Day Trips to Rural Sinaloa
Day Trip information and maps español 17 recommended fun day trips in Rural Sinaloa near Mazatlán!
North of Mazatlán Day Trips
El Quelite | La Noria | Meseta Cacaxtla Barras Piaxtla
Las Labradas Petroglyphs | San Ignacio | Lake El Salto
Cosala | Reserva Nuestra Señora Mundo Natural
Victoria de Durango, Durango State
South of Mazatlán Day Trips
Concordia | Copala | El Rosario | Playa el Caimanero
Teacapan and Playa Espiritu
Islands near Mazatlán
Stone Island | Deer Island - Goat Island (Ecotourism)
Bird Island (Ecotourism)
One of the great things about Mazatlan is the range and diversity of fun day trips that visitors can enjoy. Whether by private car, guided tour, hired taxi or auriga, boat or bus, possibilities for day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa and the Colonial Pueblo Magico nestled within its beautiful Sierra Madre Mountains are numerous, and easy and fun day trips are simple to plan.
The links above to the 17 popular destinations described below are just some of the beautiful places in Rural Sinaloa that can be easily accessed by day trip from Mazatlan Mexico. Each of our recommended day trips have driving directions and a map that can be downloaded from this website.
We have organized our Mazatlan day trips geographically: day trips north of Mazatlan; trips south; and boat excursions to nearby islands.
Our North and South day trips are ordered from the shortest to the longest trips in either direction.
General note on highway signage
• When beginning Mazatlan day trips exiting exiting NORTH on Highway 15 the signs will point to "Culiacan", the State capital. If you reach Culiacan you have gone WAY to far north for any of these day trips, turn around...
• When beginning Mazatlan day trips exiting SOUTH on highway 15 follow the signs to "Aeropuerto" or "Tepic". You will simply pass the airport on your way to any of our southern day trips. If you reach Tepic, again, you have gone WAY to far south, turn around, or consider your hotel options in Puerto Vallarta...
But before you start driving, just groove to the happy people of Sinaloa that you're going to meet on your day trip!
Happy Sinaloa video with music by Pharrell Williams
NORTH OF MAZATLÁN
DAY TRIPSEl Quelite | La Noria | Meseta Cacaxtla and Barras Piaxtla (Ecotourism)
Las Labradas Petroglyphs | San Ignacio | Lake El Salto
Cosala | Reserva Nuestra Señora Mundo Natural
Victoria de Durango, Durango State
El QueliteMORE ABOUT EL QUELITE DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
North / 23 miles each way
El Quelite, Sinaloa, Mexico is located just a short 40 minute drive north of Mazatlan, and a visit to El Quelite is one of the easiest and most enjoyable Mazatlan day trips!Excursions to El Quelite take you to a very picturesque town full of colorful houses; leafy streets; boutique art and craft galleries; and great restaurants like top rated El Meson de Los Laureanos that serve traditional Rural Sinaloa food in lovingly restored historic El Quelite buildings.
The El Quelite community takes deserved pride in its beautiful restoration of El Quelite's landmark Sinaloan buildings. The restoration of El Quelite's historic buildings and their transformation into lovely art galleries and excellent traditional Sinaloan restaurants -- and the authenticity of the town -- make El Quelite one of the best Mazatlan day trips, and arguably the most popular.
More about El Quelite day trips
FREE EL QUELITE DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
La NoriaMORE ABOUT LA NORIA DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
North / 23 miles each way
La Noria, Sinaloa, Mexico is a lovely colonial mountain village located just 40 minutes northeast of Mazatlan, and a day trip to La Noria from Mazatlan is an experience that you will long remember.La Noria is an excellent place to go to experience real rural Mexico, with cowboys, rodeos, the antique church of San Antonio, and lovely adobe houses.
Home to La Vinata Los Osuna, the largest Blue Agave plantation and the oldest tequila distillery in Sinaloa state, La Noria is certainly on every list of most popular Mazatlan day trips.
More about La Noria day trips
FREE LA NORIA DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
Meseta Cacaxtla / Barras PiaxtlaABOUT MESETA CACAXTLA AND BARRAS PIAXTLA
Day trips from Mazatlan to Sinaloa ecotourism destinations
North / 43 miles each way
Meseta de Cacaxtla is considered by many to be the Mecca of ecotourism in Sinaloa -- and for good reason -- and Barras de Piaxtla is a lovely fishing village where you can comfortably stay overnight in this eco-paradise!The enormous Meseta de Cacaxtla eco-reserve -- over 125,000 acres -- is one of the largest protected ecosystems in Mexico, and one of the most diverse. It is a top rated destination for birders worldwide who travel to Sinaloa to observe the hundreds of species that live in the reserve.
