Vallarta Roots is the best in the business! - TL;DR: if you want the best tour guide in all of Mexico, call PePe/Vallarta Roots. Amazing experience and we highly, highly recommend Now if you’re like me and spend time reading long reviews, here’s the play-by-play of our time spent with Pepe: Let me start by saying that Pepe runs one of the most personable and professional operations I’ve ever seen. Pepe is born and raised in Puerto Vallarta and speaks both Spanish and English fluently. What started off as a simple request for airport dropoff & pickup, turned into us spending multiple days with Pepe and seeing everything from Sayulita to the Horcones River. My wife and I love to explore local culture when we travel but Pepe was also able to keep the attention of 9 & 7 year olds who would’ve been perfectly content sitting by the pool each day. On our way to Sayulita, Pepe took us to a local cacao/chocolate farm so we could see the process of making chocolate. And of course, we got to try the local product! Once we got to Sayulita, we were able to try a local restaurant (El Itacate), visit the beach, and walk around town to shop from the local vendors. My wife and I had been to Sayulita before so the highlight of this stop was our kids getting their hair braided on the beach! Between our Sayulita and Puerto Vallarta tours, we were supposed to go on a swim with the dolphins excursion. We ended up cancelling it two days before and Pepe took care of everything for us. Our next tour took us from Nuevo Vallarta through many different neighborhoods of Puerto Vallarta where Pepe explained the history of the city and let us get out and take photos from all the hidden gem lookout points! After the PV history tour, we continued south along one of the most beautiful coast lines I’ve ever seen. Pepe found a number of stops/lookout points for us to get out of the van and take family photos. One of the stops even had a giant Iguana that our kids were able to hold for photos. For the Puerto Vallarta excursion, we told Pepe that we wanted to try something local for lunch. He took us all the way up the Horcones River Canyon to a Mexican seafood restaurant (Marpago, I believe) with an outdoor deck and beautiful waterfall view. On the way back to Nuevo Vallarta, Pepe had lined up a tequila tasting at a local craft tequila maker in the jungle. My wife and I sampled many tequilas and brought bottles home for ourselves and gifts. To keep the kids occupied, Pepe found a zip line facility in the jungle next to the tequila maker and they were able to enjoy that before heading back to our hotel. Last but certainly not least, Pepe told us that he was thinking about adding a cooking class to his tour options. Next thing we knew, we were invited to try fresh carne asada & al pastor tacos and amazing homemade salsa & guacmoles all made by Pepe, his mom, and his wife. We look forward to when this becomes part of the offering! We had such an amazing time with Pepe and Vallarta Roots, I feel comfortable calling Pepe a friend now! If you’re ever in the Puerto Vallarta are or looking for somewhere to go, make sure you reach out to Pepe!

Perfect hosts for a day trip - Carlos and Pepe were knowledge and fun. They knew the local.people and we were treated very well. In fact, when I left my phone they extended their day to go get it with me. Thank you both so much!

Great Personalized Tour - Despite my husband’s physical challenges, we wanted to see the sites around Puerto Vallarta. Pepe was early for pickup and met us right in the cruise port. Pepe is a fourth generation Puerto Vallartan and very knowledgeable. We drove to Saylulita…a very charming fishing village turned into a surfers’ destination. As warned, cobblestones and uneven sidewalks slowed us down but Pepe was wonderful on parking as close to things as possible and assisting my husband. Lunch at Don Pedros’s on the waterfront was fantastic. Shade and a breeze felt so good. Guacamole and chips as a starter and grilled mahi sandwiches on homemade bread was sooo good. At my request, we went shopping for tequila for a gift. We sampled some excellent tequila including chocolate tequila. All I can say is ——-I have no idea where we were except near downtown Puerto Vallarta. Great personal tour and service— helping us all the way back to the gangplank of the ship!

Outstanding tour - Pepe was absolutely outstanding. He was a wealth of local and regional knowledge. He provided excellent conversation and gave such insightful and helpful comments the entire trip. In Sayulita he drove us through the town prior to stopping to point out a number of suggestions and tips. Kudos to you Pepe!!

Great family experience! - Jose Antonio is the nicest person ever! Even before our family arrived, he offered us tips and help for our trip. Our day at the cocoa farm and Sayulita was very enjoyable. Jose kept us cool in the terrible heat and humidity that we weren’t used to and was very kind to stop along the way for things we needed. The candy and fruit tasting at a road side stop was a very nice surprise and we got a lot of good treats to carry back home from the local vendors. Jose Antonio(aka Pepe as he said some call him), gave us excellent lunch and dinner suggestions with great food and good views that our family thoroughly enjoyed! We did an additional day with Pepe too which was super. Highly recommend!

Amazing experience & outstanding tour guide! - Shout out to Vallarta Roots! If you’re looking for an amazing tour guide. Or just pick up and drop off from airport, Pepe Garcia is your guy! We did two days of excursions with Pepe, and he was absolutely amazing. He brought us for a chocolate tour & to a small beautiful town of Sayulita. Our second day with him we toured around Puerto Vallarta markets did a trip to the zoo & pictures at the arch. He also recommended a beautiful restaurant to have dinner with an amazing view! Did not disappoint! (Lapalapa) He was so accommodating to our 1.5 year old daughter, he even brought a car seat without having to ask. He was very knowledgeable about the surrounding areas and any questions we had. And bonus he spoke excellent English.

Great day trip to Sayulita - Looking for a day trip to Sayulita from PV. Not looking for a tequila tour. Guide, Pepe, deserves all prior 5 star reviews. He's friendly, welcoming and very knowledgeable about the area he calls home. He shows a passion for the area and it's people. Chocolate tour was informative and tasting was great. What a beautiful little oasis. Short stop for refreshing fruit and delicious candy. Provided ample free time in Sayulita for shopping and lunch. Looking forward to booking Pepe for other tours on future visits to PV.

Super fun! Super dependable! Thanks Pépé! ♥️ - José (Pepe) was a fantastic host. We originally found him for an airport transfer but then quickly booked him for a snorkeling tour at Los Arcos and his chocolate making, taco tour. We asked for him to take us to San Pancho instead of Sayulita and it was great! Pepe was incredibly kind and knowledgeable. He was ALWAYS on time and super quick and dependable with text communication. Plus, he always had a big smile on his face. You can tell he takes pride in his work and in the experience he provides to his guests. We hope to be back soon Pepe and sing you some more summer camp songs in the van! 🤣

Tour With Jose! - Jose was wonderful! He was kind and so knowledgeable! My group was only three people and I went solo. I got to meet new people and enjoy a cultural experience through PV! Sayulita had all the beach vibes and it was an all around a great day! Book with Jose! You’ll love every minute!

Excellent tour - Excellent guide. Very knowledgeable. We moved at a nice pace - not rushed at all. We enjoyed the tour very much!