Between lush mountains, quiet and almost virgin beaches and an impressive landscape is located Barra de Navidad, a small fishing port that on December 25, 1540
It was discovered by Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza and named Puerto de la Natividad in honor of the day of his arrival, although throughout its history it has received others, such as Puerto de Jalisco, Puerto de Juan Gallego, Puerto de Purificación, Puerto del Espiritu Santo, Puerto de Cihuatlán and Barra de Navidad, as it is known to this day. Right here begins the famous Costalegre, a region of the Mexican Pacific that stretches from just before Puerto Vallarta. In our days, Barra de Navidad has increased its population and tourism, largely thanks to the construction of the Guadalajara-Manzanillo highway.
FRIDAY
18:00
The port is quite changed since I last visited it. Arrival at the Hotel & Marina Cabo Blanco, in Armada and Puerto de la Navidad s / n. Then, I go for a walk towards the center of town and stop at a traditional taqueria in the port, Los Pitufos, and return to the hotel with a view to recovering my spirits for tomorrow.
SATURDAY
7:00
To contemplate the wonderful spectacle of the sunrise it is necessary to move to the neighboring town of Melaque, just five km away. There we go to the PANORAMIC MALECÓN DE PUNTA MELAQUE, from where you can see the entire Christmas Bay.
After contemplating the prodigy of a new day, I walk along the quiet beach of golden gray sand and a gentle slope on which I see the ruins of the Hotel Melaque, one of the best in the region a few years ago and which was destroyed as a result After the 1995 earthquake. Almost without realizing it, I arrive at El Dorado, a pleasant seaside restaurant to have breakfast, as the rest of the day will be busy.
10:00
The local temple is quite modest, but its interior catches my attention, whose main altar is decorated with paintings very in the style of the coast, since we see Christ between the rudders of ships and various seascapes.
11:00
From Melaque I head towards the PLAYA DE CUASTECOMATE, just three km from the Barra-Melaque junction. There we are offered in unison the view of the jungle, the beach, the islets and the pointed rocks that emerge from the sea as if wanting to touch the sky, forming a unique natural spectacle.
Cuastecomate is a small beach barely 250 m long and 20 m wide, but despite its small size it is an excellent place for water sports, such as snorkeling, swimming and / or renting a small pedal boat to navigate by the protected bay.
13:00
After a good dip in Cuastecomate, return to Barra de Navidad to take a boat at the dock of the Cooperativa de Servicios Turisticos "Miguel López de Legazpi" and take a walk through LAGUNA DE NAVIDAD and thus discover the impressive marina of the GRAND hotel BAY on Isla Navidad, or the shrimp farm inside the lagoon, or if we are already hungry, get to the place known as COLIMILLA, where delicious dishes with fish and shellfish are prepared right on the shore of the lagoon. Here, you can also practice sport fishing and obtain various species such as mullet, snapper, snook and mojarra, among others.
16:00
Having recovered from the enchilada, I decide to visit the PARISH OF SAN ANTONIO, on whose main altar is the very unique sculpture known as THE CHRIST OF THE CYCLONE or CHRIST OF THE FALLEN ARMS. Legend has it that at dawn on September 1, 1971, Cyclone Lily struck the population of Barra de Navidad with great force and many people took refuge in the solidly structured parish. The local survivors of the catastrophe say that before the prayers of the crowd, suddenly, the Christ lowered his arms and almost instantly the strong winds and rain miraculously ceased. The most surprising thing is that the image, made of paste, did not suffer any blow or has traces of humidity, while the arms remain hanging, as if held by a prodigy.
Right in front of the parish there is a replica of the Santa Cruz del Astillero. The original cross was placed in that same place in 1557 by Don Hernando Botello, Mayor of the Autlán Valley, to protect the builders of the boats that led Don Miguel López de Legazpi and Fray Andrés de Urdaneta to the conquest and colonization of Philippines The replica was placed in November 2000, according to a metal plate at the foot of the cross.
