Aquaventures Park

To give you an idea of this waterpark’s size, there are ski resorts with fewer runs than this Mexican waterpark has slides. Here at Aquaventuras Park just north of Puerto Vallarta, visitors can choose from ten different slides for splashing into the pool. Slide on a raft down “Orca Road” or try the “Slippery Seal,” before eventually simply relaxing and drifting down the lazy Turtle River. If your fingers are getting wrinkly from the pool, spend some time on the ziplining course with views looking over the pools, or try your hand at scaling Mexico’s largest rock climbing wall. The pools and attractions aside, however, it’s the encounters with dolphins and furry sea lions that add wild adventure to the park. Visitors can literally catch a ride on the backs of two different dolphins, or score a kiss from a cuddly sea lion as he softly pecks your cheek. When swimming inside of the dolphin tank, hear the high pitched clicks and whistles of dolphins swimming around you, and leave the park with a dolphin-sized smile from the once in a lifetime experience. 

Practical Info

Aquaventuras Park is open daily from 10am-5pm. Animal encounters begin at $89/person to interact with the sea lions, and go up to $149 for the Royal Dolphin Encounter. Regular admission is $25 for adults and $19 for children, and admission is included in the overall cost of one of the animal encounters. The park is located by the Nuevo Vallarta entrance about 10 minutes from the international airport, and is easily accessible from the tourist zones surrounding Puerto Vallarta.