Puerto Vallarta Dream Vacation

The Swim with the Dolphins program at the Dolphin Center in Nuevo Vallarta was a fabulous experience. Several years ago, I had done a dolphin encounter program in Bermuda – but this experience far outranked that one.

The program begins with all of the participants sitting on stools in a sheltered area next to the dolphin pool. One of our hosts introduced all of the dolphins to the group and told us their names, ages, sex, etc. (Although there was only one male dolphin, there were two baby dolphins and several more of the dolphins were pregnant!). We then put on headsets and listened to an audio presentation about the evolution of dolphins while watching them swim around in the dolphin pool. We also had the opportunity to observe the group from the dolphin encounter having their time with the dolphins.

Afterwards, we all had a quick outdoor shower to remove any sunscreen or lotions from our skin, and were advised to remove any watches, rings, etc., that might scratch the dolphins. We were all given life vests to wear, and the group was then split into two smaller groups and placed on either side of the pool. Each smaller group (of, I think, 12 people maximum) had three dolphins to themselves. We all jumped into the water with the dolphins and spent probably around 20 minutes just stroking and rubbing the dolphins while they swam slowly around us. The dolphins then did some tricks in the water for us, and we each had our pictures taken in couples or singles while dolphins "kissed us." The highlight of the program was when each of us got to be pulled along by the dolphins in the water. (The dolphins were on their back, and we had to hook our hands on their fins while they swam backwards through the water, pulling us the length of the pool). At the end, all of the participants lined up at the end of the pool while the six dolphins did some finale tricks.

I loved the entire experience. The only drawback was that the water was saltwater, so it stung my eyes when the dolphins were splashing around. Plus, it was probably not the cleanest water in the world. However, that was a small price to pay for one of the highlights of my trip. After showering off and changing, we were able to view the video of our experience. They offered both VHS tapes ($36) and DVD ($42) for sale. They also offered the photos from the dolphin "kiss" for sale.

On the day that we participated (me, my husband, my sister, and her husband), there were only adults participating. While the website says that children can participate, I think that the size of the dolphins might be intimidating for many children. Plus, there's the problem of stinging eyes from the saltwater. However, I’m sure that for an older or adventurous child, it would be an absolute thrill.

The Canopy Tour was an experience that came highly recommended both by friends who live in Puerto Vallarta and by a colleague who did the tour while on vacation in PV. My feelings are a bit mixed on the canopy tour. My husband, sister and brother-in-law all loved it. I’m scared of heights, so I was proud that I did it, but also quite relieved when it was all over.

The Canopy Tour adventure began at the Vallarta Adventures office in Marina Vallarta. From there our group was loaded onto the back of a truck for the hour-long ride up to the mountains. The ride provided an opportunity to see a bit of the countryside, as well as the homes of some of the less advantaged citizens of the area – certainly a contrast from the beautiful downtown and resorts of PV.

Eventually we arrived in the mountains at the Canopy Tour operations. They had lockers to place our belongings in and several guides who got us all suited up for the tour. Let’s just say that the safety helmets and gear do nothing to enhance anyone’s looks! Our group was then introduced to our Canopy guides and given an overview of what we were about to do, the equipment we were using, what we needed to do, and what not to do (like touch the equipment).

Warning: once you leave from the first platform, there is no getting down, going back or stopping. The tour is basically like sliding along long clotheslines from tree to tree. The lines are of various lengths and speeds and your height above the ground varies too. You are in a harness and are clipped to the lines so there’s no way you can fall; but you need to control your speed with your hand so you don’t arrive too quickly onto the platform and knock over the guide. On two occasions we had to walk across hanging metal walkways between trees (they sway and there’s only a little line to hold onto). To me, that was the scariest part of the whole experience. The finale is rappelling 80 feet down from the last platform to the ground. Again, there is no other way to get down; so you have to do it whether you want to or not.

At the end of the tour we had to hike back up hill about 10 minutes to the tour building where we were released from all our safety gear and given free water, fruit and cookies. They also had beer and chips for sale at very reasonable prices. The guide then showed us some of the highlights from the video/DVD of the experience that we could buy ($US36 for VHS; US$42 for the DVD). We bought one so we could prove to everyone back home how brave (crazy?) we were. It was a great day, great experience and one I'd recommend.