 Mazatlan, known as the “Pearl of the Pacific”, is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world. Located in the south of the state of Sinaloa, on the Pacific Coast with around 15 miles of inviting beautiful sandy beaches, it’s no wonder Mazatlan plays host to more than one million visitors per year.
Mazatlan offers the visitor, a combination of cultural and natural attractive resources that gives the perfect touch to enjoy this beautiful destiny. Mazatlan has a tropical weather that fluctuates from mid-60's to mid-90's depending on the time of the year, but regularly weather is template.
Mazatlan counts with a great hotel infrastructure of first order throughout the coast, with more than 10,000 hotel rooms offered, exquisite gastronomy, crafts of the region, a large variety of activities and great night life at the hotel zone, among many of the things you can find in this beautiful destination
Mazatlan has lots of activities to offer, such as water sports, golfing, tennis, shopping, great walking zone at the “Malecon” (boardwalk) and much more. Mazatlan is also known worldwide for its excellent sport fishing, as well as great dove, duck and quail hunting. With its beautiful Pacific Ocean beaches and the city’s colonial architecture, that is observed in its historical downtown that clearly illustrates the culture and traditions of Mexico, Mazatlan has everything you are looking for to have the greatest vacation ever, come on over and enjoy it.
Activities in Mazatlan
Mazatlan offers a lot of things to do for fun, explore or just plain relax. Take a glance to the many activities you can do in your vacation down in Mazatlan.
The Mazatlan Carnival
One of the largest and most traditional carnivals in the world, comparable only to that of Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans is held annually at Mazatlan.
This is a century old pagan festivity celebrated a few days before Ash Wednesday, lasting six days, during which time the fiesta achieves moments of great intensity and joy.
All the inhabitants participate in many different ways and every year a great deal of effort is expended on decorating the parade. It is a time of games and masquerades, naval battles with fireworks in the bay, dances, color and music.
Walking around the Mazatlan's Zona Dorada (Golde Zone)
The golden zone is the location of most of the tourist hotels, a lot of the finer restaurants and most of the local
night life. For our purposes the golden zone is anywhere north of Punta Sábalo, where one of the cities most recognizable city attractions is situated, Fiesta Land.
Fiesta Land is PARTY headquarters in Mazatlan, a great
place to start or end your search for the local hot spot. Most of the nightlife, hotels and attractions in the golden zone are within walking distance of each other
If you prefer to cruise around in car, Mazatlan offers a unique form of transportation, the “Pulmonía”. These handy, open air cabs are unique to this area and are seemingly everywhere. They will take you wherever you want to go in Mazatlan.
Old Mazatlan - The Historic Zone
Old Mazatlan, the area around downtown, it’s a great area to walk around and see many of the beautiful oldest buildings that have been restored. There are walking tours and city tours that will point out the highlights of The Historic Zone at Old Mazatlan.
A casual exploratory walk is the really best way to discover the real charm and history of old Mazatlan. Enjoy the sidewalk cafes and mingle with the friendly locals that are so proud of their lovely city.
Mazatlan Acuarium and Fun for Kids
There are plenty of activities in Mazatlan to keep all kids happy. There are baseball batting cages, miniature golf course and a water park, complete with giant slides and all of the usual entertainment. Mazatlan aquarium is the largest in Mexico and has many interesting exhibits and displays as well as seal shows and a tropical botanical park.
Mazatlan Water Sports
Water sports are a daily attraction in Mazatlan. The beaches are full with parasailing, banana rides, Hobby Cats, and a water park. If you are staying in the golden zone your favorite water sport is probably just a few steps away, almost everything is offered directly from the beaches. You can also go kayaking around Mazatlan’s offshore islands, snorkeling, scuba diving, and jet skiing, among other great water activities to do.
Mazatlan Sportfishing
Sport fishing has focused worldwide attention on Mazatlan for many years. Year by year the big game fishermen from all over the world comes to Mazatlan.There are several marinas in Mazatlan that holds sport fishing fleets, with many boats in the old harbor and some other located in Marina El Cid or Marina Mazatlan, in the golden zone, near the hotels area.
Mazatlan Off the Water Activities
If you are looking for a different type of entertainment there is still plenty to do for everyone in Mazatlan. Everything from bull fights to triple AAA baseball and more. The aquarium in Mazatlan is Mexico's largest and offers a variety of sea life including a shark tank. Seal shows and many exhibits also are highlighted. The aquarium also has an interesting tropical botanical park. Horseback riding is available on Stone Island and at Playa Bruja, north of the golden zone. Eco tours are also part of Mazatlan’s attractive, with bird watching in mangrove swamps and some other activities.
Charreadas in Mazatlan
The Charreadas is a Mexican tradition that is practiced around the country and the best charros of the region are presented doing their tricks with horses, bulls and by themselves with great pride and professionalism.
Mazatlan Golf and Tennis
Mazatlan is home to two championship golf courses and a 9 hole course, located close to town. One of the championship courses is located at El Cid Hotel, in the heart of the golden zone and the other course at Estrella del Mar, being a beautiful new course that skirts the ocean and is located south of the town, on Stone Island, just a short distance from the airport. This course is open to the public and even has a shuttle that will take you there from the golden zone.
Tennis players will be content in knowing that there are sufficient courts to keep their game polished. A tennis complex at the El Cid hotel is open to the public (subject to availability), featuring 13 well kept courts and is located directly adjacent to their golf course. There are many other locations within Mazatlan where you can play tennis or get lessons. The Playa Real hotel has two courts, available to the public, which are located on a bluff right above a small cove. An incredible view of the Pacific Ocean can accompany your tennis.
Shopping at Mazatlan
Mazatlan has many fine shops, one modern shopping mall and unending number of open air stores. Many of the local stores feature crafts that are so famous all over Mexico. Unique art can be found, custom made leather clothing. One of the more unique stores is a "Sea Shell Supermarket" featuring many truly unique shells and items form the sea. The central market located in the middle of downtown is a one square block market of everything you can imagine; this is a true "Mercado" in the old Mexican tradition.
Restaurants in Mazatlan
The Mazatlan dining scene is fairly diverse. Seafood is always a great choice, due to the variety of fabulous dishes that are offered, but also many of the local restaurants serve great steaks, prime rib, Italian food, oriental food and other pleasant surprises. Most of the better restaurants are located in the golden zone or along the Malecon. There are restaurants of almost every description and cuisine. |
Information about Mazatlan, Mexico