder is the one genuinely awkward part of the trip. The cobbled descent is also worth flagging to anyone prone to motion sickness, and worth avoiding after heavy rain, when it can wash out and get slick.