Meseta de Cacaxtla is home to a very large range of flora and fauna, including deer and even wild jaguar!
Barras de Piaxtla is a fishing village located at the northwest corner of the Meseta de Cacaxtla eco-reserve, and has many charms including its beautiful beaches and huge swarms of pelicans and other sea birds.
More about Barras de Pixatla / Meseta de Cacaxtla
FREE BARRAS DE PIXATLA / MESETA DE CACAXTLA DAY TRIP MAP | ALL SINALOA MAPS
Las LabradasMORE ABOUT LAS LABRADAS DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
North / 45 miles each way
Once one of the least discovered Mazatlan day trips, Las Labradas is definitely on the eco-tourism map, and for good reason!Las Labradas is located little more than an hour north of Mazatlan on the Sinaloa coast near the fishing village of Barras de Piaxtla.
Mazatlan day trips to Las Labradas will put you on a fantastically beautiful beach with black rocks which contain petroglyphs -- stones with ancient symbolic carvings -- that reflect the spiritual life of pre-colonial Mexico.
The petroglyphs at Las Labradas were made by the ancestors of the indigenous Indians that the Spanish Conquistadors, encountered when they first entered Sinaloa in 1531, and are beautiful ancient artistic expressions of the pre-Columbian people of our state.
Something truly unique among our recommended day trips around Mazatlan, at Las Labradas you can combine a top rated Mazatlan day trip to a undiscovered beach -- despite the newfound popularity, the Las Labradas beach is often virtually completely deserted, you will probably have it all to yourself -- with an art tour of pre-Columbian Mexico!
More about Las Labradas day trips
FREE LAS LABRADAS DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
San IgnacioMORE ABOUT SAN IGNACIO DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
North / 63 miles each way
San Ignacio, Sinaloa, is a beautiful Rural Sinaloa town of nearly 30,000 located on the edge of the Los Frailes Range in the Sierra Madre mountains little more than 60 miles north of Mazatlan.As you enter San Ignacio through its classic welcome gate you cross a bridge over the Rio Ajoya -- and time rolls back several centuries!
This popular day trip provides a relaxed atmosphere that can be felt when you walk through the streets lined with classic Colonial French and Spanish buildings; visit San Ignacio's lovely walled Catholic church on Constitution Square; or tour Constitution Square itself, the lushly landscaped heart of the town.
More about San Ignacio day trips
FREE SAN IGNACIO DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
Lake El SaltoMORE ABOUT LAKE EL SALTO DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
North / 78.5 miles each way
For some people a visit to Lake El Salto is a day trip. For Bass fishermen it is usually more like a pilgrimage.Lake El Salto is a scenic watershed and Bass fishing paradise located in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains that was formed by the damming of the Elota River in 1986 to ensure water supplies for agriculture.
Lake El Salto is one of the most consistently top rated Bass fishing lakes in the world, and one of the most popular fishing destinations for anglers, worldwide.
The lake has a maximum depth of about 140 feet and averages over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Covering over 25,000 acres during the rainy season, Lake El Salto is less than 80 miles from Mazatlan; about 20 miles inland from the coast and approximately 550 feet above sea level.
The water at Lake El Salto is crystal clear.
More about Lake El Salto day trips
FREE LAKE EL SALTO DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
CosalaMORE ABOUT COSALA DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
North / 99 miles each way
Slightly further afield than our other recommended Mazatlan day trips (99 miles), Cosala, Sinaloa, Mexico is a remarkable mining town that dates from 1550, and one of the most spectacular of the day trips around Mazatlan Mexico.
Cosala is nestled in the Sierra Madre mountains, and is without doubt one of the most beautiful villages in Sinaloa State, and one of the best Mazatlan day trips, and one of the most popular!
More about Cosala day trips
FREE COSALA DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
Nuestra Señora Mundo NaturalABOUT RESERVA NUESTRA SENORA
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
North / 107 miles each way
Located just eight miles to the east of Cosala -- and under two miles from the Durango State border -- this ecological paradise encompasses over 13,000 acres of unspoiled tropical deciduous forest and associated micro-ecosystems.Bisected by the El Habal river, Reserva Nuestra Señora Mundo Natural is home to a breathtaking variety of plants and animals including a profusion of bird species including the endangered Green Macaw. The reserve is a mecca for wildlife watching and nature photography, and everyone from hardcore archaeology enthusiasts to casual day trippers marvel at the ancient petroglyphs that are found along the El Habal river within the sanctuary.
