Open Air Expeditions (tel./fax 322/222-3310; openair@vivamexico.com) offers nature-oriented trips, including birding and ocean kayaking in Punta Mita. Ecotours de México, Ignacio L. Vallarta 243 (tel./fax 322/222-6606), has eco-oriented tours, including seasonal (Aug-Nov) trips to a turtle preservation camp where you can witness hatching baby Olive Ridley turtles.

Vallarta's newest adventure activity is Canopy Tours. You glide from treetop to treetop, getting an up-close-and-personal look at a tropical rainforest canopy and the trails far below. Expert guides assist you to the special platforms, and you move from one to another using pulleys on horizontal traverse cables, while the guides explain the tropical flora surrounding you. They also offer assistance -- and moral support! -- as you rappel back down to the forest floor. Tours depart from the Vallarta Adventures (tel. 866/256-2739 toll-free from the U.S., or 322/297-1212, ext. 3; www.vallarta-adventures.com) offices in both Marina Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta at 8am, returning at 2pm. The price ($65 for adults, $33 for children 8-12) includes the tour, unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, and light snacks.