We have two amazing waterparks just a few minutes to the north in Nuevo Vallarta with swimmimg pools, water slides, zip lines, animal attractions, restaurants, and more!
Hi, it’s Maya! Many people have asked me what would be a really good day-trip to do in Puerto Vallarta? Well, there are many different fun and interesting things you can do in one day such as shopping, sight-seeing, adventures, day-cruises, water parks, zip lines, eating and drinking, or just hangin’ out on the beach with your toes in the sand. Most of these are just a few minutes from downtown and a short ride in a taxi, Uber, or city bus. Quick FYI; if you are leaving from the airport or ship terminal the taxis that are permitted there are more expensive than the yellow city cabs that you can find just outside. And don’t worry-Puerto Vallarta is just like any civilized city, it is mostly good neighborhoods with a few questionable outlying areas, and for the most part good family people, just like anywhere else. Just use the same common sense you use at home and you will be fine, and I promise I won’t send you anywhere that I wouldn’t feel safe myself. What you should really be watching out for while walking around is uneven pavement, enexpected steps, and protruding sharp objects that may be electrically active.
The first waterpark that I want to tell you about, and the larger of the two, is Aquaventuras on the inland side of the highway. They have ten different water slides branching out from their water slide tower, which is a spiral ramp leading up several stories to different decks where you can get onto the slides. They have some shorter runs for the smaller kids, and they have some pretty speedy runs including one that goes almost straight down! Some are open-air and some are enclosed tubes, and some are straight and some are curvy.
The most daring one is called the Flush, where you go down a very steep straight shot which then flattens out and plunges you into a toilet-bowl shaped funnel, and you descend round and round to the exit drain and you then plop into a pool of water. On the Flush and other fast runs, you can stiffen up into a position of minimal contact and friction to go even faster. My dad was able to go round and round 5 1/2 times by doing that, the employees said the record was 6! Now some of these runs, including the Flush, have a height requirement as they are not recommended for small children. But when I was a kid, and could swim like a fish at a very young age, I remember rushing through and jumping down the tube to the Flush, and boy were they upset! They thought for sure that I was in great danger, but for me it was super thrilling, and I wasn’t scared at all. But after that for the rest of the day the workers wouldn’t let me get anywhere near the Flush.
And no need to worry, they have a full crew of trained lifeguards who are always looking out for the guests and especially the children. And speaking of children, they have a special huge shallow pool just for small kids that has small slides, water features, things to climb and play on, and a gigantic bucket that fills with water and then empties in a sudden gush about every 10 minutes. They also have a playground area under some shady trees with swings, monkey bars, a sandy area with a volleyball court, and some picnic tables.
Additional fun features at this waterpark are El Desafio, a climbing and balance challenge, a rock climbing wall rumored to be the tallest in Mexico, and a 3-line zip line. They also have a lazy river where you can grab a tube and just float round-and-round a 160-meter loop that has pumps to make a soft flowing current. When I was tiny I used to like to get in the lazy river and swim underwater with the current, as you can go much faster than on the floating tubes, but the workers didn’t like that either since I was so small because again, they thought I was in danger. But I get it, they were just being concerned for a small child’s safety.
Aquaventuras offers many animal attractions. They have a Sea Lion Discovery presentation, a swim with sea lions, a Dolphin Discovery presentation, and 3 levels of interactions with dolphins; Dolphin Encounter, where you get to pet them; Swim Adventure, where you can grab hold and be pulled through the water or be pulled on a boogie board; and the Royal Swim, where you can be pulled by two dolphins for a speedier ride, and you can dolph-levitate, where the dolphins push you up fully out of the water while you stand on them as if you were water-skiing on their backs. Also, it should be mentioned that some of the proceeds for these dolphin shows goes toward the conservation of marine mammals. The Daily Dolphin show is at 1:30pm, and the Sea Lion show is at 3:30pm.
The pricing for Aquaventuras pretty much depends on the level of Animal Experience that you want to have. Basic admission, which does not include an animal experience but you are welcome to watch the shows, is $25USD for adults and $19USD for kids, or for locals with ID 349 pesos for adults and 249 pesos for kids. They have many package deals and even special deals for party gatherings and groups. They are open every day except Monday starting at 11:00 am, and they turn off the pumps at 5:00, and then you can mosey your way out of the park.
A couple things more that I wanted to mention are the restaurants and souvenir shop. They have a couple snack bars where you can get a quick and inexpensive lunch or tasty treat, and they also have a quite nice outdoor restaurant with a full bar where you can enjoy finer food. The souvenir shop has a nice selection of beach-y type stuff, and this is where you can order and pick up photos if you participated in any of the animal shows. The pictures are a little pricey, not too bad, but they are really good pictures taken with really good cameras. Even the action shots come out crystal clear. Oh, and FYI, the bathrooms are clean and sufficient, and there are lockers you can rent to keep your belongings safe and dry. You can visit their website at:
https://www.aquaventuras.com.mx
Almost directly across the highway and a little south is Splash Waterpark. This park is a little smaller, and only have 4 winding slides and one 3-lane slide, but they have some other nice and unique features and their price is about half. They have a large shallow play area with some shorter slides and a cool pirate ship for the smaller kids, and a large swimming pool under the shade of palm trees for bigger kids and adults.
And around the pools they have really nice grassy areas with tables and chairs under the shade of palm trees, mini-palapas, and umbrellas. There is also an area with sanded volleyball and multi-use sports courts, lined with shaded tables and chairs. And of course, they have qualified lifeguards watching over everyone’s safety.
Splash also has several animal attractions, and offer a Sea Lion Encounter where you can hug, kiss, and sing and dance with a sea lion, or you can go see the sea lion show with Peter and Nana. They also offer Swimming with Sea Lions, a 20-minute Dolphin Experience, a 30-minute Dolphin Encounter, a 45-minute Dolphin Swim, or you can spend 20 minutes swimming with sharks. That’s right, you can swim with sharks in the safety of a children’s water park! Plus, they also have an aquarium and a zip line!
Basic admission is only 250 pesos for adults and 170 pesos for kids, and the animal attractions are extra. There is also a fee of 60 pesos to use the zipline, and you can rent lockers, lifevests, tubes, towels, and sports balls.
When you get hungry, there is a little snack store, a burger place, a full bar, or you can enjoy a nice seafood meal in a seafood restaurant! And also it is stated on their website that you can bring your own food in, but they don’t allow you to bring your own drinks.
Splash is open every day from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. You can visit their website at:
https://gruposplash.com/splashvallarta/
If you enjoyed this article or found it useful, CLICK HERE to visit my other Day Trippin’ suggestions. And speaking of suggestions, if you plan to visit Vallarta, allow me to give you two. First, especially if you come between December and March, whale-watching season, get yourself good quality, compact binoculars that you can carry around with you, and BRING THEM! Second, especially if you are in a poorer area, tip well and don’t haggle them down too far, they have families to feed! Have a Great Trip!!