Mexico · TOURS IN MAZATLÁN
Good tours in Mazatlán fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 14 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Ride a Segway through Mazatlán’s Old Town, Plazuela Machado, Olas Altas, the cathedral, and the Malecon. Carlos, Charlie, Gustavo, or Gus provides patient training, local stories, a helmet, and photo help. Groups are capped at nine, with private tours available. Minimum age is 14.
“Carlos and Adrian go out of their way to ensure that everyone is safe and having an enjoyable experience. I highly recommend.”
Explore Mazatlán in an air-conditioned minivan with guides such as Carlos, Jesús, Mel, and Humberto. Visit the cathedral, Golden Zone, Malecón, lighthouse viewpoint, and cliff divers, then shop and choose a beachside Mexican shrimp lunch. Pickup is available from hotels and the cruise port, with groups capped at 15.
“Smiley kept the trip moving and interesting. Gave plenty of time to enjoy the sights. He even extended the trip to get everything in.”
Spend about six hours touring Mazatlan’s old town, watching cliff jumpers, and crossing by catamaran to Stone Island. Guides such as Ricardo, Louis, David, and Mel handle the day, while you get lunch, drinks, and two choices from kayaking, banana boat rides, horseback riding, or boogie boarding. Expect a busy, social outing rather than a quiet resort day.
“Not the fault of the tour, but the water on the beach was so hot and non refreshing. The food was nothing to get excited for. The staff was incrediable and kept us up to speed as to what was going on, especially Poncho and the Captain on the beach. It was relaxing and we did have a good time. The pictures of the party boat, was not how it was.”
Travel from Mazatlan to Los Osuna for a blue-agave and tequila visit, then explore La Noria and nearby villages. Guides such as Jose, Jesus, Carlos, Raul, and Ismael lead the six-hour outing, with local food, crafts, and optional lunch. Expect a small group of up to 15 people, hotel or port pickup, and a few unscheduled stops.
“Tour guide Carlos was realt good.It was interesting to see blue agave plantation and tequila factory”
Start at Plaza Machado at 10 a.m. and ride through Mazatlán’s older neighborhoods with a bilingual guide such as Wendy or Eduardo. You’ll make seven food stops for tacos, tostadas, shrimp specialties, and other local bites, while hearing stories about the city’s culture and food traditions. The three-hour tour ends where it began.
“Wendy was great! Lots of authentic local foods and experience. Loved the personalities of the shops and tried a number of foods only found here.”
This four-hour Mazatlan city tour combines a bay lookout, 45-foot cliff jumps, the Basilica, an open market, and free time in the Golden Zone. An English-speaking guide such as David, Jesus, Adan, or Rene leads the route in an air-conditioned vehicle, with bottled water, soda, and alcoholic drinks included. Pickup is offered, but confirm your exact meeting point.
“This was a very comprehensive City experience around mazatlan. We thoroughly enjoyed being taken up for great views and also getting to see the cliff diver. Jesus was a great guide and provided lots of cold drinks for us.”
Ride through Mazatlan in a traditional open-air pulmonia with a Spanish or English-speaking guide. You’ll see the seafront, historic center, Cathedral, market, Playa Norte, cliff jumpers, and El Vigia Hill. Guides such as Julio, Alberto, Hector, Oscar, and Moses are praised for local insight and flexible stops.
“Julio, our guide was awesome. He knew the city gave us a lot of history and really took care of us. We were on a seven day Mexican Riviera cruise and had three powers of call. without a doubt this was the highlight of our trip. We disembark the ship walked towards the meeting location and there was Julio with the sign with our name on it. He was the first one that I could see. There must’ve been 50 others, but Julio was upfront and made it super simple. I 100 percent would do this tour again he was very informative. Took us to the Cliff divers shopping and…”
Build your own Mazatlán tour with a private SUV or van, hotel, residence, or cruise-terminal pickup, and an English-speaking driver-guide. You can visit the Malecon, Golden Zone, cathedral, historic center, lighthouse, cliff-diver viewing area, villages, shops, or a beach restaurant. Guides such as Benjy, Ivan, Victor, and Jeancarlo are praised for flexibility and local insight.
“Private Van for 4 Adults and 3 children worked out great. Driver was kind and knowledgeable and flexible.”
Spend a full day at Gran Acuario Mazatlan, where 30 habitats present about 200 species from the Sea of Cortez and beyond. Follow the route from desert reptiles to tide pools, coral displays, sharks, rays, Humboldt penguins, sea lions, macaws, and lovebirds. Admission includes the gardens, bird theater, penguin area, sea lion exhibition, and scuba presentation.
“me gusto la experiencia de lobos marinos, el área de los animales marinos y el venado, aunque siento que no tiene mucho orden el acuario para el recorrido y creo que esta un poco elevando para lo que ofrece”
Leave your Mazatlan hotel, condo, or port for Mr. Lionso Ranch, about 15 minutes from the Golden Zone. Ride for an hour through agave fields, jungle, and along the beach with a mounted guide, then enjoy cheese flambée, machaca burritos, handmade tortillas, and cactus. Finish with mezcal tasting and time to shop.
“We got picked up right at our hotel. Lunch was delicious especially the tequila cheese. The horses were gentle. I highly recommend this adventure.”
Spend three hours seeing Mazatlán by open-top bus and on foot. You’ll visit Playa Norte, watch cliff jumpers at Glorieta Germania, walk the Historic District, see the Cathedral, and ride the Malecón. Guides such as Carlos Eduardo, Jose, and Manuel have led engaging bilingual tours, though weather can affect the upper deck, bird feeding, and cliff show.
“Great fun! Our best tour of this year’s trip. Carlos Eduardo was our guide. We were delighted with his personal approach and knowledge about the Mazatlán area and its history. He smoothly moved between Spanish and English in his descriptions of the many areas we visited. His passion for the history was clear. He was so enthusiastic at one point explaining the history in Spanish we could easy translate for ourselves into English. We especially liked the walking tour of the historic area and the later day tour allowed us to see the buildings lit up for night time. The cliff divers did not disappoint us. Very good value for…”
Travel by van with a certified English- or Spanish-speaking guide to Mazatlán’s lookout, cliff divers, cathedral, open market, Paseo Claussen, and Golden Zone. You get refreshments, beach time, pool access, and hotel or cruise-terminal pickup. Lunch, drinks, and water activities cost extra.
“David was a excellent and careful guide.my guide”
Spend 4.5 to 5 hours touring Mazatlán by open-air local vehicle and exploring the Grand Aquarium. Your guide collects you from a hotel, cruise terminal, or Airbnb, then leads you past more than 200 species, the Humboldt penguin exhibit, interactive tanks, sea lions, birds, and the Mar de Cortés Aquarium. Manta ray feeding is included, while shark swimming costs extra.
“Great driver and guide. Very friendly, knowledgeable of the area, and flexible with schedule and route.”
From Mazatlán, your guide takes you to Mr. Lionso Ranch for a 1.5-hour horseback ride through jungle trails and along the beach. Then enjoy machaca burritos, handmade tortillas, guacamole, and cheese flambé before touring the mezcal factory. Guides speak English and Spanish, and Juan is one guide praised for his kind, capable service.
“We had a great time at the ranch. We had the best driver/escort to the ranch from the cruise port. We got to sample all their tequilas; which were delicious. Then we got to go on the hour trail ride around the ranch and on to the beach. The trails are well maintained and the horses were well behaved. Once back we were treated to a yummy lunch and fresh lemonade. Highly recommend!”
Limestone, agave, two oceans and a capital.
