Yelapa is a tiny beach town that feels like something out of Fantasy Island. It will make you want to yell, “the plane, the plane.” It is one of the area’s favorite water taxi or boat-in beaches, lined with great places to eat and sun. You can even get up your nerve and pet one of the tame large Iguana’s the roam the beach.

The village is in the southernmost cove of the 7th largest bay in the world, Bahía de Banderas or “Banderas Bay". The only way to access Yelapa is by boat and ferries that offer water taxi services at very affordable prices. You can also, as many people do, choose to do the famous hike, from scenic Boca de Tomatlan to Yelapa.

The area was first populated by natives of the tribe which originated in the town of Tenacatitlan, located 100 miles north, during their migration south to become the Aztec empire. It is a must do day on the Bay.