More about Reserva Nuestra Señora Mundo Natural
RESERVA MUNDO NATURAL DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
DurangoMORE ABOUT DURANGO DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Victoria de Durango
North / 140 miles each way
Durango -- formally Victoria de Durango -- is located roughly 140 miles northeast of Mazatlan in Durango State.
Until late 2013 the drive from Mazatlan to Durango usually took the better part of eight hours, so day trips were impossible. The opening of the new Mexican Federal Highway 40D toll road has shortened that drive to under three hours, and made this spectacular colonial city vastly more accessible to residents and visitors in Mazatlan.
The drive itself is an amazing tour through the spectacularly rugged Sierra Madre Occidental mountains, and what awaits you when you get there is even more amazing!
Now a popular destination for Mazatlecos, seasonal residents and tourists, Durango has become a top rated destination city whose charms are just now being discovered!
More about Durango day trips
FREE DURANGO DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
SOUTH OF MAZATLÁN
DAY TRIPSConcordia | Copala | El Rosario | Playa el Caimanero | Teacapan
ConcordiaMORE ABOUT CONCORDIA DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
South / 26 miles each way
Concordia -- formerly known as San Sebastian -- is an extremely old community, and a very popular Mazatlan day trip in the 21st century!Founded in 1565 by a Spanish Conquistador, Francisco de Ibarra, Concordia, Sinaloa, is located little more than a hour drive southeast of Mazatlan, and makes for a perfect day trip.
Mazatlan day trips to Concordia take you upward into the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains, past coconut, mango and banana plantations.
Day trip visitors to Concordia enjoy the quiet Sinaloan village atmosphere, and find ample opportinity to shop at Concordia's many top rated artisan workshops that include not only furniture, but hand crafted pottery, jewelry, and much more.
Visit this popular Mazatlan day trip destination and experience for yourself why it is consistently so highly recommended!
More about Concordia day trips
FREE CONCORDIA DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
CopalaMORE ABOUT COPALA DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
South / 39 miles each way
Copala, Sinaloa, Mexico was also founded in 1565 -- the same year as Concordia -- and for the same reason: mining.One of our very best Mazatlan day trips, today Copala is a lovely place -- a mix of colonial architecture, stunning mountain views, cobble-stone streets and most of all, tranquility.
Located in a valley in the foothills of Sierra Madre Mountains, the area was ruled by indigenous peoples until 1564 when Francisco de Ibarra crossed the Sierra Madre Occidental from Durango and conquered the area around Copala for Spain.
Just a year later -- in 1565 -- Spanish prospectors discovered silver veins in the Sinaloa hills surrounding present-day Copala, and the town was founded to serve the mines. Copala was named after a mythical city of gold for which Ibarra had unsuccessfully searched in northern Mexico.
One of our very best Mazatlan day trips, Copala isn't really popular -- but the tranquility is part of the charm.
More about Copala day trips
FREE COPALA DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS
|ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPSEl RosarioMORE ABOUT EL ROSARIO DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
South / 40 miles each way
El Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico is located 40 miles southeast of Mazatlan, and is one of the easiest and most popular Mazatlan day trips.Founded on August 3, 1655, El Rosario was for nearly 250 years the most important mining town in Sinaloa state, and one of the richest towns in all of Northwest Mexico.
According to legend, the El Rosario silver mines were accidentally discovered by a farmer chasing a cow.
When word got out that there was a major precious metals discovery, miners came to El Rosario from all over Mexico, and El Rosario was on its way to becoming one of the wealthies communities in the Americas.
El Rosario is a designated Pueblo Magico and has numerous tourist attractions including its magnificent church, Nuestra Señora del Rosario with its fantastic gilded altar and the unique Lola Beltrán museum.
Known for its many craftsmen-artisans who produce top rated pottery, furniture, and leather products, these high quality locally produced Mexican arts and crafts are widely available in El Rosario -- at very good prices -- and are a popular reason visitors to Mazatlan make day trips to El Rosario. For larger items such as furniture, virtually all El Rosario merchants can arrange economical delivery to Mazatlan.
One of our best and most popular Mazatlan day trips, don't miss a visit to El Rosario on your next trip to Mazatlan!
