La Tovara Jungle
Cruise
Departs 7 AM - - - - - - - - 8 Hrs
Your excursion to La Tovara begins with an
early morning drive through the mango and banana plantations of coastal Nayarit,
with views of Mantachen Bay and the Sierra Madre Mountains.
Within 50 yards of leaving the dock, your
boatman takes you through canyons of overhanging mangroves, with roots that seem
to be reaching to touch the boat.
We always arrive early enough to avoid the
tour buses from Puerto Vallarta, so we can stop and enjoy each new view of
orchid, or water lily, identify the sleeping owl and water birds, with the help
of your personal guide and bird expert, Armando. Once clear of
the mangroves we follow the course of the river lined with tall grasses to the
river's source, a series of fresh water springs.
Our first stop is the Cocodrilario Las Palmas,
where with government help and the 
contribution of tourism, the endangered
American Crocodile in this area is being restored by the local community through
an active breeding program. While the captive animals are held here in cages, it
is very likely that during the trip you will see some wild crocodiles sunning
themselves along the banks of the river.
We stop for breakfast at the main spring at
La Tovara, with a small restaurant facility overlooking the freshwater pool full
of turtles and fish. Swimming is encouraged, and the crystal clear waters allow
for wonderful views of the aquatic life.
After the return boat ride, happily passing
the tourists who will now crowd the areas we had in private, we drive into the
historic city of San Blas. Our first stop will be the Fort of San Blas, which
overlooks the city as well as the estuaries and the Bay of Mantachen, and gives
a vista all the way to the great tree at Punta El Custodio, some 20 miles to
the south.
Spending
an
hour or so in the town itself, with its quaint square and churches, a seafood
market, and often Cora and Huichol artisans with their crafts on display, we
lunch at one of the fine restaurants around the square.
Your guide Armando will explain the historical significance of this port
city, The Port of San Blas was founded in the 17th Century by the Spaniards, and
soon became the most important shipyard in the Pacific. From San Blas, the fleet
that was to explore Alaska and that evangelized the Californias, sailed out of
port. Fray Junipero Serra established seventeen missions in California, thus San
Blas becoming the origin of the founders of that State in North America.