Puerto Vallarta vs. Cabo San Lucas
The Best Destinations
When it comes to Mexican dream destinations, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas are usually two of the first places to come to mind. Both locales offer the bounteous sunshine, glimmering sands and magnificent marine backdrop that draws millions of visitors to their friendly shores every year. They are both exceptionally easy to navigate cities with highly walkable layouts, and both tantalize visitors with the delicious cuisine characteristic of culture in the country.
Of course, their respective locations give them each a different set of natural wonders. The contrast of arid desert panoramas against inviting seascapes is certainly intriguing, and the meeting of mountain, jungle and beach that forms the cradle for Puerto Vallarta has its own unique appeal. Nevertheless, a few differences in the visitor experience may help travelers decide which to visit first.
Weather: Draw
Both Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta enjoy placement in a tropical climate, with west coast Cabo and centralized Vallarta sharing over 200 sunny days on a yearly basis and temperatures that typically hover around the mid-80s on the Fahrenheit scale. Both locales also have a rainy season that brings increased precipitation between the months of July and September.
Cabo San Lucas does have slightly lower humidity than Puerto Vallarta, making for more consistently comfortable days during the country's warmest months. However, Puerto Vallarta's position in the Banderas Bay makes it less susceptible to major seaborne storms than Cabo San Lucas, which regularly experiences them as they pass across the Baja California Peninsula and continue into to Sea of Cortez.
This insular design contributes to lower interest in visitor transportation such as taxis in Cabo San Lucas when compared with other Mexican destinations. Drivers remain constantly at the ready for tourists, but make up for the relative lack of passenger volume with higher rates, which can exceed $75 USD for airport taxis compared with transport from the airport to most visitor accommodations in Puerto Vallarta, which is less than $10.
Value: Puerto Vallarta
Obviously, businesses in both cities typically transact using the peso, which offers a favorable exchange rate for many foreign visitors. However, Cabo San Lucas has an established reputation as a tourist-focused locale in the mold of Los Angeles or Vancouver, and as a result prices are typically a bit higher in Cabo San Lucas. Airfare to Cabo San Lucas is also somewhat higher than fares to Vallarta, and while the difference isn't extraordinary, it could definitely represent an additional souvenir or twoeven if that souvenir is the memory of a margarita.
Tourist Amenities: Cabo San Lucas
The fortress of high-end resorts and chain hotels that form the most popularly visited parts of Cabo San Lucas are difficult to match for giving visitors a familiar experience, being home to multiple large malls and a number of popular establishments from America and Canada including McDonald's, Starbucks and Wal-Mart. All-inclusive resorts dominate the area, and most tourists will have no need to leave their accommodations once they arrive in the city.
This insular design contributes to lower interest in visitor transportation such as taxis in Cabo San Lucas when compared with other Mexican destinations. Drivers remain constantly at the ready for tourists, but make up for the relative lack of passenger volume with higher rates, which can exceed $75 USD for airport taxis compared with transport from the airport to most visitor accommodations in Puerto Vallarta, which is less than $10.
This insular design contributes to lower interest in visitor transportation such as taxis in Cabo San Lucas when compared with other Mexican destinations. Drivers remain constantly at the ready for tourists, but make up for the relative lack of passenger volume with higher rates, which can exceed $75 USD for airport taxis compared with transport from the airport to most visitor accommodations in Puerto Vallarta, which is less than $10.
Safety: Puerto Vallarta
The good news is that both destinations are well known as being havens for safe tourist enjoyment, boasting advanced infrastructures as well as dedicated tourist police forces. Both destinations are also protected at a federal level in an effort to promote tourism. The only major safety issue concerns some of the beaches in Cabo San Lucas, which are not recommended for swimming due to dangerous environmental factors including the rough surf.
Mexican Culture: Puerto Vallarta
While Cabo San Lucas does retain some of its cultural character in its evolution into the country's premier destination for tourists, Puerto Vallarta's rich history and continuing diversity can deliver a much more authentic slice of life in Mexico. Puerto Vallarta is located in the Mexican state of Jalisco, birthplace of iconic Mexican originals such as tequila, mariachi music, and more.
The city is the hometown of the country's most famed artist, the iconic Manuel Lepe, who earned the title Artist of Mexico during his life. Puerto Vallarta is home to historic Old Town as well, which serves as a time capsule of the city origins as a small fishing village paved with cobblestone streets. Another exclusive regional amenity offered by Puerto Vallarta is its spectacular wildlife cycles, as the city is a stopping point on whale and dolphin migration paths as well as a central sea turtle birthplace.
Choosing between Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta is so difficult because either choice is an excellent decision. Both destinations deliver the idyllic image of beach life along with world class fishing and watersports. They also present a preferable exchange rate compared to other vacation destinations in North America, making them preferred destinations for visitors from the United States and Canada.
The major difference between them is that Cabo San Lucas focuses on tourists who simply want a low effort escape from the everyday while the Puerto Vallarta area offers a more diverse look at Mexican life along with its seaside panoramas. The area is also home to a more extensive range of wildlife, making it an attractive choice for nature lovers as well.
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