17:00
I continue walking north until I reach the monument that commemorates the IV centenary of the First Maritime Expedition that left this port with the purpose of conquering the Philippine Islands, under the command of Don Miguel López de Legazpi and Andrés de Urdaneta, on the 21st of November 1564.
I run into the entrance to the PANORAMIC MALECÓN “GRAL. MARCELINO GARCÍA BARRAGÁN ”, inaugurated on November 16, 1991 and from where you have a spectacular view of the bay of Navidad and the lagoon of the same name, separated only by the bar that gives its name to the town and on which the pier. On the west side and almost in the middle of the walkway there is a bronze sculpture dedicated to Triton, one of the marine deities, and to Nereida, a nymph who personifies the game of the waves and is very similar to the one found on the boardwalk. from Puerto Vallarta. It is said that this sculptural group is a symbol of the great tourist and natural attractions that COSTALEGRE has.
I walk to the end of the boardwalk, right on the physical junction of the lagoon and the bay and from where you can see the ISLA NAVIDAD, whose real name is Peñón de San Francisco, since it is not really an island, but the custom and tourism has made it known that way. Access to ISLA DE NAVIDAD can be done from one of the Barra docks or by road, along a path that is shortly after leaving Cihuatlán.
SUNDAY
8:00
As they have told me a lot about the surroundings, I made an appointment by phone with the staff of the EL TAMARINDO ecotourism complex to meet them. Located 20 km north of Barra de Navidad, it is an extraordinary and exclusive tourist development immersed in the green setting of a protected jungle. Among the sidewalks of the place we suddenly came across badgers, raccoons, deer and countless animals in perfect coexistence with visitors.
This tourist development has three beaches –DORADA, MAJAHUA AND TAMARINDO–, a professional golf course, whose hole 9 has an impressive view of the sea; tennis club, horse riding center, 150 ha corridor including a wildlife reserve, beach club, natural marina and yacht club.
10:00
Just three km from El Tamarindo there is a deviation that leads to the town of LA MANZANILLA, with its long and rustic beach two km long and 30 m wide. In this place, familiar par excellence, you can practice sailing and renting the famous bananas, and going a little further into the open sea, go fishing to obtain, with a bit of luck, a red snapper, a snook or a snapper.
The main attraction of La Manzanilla is the environment, made up of the mangroves and the arm of a river that together form the Estero de la Manzanilla, and which makes possible the existence of a large number of caimans, which given the proximity of the Estero with the population allows you to observe them from a fairly safe place.
A few km from La Manzanilla is BOCA DE IGUANAS, a beach of fine light gray sand with a gentle slope, but with very variable waves, regularly strong, as it is a portion of open sea. Although there is no town here, you can rent horses and boats, and a hotel and two or three trailer parks are located, which makes it ideal for camping, meditation and retreat, as long as we are aware of how dangerous it is. it can turn out to get into the sea if we don't know how to swim well.
12:00
On the way north from Costalegre I get to LOS ANGELES LOCOS, an extensive beach over a km long and 40 m wide, with gentle waves and a large expanse of palm trees. Its main attraction is the Hotel Punta Serena, exclusively for people over 18 years of age, with a gym, SPA and a series of beautiful jacuzzis located on top of the cliffs that surround the hotel. After about 12 km you reach the beautiful bay of Tenacatita, which is said to be one of the few places where you can see the sunrise and sunset from the sea side. Along the beach there are countless branches that offer restaurant service and banana and jet-ski rentals.
After having a cold drink in one of the arches and taking a cool dip in the crystal clear waters of the bay, I rent a boat to take the LA VENA DE TENACATITA ride, a ride that lasts an hour and takes you to the point where the estuary meets the sea.
15:00
Although I still have the courage to continue touring this part of the coastline, I am heading back to my point of origin with the concern of returning very soon to this part of the exotic Mexican Pacific: Barra de Navidad and its Costalegre Jalisco.
