Ecotours Vallarta / Dive Shop — Local services in Jalisco

There is one thing this tour sells their "experience" on and it's the "possibility" that you'll get to the hidden beach. This is far from reality, see below.

After the tour I chatted with a local whom understands how each tour works. In order to get to the hidden beach you need a special license. Ecotours does NOT have this license. They SAY they DO, do not let them fool you. Yes, there is a limit on how many people are allowed to the beach each day, BUT other companies are GUARANTEED to get in because they have a license.

Ecotours pays the coast guards posted in their boats by the island every month or so $1,000-$2,000 pesos to allow one of their guests in. Yes, this is how shady they really are, so they can say you have a "possibility" to get to the beach, when you really don't. Yes, this is Mexico and this business has found a loophole to reel in tourists by spending an extra $50 USD once a month illegally to a coast guard. Let me repeat this again, ECOTOURS DOES NOT HAVE A LICENSE, BUT THEY SAY THEY DO. This is directly from the mouth of a tour specialist that works with them and each tour company. He broke down how the entire system works, exposing Ecotours.

Also, Ecotours went back and forth to the coast guards during our tour pretending to chat with them about the "limit". My girlfriend speaks Spanish and translated the convo. This "talk" was purely a show when other boats pulled up directly to the hidden beach access point and swam straight in. Why? Because they have a license! From the moment they left the docks they had access & blew right by the coast guards! Didn't even look at them let alone talk to them! It doesn't happen at the island like Ecotours says.

Food - Ok, aside from the beach scam - if you're paying $110 per person for a boat ride shouldn't you get quality food and drinks? Expect a stale, cold Mexican torta and soda cans. The food is horrible.

Snorkeling - you can literally pay a boat $25 USD per person to take you to these islands with unlimited alcohol and good food. This is all Ecotours does BTW - is drive you 2 hours to go snorkeling! You're paying $110 per person to go snorkeling.

If you're good with flushing your money down the toilet then go ahead, but this business has found a loop hole by bribing the coast guards to let 1-2 people in every month or so for their reviews to drag more tourists into their trap. I am extremely well traveled and this was the biggest sham I ever experienced.

Also, I called them and told them I felt ripped off, where they had a laundry list of excuses for everything! Cintia was on the phone and when I told her regardless of what other companies are charging, I should feel like I had an amazing experience for $110 per person and I didn't. I gave them an opportunity to make it right and she kept deferring to the owner in the background who was coaching her through excuses. Cracked me up how rehearsed this was.

Book elsewhere, and pay for the guaranteed beach access that other companies have along with paddle boards, kayaks, snorkeling, breakfast AND lunch, free alcohol. This place is a bumpy boat ride with stale food & a possibility to bribe the coast guards for beach access to make 1 person on the boat feel like their money was well spent.

I work hard for my money as much as you all do, spend it where...

Had the privilege of doing a bird watching tour with Michael to La Desembocada and Ameca River. The group was a small one of only 4 people, made up of a mix of bird watching experience. Michael did a great job keeping everyone engaged, ensuring the newer birders were not discouraged, but also trying hard to find (and succeed!) some lifers for the more experienced in the group. The trip started at 7am from the offices and we were whisked about in a comfortable air conditioned van. After a quick coffee stop and fairly short drive we reached a dry river bed just outside La Desembocada. The early morning meant temperatures were mild and we took a short but very productive amble up the river and around and back to the van. This walk yielded over 30 species. After a short drive further into the forest, we stopped again for an even shorter walk. Good planning on part of Michael ensured that we did this walk later as the sun was up and it was getting warmer, but we were mostly in the shade. Although the second walk was very short, it took longer as there was more activity in both the undergrowth and canopy. By the time were got back to the van we had upped the list for the day to well over 50. We then drove to the mangroves around the mouth of the Ameca river. Here we were out in the open looking at shorebirds and various herons and egrets. With the diversity of habitat we got over 80 species of bird by the end of the day, including some most of the common specials of the area. Michael had us back at the office around 4pm. Overall a great day out and well worth doing both for those who enjoy a day out in nature with some interest in birds and for those with a much deeper knowledge and expectations of all things avian. Michael was an excellent guide, knowing not only the birds, but so much more about the fauna and flora of this part of Mexico, and was gracious enough to share a little of his personal experiences with us. Highly...

We took a birding tour on 1/26/24 with Cynthia as our guide and just one other guest. She had been our guide on a whale watch last year. That tour was so wonderful and informative that we were thrilled to have her leading us on the bird tour. She was a fountain of knowledge on not just birds, but basically any question we had on the area. She stopped along the way at a local roadside stand and purchased coffee and several stuffed breads for all of us that had been freshly baked in a wood fired oven. The sweet potato and coconut varieties we had were so delicious on a chilly morning start. When we arrived at one of several stops, she used her keen eye and encyclopedic birding knowledge to point out so many species, many of which I couldn't even see, though she tried her best to help us. We joked that she had bionic vision, pointing out tiny birds hidden in bushes and sharing the view from her scope. She was so friendly and kind, providing snacks and drinks, stopping whenever one of us saw something interesting along the way. Though we missed many of the ones she spotted, I was still able to get a bunch of pics of birds I had never seen. Can't recommend Cynthia and Ecotours highly enough. You definitely get your money's worth. She even spotted several lizards sunning themselves in tree tops that we would have surely missed. Cynthia is everything you want in a tour guide, a fountain of knowledge and a friendly guide to help you locate those hard to find birds you'd very hard pressed to spot on your own. She even stopped on the way back at a lovely little local restaurant and bought us a delicious snack of chips, home made guacamole and a cold beer on a hot day. Really hit the spot. Fantastic tour and highly recommended. We will be repeat customers on every return trip to...