Monkey Mountain

Uphill hike up a mountain with boulders to climb to reach the top. Fantastic views from all around of the ocean and the jungle. You might see a monkey! I do recommend a tour guide, as there is a short 20-30 min drive outside Sayulita and the path to the top of Monkey Mountain is not clearly marked on where to go. We found a guide from booking on the Airbnb experiences section and met at a local surf shop. Alex was super nice and really cool to talk to. Per our request, we stopped for a fresh coconut water on the way back when we spotted a stand on the side of the road. If you choose to do the hike, the reward at the top is worth the sweat!

Well worth the hike up, but make sure you start early (we began the hike up at 7:30am and it was still very hot and humid). I would not attempt this hike in the afternoon unless you’re from a similar climate. The average North American or European should get going early. We took 2hrs 45 minutes with a guide (Eco Hike) so we took lots of stops to hear about the local flora and fauna (which I’d thoroughly recommend if you’re unfamiliar with a tropical environment). If you did it flat out and you’re fit, you could do it in two hours total. Wear proper walking shoes. Some of it towards the end is quite technical and you need to use your hands as well as your feet. If you’re nervous going down steep hills and you have walking poles, bring them. Bring at least a litre of water per person. Bugs aren’t too bad after October but I’d still wear bug repellant in November. Lots of shade on the way up so the sun isn’t too much of a consideration. Keep well away from the thorny trees as they’re covered in ants that bite you and this then encourages other ants to come for you. Our guide warned us thankfully but without him, there are at least two places I would have climbed over these trees and you can get in trouble quite quickly apparently. Quite a lot of large spiders around but none of them were venomous apparently. We didn’t see any snakes but again, whilst they’re many on the mountain, they’re nothing to be afraid of. It was a real highlight at the top to see not only the view but also the resident male coatimundi. He’s not shy of humans but will try and steal your possessions if you left them lying around when taking a break on the summit! He’s fully grown and they’re not an animal to trifle with. Don’t try and feed him and definitely don’t try and pet him or you may lose a finger! The trail is not suitable for strollers, young children or those who need significant help walking or climbing over rocks. You can park at the bottom of the trail for now, but there’s nowhere specific marked for you to do so. Overall, it was a great way to start the day!

Beautiful place it’s about an hour away from Puerto Vallarta. About an hour to hike to the top, it’s mostly uphill. So bring plenty of water and snacks.

Beautiful experience to be up there!! 100% recommended. Starting from the main square of Higuera blanca on Juan Escutia street. The road is marked so it's impossible to lose your way up. You need moderate condition to go up and a bit agile to climb rocks. Also, be respectful of nature and take your trash with you!! Good luck and enjoy!!

Going all the way up is 100% worth it and recommended. Gets a bit tricky by the end of it but nothing extremely hard.

This is a HARD hike but is definitely worth it!!! Is not necessary to be in shape (I am not) but I do recommend to go with a sporty mindset. Also you are going to get dirty so don’t worry about nice clothes for pictures. Here is a video of how to get there if you are traveling without a guide. Bring A LOT of water and some snacks or beer to enjoy with the view.

It was a tough intermediate hike. It would be easy to take a wrong turn. The trail isn't marked well and the 4 of us it was our first time. 6.73 km 1094 elevation gain

This trail entrance is up a dirt road with a large property to the left, after starting the trail you’ll end up on a road for a little while but eventually get back onto the trail. There was a decent amount of trash at the beginning but as you go up the mountain it becomes more secluded. There are directions on some large rocks so keep an eye out, overall the trail was not too hard to navigate. I’d recommend going with someone more experienced if you aren’t knowledgeable about the area.