More about El Rosario day trips
FREE EL ROSARIO DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
Playa el CaimaneroMORE ABOUT PLAYA EL CAIMANERO
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
South / 41 miles each way
Playa el Caimanero is a beautiful unspoiled Sinaloa beach that provides breathtaking tranquility most days of the year.
On weekends and holidays this beach becomes very popular with Mexican families, and you may have to share paradise, but that only assures more vendors of really great stuff to eat!
There are two ways to drive from Mazatlan to Playa el Caimanero -- the shorter coastal route is just 41 miles, the slightly longer inland route takes you through El Rosario -- but either way, you won't be disappointed!
It is also worth noting that both routes from Mazatlan to Play el Caimanero (see additional info below and / or download .pdf) take you through Villa Union, home of top rated Cuchupetas Restaurant where they serve some of the finest seafood anywhere in the world!
More about Playa El Caimanero day trips
FREE PLAYA EL CAIMANERO DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
TeacapanMORE ABOUT TEACAPAN / PLAYA ESPIRITU DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan to Rural Sinaloa Destinations
South / 80 miles each way
Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico is located on the Agua Grande river which feeds one of the largest estuaries in Mexico. At the very southern edge of Sinaloa State, this magnificent estuary encompasses the near-coastal border between Sinaloa and Nayarit states.
Teacapan is part of the municipality of Escuinapa, which is where you turn off Highway 15 for the last part of the drive to Teacapan from Mazatlan.
Unique among our recommended day trips around Mazatlan for its tropical coastal lushness, Teacapan is a remarkable natural paradise. The Agua Grande river and its spectacular massive estuary -- over 30 miles long -- is a miniature Amazon, filled with tropical flowers, astounding numbers of birds and plentiful exotic wildlife.
Beaches near Teacapan are virtually completely undeveloped and go on as far as the eye can see. Las Cabras, La Tambora and Las Lupitas are three of the most famous beaches that make up Teacapan's nearly 30 miles of virgin beach. From these heavenly beaches -- they are practically deserted -- you can fish, bird watch, participate in water sports and watch dolphins.
Take a day trip to Teacapan -- you'll be glad you did (and might even want to stay the night...).
More about Teacapan day trips
FREE TEACAPAN DAY TRIP MAP & DIRECTIONS | ALL SINALOA MEXICO MAPS
OFF MAZATLÁNStone Island | Deer Island - Goat Island (Ecotourism)
Bird Island (Ecotourism)
Stone Island
MORE ABOUT STONE ISLAND DAY TRIPS
Best day trips from Mazatlan / Just a short Lancha (boat) ride!
Download a free map to the dock with boats that will ferry you to Stone Island!Technically not an island -- it is a peninsula located just off the south end of the coast of Old Mazatlan that can be reached by land from the east -- Stone Island (Isla de la Piedra) is most often accessed by a short boat ride across the channel and definitely has a tropical island feel!
This proximity has long made Stone Island one of the most popular and frequently recommended Mazatlan day trips.
Tranquil and clean, Isla de la Piedra is the perfect beach getaway from Mazatlan, and a perfect Mazatlan day trip.
MORE ABOUT ISLAND ECOTOURS
Best ecotourism day trip island tours from Mazatlan
Just a short boat ride!
Deer Island (Isla de Venados) and Goat Island (Isla de Chivos) are just off the beaches of the Golden Zone.Little more than 3000' at the closest point from the Las Flores Beach Resort, they are worlds away.
These beautiful islands are part of the Reserva Ecologica Islas de Mazatlan. This eco-reserve was established in 1991 and is known worldwide -- and protected from development, as is their neighbor directly to the north, Bird Island / Isla de Pajaros.
The legal protections afforded by reserve status and somewhat somewhat restricted tourism -- it is usually best to visit Deer and Goat islands on a tour -- to limit human impact on the island ecosystems make these pristine sanctuaries delightful day trips!
MORE ABOUT BIRD ISLAND DAY TRIPS
Best ecotourism day trip island tours from Mazatlan
Just a short boat ride!
Bird Island (Isla de Pajaros) is even closer to the beach than its sister islands Deer Island (Isla de Venados) and Goat Island (Isla de Chivos).It is little more than 2000' at the closest point from the beach in front of La Costa Marinera restaurant in the Golden Zone -- but when you step on to Bird Island you are in a different universe!
Bird Island is to your right as you view the three islands that make up the Reserva Ecologica Islas de Mazatlan eco-reserve from the shore.
This ecological reserve was created in 1991, is known worldwide, and is completely protected from development.