Puerto Vallarta visitors enjoy two good trailer parks. The smallish palm-shaded Trailer Park El Pescador (Francia 143, tel. 322/224-2828) is two blocks off the highway on Francia at the corner of Lucerna, a few blocks north of the libramiento downtown bypass fork. The 65 spaces (4 blocks from the Playa las Glorias) rent for about $21 per day, with one free day per week, one free week per month; with all hookups, including showers, toilets, long-distance phone access, and launderette. Pets are okay. Luxury hotel pools and good restaurants are nearby.

Farther out, but much more spacious, is Tacho’s Trailer Park (P.O. Box 315, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco 48300, tel. 322/224-2163), half a mile from Highway 200 on Avenida Aramara, the road that branches inland across the airport highway from the cruise-ship dock. Tacho’s offers a large grassy yard with some palms, bananas, and other trees for shade. The 100 spaces run about $22 per day (one free week on a monthly rental), including all hookups and use of showers, toilets, laundry room, pool and palapa, and shuffleboard courts. Pads are paved, and pets are okay.

Other than the trailer parks, Puerto Vallarta has precious few campsites within the city limits. Plenty of camping possibilities exist outside the city, however. Especially inviting are the pearly little beaches, such as Las Ánimas, Quimixto, Caballo, and others that dot the wild coastline between Boca de Tomatlán and Yelapa. Colectivo water taxis regularly head for these beaches for about $5 per person from Boca de Tomatlán. Local stores at Quimixto, Las Ánimas, and Boca de Tomatlán can provide water (bring water purification tablets or filter) and basic supplies. (For more camping possibilities, see the Around the Bay of Banderas chapter.)