The coastline of Nayarit, just north of Puerto Vallarta, offers some of Mexico's most charming and desirable coastal landscape. Quaint seaside fishing villages dot the coast where the jungle mountains meet the sea, joining miles of isolated beaches. This is the Mexico of fishing, farming, fiestas and siestas; the customs and attitudes that seem so foreign to the outside world but offer so much perspective.
The coastline begins with Punta de Mita, the northern tip of Banderas Bay. Banderas is one of the largest bays in the world where sailing and fishing are plentiful and secure. As the point extends outward it forms a small protected bay with a picturesque sandy beach known as Litigu Cove. Further along the coast there are two main towns, Sayulita and San Francisco. Sayulita is 22 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, while San Francisco is a few minutes further down the coastal highway.
San Francisco, known to the locals as San Pancho, prior to the early 70's was a drowsy fishing village with a handful of palapa-style houses on the beach with no electricity or running water. Then former President Luis Echevarría took a personal interest in the town, building schools and the only hospital between Puerto Vallarta and Tepic (90 miles away).
What makes this area appealing are the hillsides and valleys along the coast that allow for spectacular views, and the formation of small bays and coves that provide beautiful solitary beaches.
San Pancho has a population of approximately 2,000 inhabitants. It is a fairly unique town when compared with other coastal towns in Mexico. It is clean, highly organized and the people work together to maintain a peaceful existence surrounded by the natural beauty of the land. One can attribute this, perhaps, to the political origin of the town as it was intended to become an example to other Latin American towns of order and economic stability.