Best restaurants and tours

We are most looking forward to the dunebuggy rides. My parents did this last year on their trip and they couldn't stop raving about how fun it was. My mom also noted that the mechanic was hot- you know, for the single ladies.

 

Morgan,

Out of curiosity, is it mal-treatment? I have never been interested in doing this but it will break my heart if the poor dolphins are treated poorly.

Yes, It is cruel to the dolphins. I'm not criticizing anyone who has done it, because they probably just didn't know the truth about it. I'm just encouraging people to looking into so they don't make the mistake of doing it if they would have regretted it. I am glad someone stopped me from doing it. It's very misleading that swimming with dolphin programs advertise themselves as eco friendly. They act like they are providing dolphin education & having these programs because of their love of dolphins. They wouldn't sell tickets I guess if they told the truth that they are simply exploiting the animals because they can make a lot of money doing it.

There are several things wrong with it. One is that the way they capture the dolphins is violent & usually results in killing some. The dolphins are usually not kept in proper conditions with enough space. They are incredibly intelligent animals & need more complex environments. A gold fish is probably happy in a small bowl, but dolphins usually show signs or boredom or stress.

Here are some links.

Swimming with dolphins: dream or nightmare?

Arguments against captivity

There is really no proper swim with dolphins program. Some advertise that they are open water and therefor ok. But, they have just trained the dolphins to become dependent on the food they throw from the boat.

There are some great dolphin watching & whale watching companies that keep the animals best interest in mind. I plan on doing that instead someday.

Anyway, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm getting on a soapbox about this. It just really upsets me to see places like Xcaret call themselves eco friendly & then see they have a swim with the dolphins program.

LC_Rachel- where are you doing the dunebuggy rides? That sounds like a blast!

Discounts on Dune Buggy Tours in Puerto Vallarta
Here's the company they used. Apparently you go through parts of town then up into the jungle. They said they got totally soaked going through a stream but it was a blast. You do a tequila tasting and then head back to the starting point. HAHA only in Mexico would you taste tequila then dune buggy back.

We are all so excited to do this.

No thanks for the soapbox Morgan. I think it's important for people to know what they are endorsing. Cruelty to animals is very sad. I'd rather ride the dune buggies and do zip lines.

That looks like a blast!

Is see they even throw in a bandana

Includes: Goggles, Bandana, Professional Guides

I've done the canopy tour with Vallarta Adventures - which is how I found out about Las Caletas. The canopy tour was great!

 

The one thing I didn't count on was how high up. Sounds silly but once I was up in the tree, I kind of freaked out. Got over it pretty fast and loved every minute of it, but wasn't exactly "prepared" to be so high in the sky. Most fun!

I am totally doing this the day before I get married in LC. We are planning this as a group tour...I am so excited!