Mexico isn’t just ocean resorts and pool parties — it’s a jungle on the market.
Roughly 34.5% of the country is roofed in forests. The world surrounding the Yucatan, down the Atlantic Coast, is famously dense, lush and animal-rich, helping to make Mexico considered one of the five most biodiverse countries on Earth.
But getting lost within the experience doesn’t require a machete. Experts say that today, the decision of the jungle is just as much about health as adventure.
“It’s a chaotic, crazy world, and individuals are still looking for solace in the outside,” said Zach Rabinor, founder and CEO of Journey Mexico, a specialist in Mexican luxury travel with offices in Cancún, Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta. “Mexican jungle hotels are in harmony with the trends of mindfulness, wellness, work-life balance, and connecting with nature.”
Puerto Vallarta, the sparkling resort city on the Mexican Pacific in Jalisco state, is backed by the jungled mountains of the Sierra Madre. Home to 350 species of birds, together with monkeys, ocelots, armadillos and jaguars, it’s particularly popular with wellness-obsessed adventurers.
“With the rise of lively tourism, a latest set of luxe properties are stealing market share from perennial eco-destinations like Costa Rica and Belize,” said Jack Ezon, founder and managing partner of luxury travel advisory Embark Beyond.
Able to swap the concrete jungle for the true thing? Here’s a have a look at the newest and biggest latest and noteworthy resorts everyone seems to be taco-ing about.
Higher be-leaf it
The most recent debut from the acclaimed Namron Hospitality group, adults-only escape La Valise Jungle Side is swathed by Tulum’s ubiquitous tropical jungle on the Riviera Maya. Every bit as chic and sultry as its sister property, La Valise Tulum, just across the road, five of its 11 suites feature king-size beds that roll out onto the terrace for an evening under the celebrities (don’t forget the bug spray).
Meanwhile, the Oasis main bedroom overlooks the property’s private cenote. The quietly exotic décor — stuffed with beachy hues, luxury linens and show-stopping accent pieces bedecked with jaguar heads and other fanciful creatures, handwoven from river grass within the Mexican state of Michoacán — creates a cocooning ambience that lets the environs take center stage.
Excursions include a jungle hike through a lush reserve stuffed with howler and spider monkeys, snorkeling expeditions in a crystal-filled cave and exploring Mayan ruins by ATV. Guests also enjoy full access to La Valise Tulum’s picture-perfect beach and pleasant al fresco restaurant, where easy, scrumptious lunches — like shrimp aguachile with fresh chili and creamy avocado, or tacos with local pork, bitter orange and pickled red onions — can easily spill over into blissful hour, when the margaritas magnificas really begin to flow (rooms from $290).
Motion fig-ures
Spanning greater than 80 acres of unspoiled nature, 45 minutes from Punta Mita on the red-hot Riviera Nayarit, the One&Only Mandarina destination resort has had Mexico aficionados buzzing since its November 2020 opening. Its 105 tree houses and villas, elevated within the tree cover or perched on the emerald cliffside above the Pacific, are loaded with infinity pools, skylights and outdoor showers, in addition to breathtaking views of the Pacific Coast and Sierra de Vallejo mountains.
The encompassing jungle is home to greater than 50 species of ancient trees, most notably the revered higuera blanca (white fig), whose massive roots wend their way through the rainforest floor. Guests can hike to fulfill the grand dame of all of them, La Abuela (the grandmother) — nearly 240 years old — with an authority naturalist for a crash course within the myriad species of endemic plants and birds. You may as well saddle up at Mandarina Polo & Equestrian Club for a polo lesson, or amble on horseback along jungle trails to nearby waterfalls and freshwater swimming holes.
Meanwhile, the sprawling KidsOnly club — designed by Brigitte Broch, Academy Award-winning production designer of “Moulin Rouge” — takes kiddos on an action-packed journey of wide-eyed discovery with treehouses linked by suspended bridges, climbing partitions, and a butterfly sanctuary, in addition to an out of doors amphitheater and a cinema.
World-renowned Mexican Chef Enrique Olvera oversees the proceedings at cliffside fine-dining restaurant Carao, where he reinvents modern Mexican fare with dishes like horse mackerel ceviche with soybean germ, and cucumber and fish zarandeado-style, a regional technique using dried chile-paste marinade.
You may as well lounge on the nearby, no-kids infinity pool and snack on octopus chicharrón tacos and squash blossom quesadillas, before beelining to the Treetop eatery to swill a Canalan — blanco tequila, pineapple juice, curacao, and coconut milk — because the sun sinks into the ocean (rooms from $1,490).
Good in-tent
Unveiled in December, the 4 Seasons Naviva is the brand’s first all-inclusive offering. The adults-only, luxury tented hideaway —tucked amongst 48 lush acres and neighboring its Punta Mita stalwart — features biophilic design and sustainable, low-impact construction materials.
The 15 safari-style, supersize tented suites usher the idyllic outdoors in with open-air living rooms, sliding glass partitions, spacious decks and plunge pools, while custom furniture, artwork, and textiles exclusively by Mexican artisans add local flavor. Each tent has a private guide who’s standing by to book reservations and experiences like guided star bathing, and a nature hike to the Aztatlán ruins.
A session within the “house of warmth,” a temazcal experience led by an area shaman, is a must-do. You’ll sweat your technique to self-improvement with focus areas including gratitude, devotion and rebirth. Other “Unscripted Naviva” moments spring up spontaneously, starting from a pop-up picnic within the jungle to an exploration of small-batch Mexican wines.
Speaking of tipples, festive mezcal tastings and cocktail classes are hosted at Copal Cobina, the breezy al fresco restaurant, where Chef Sofía Mojica whips up meals of hyperlocal ingredients to satisfy guests’ cravings. You may as well go for a solo picnic lunch at La Solana, Naviva’s 575-foot stretch of personal Pacific beachfront, nibble on light bites on the Selva pool, nestled deep within the jungle, or order up 24-hour in-tent dining.
Naviva guests can even benefit from the top-shelf amenities on the 4 Seasons Resort Punta Mita, a fast golf cart ride away, including two Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses, 14 tennis courts and wellness experiences (rooms from $3,950).
Green acres
Just attending to Verana is half the journey: from Puerto Vallarta, you are taking a 45-minute cab ride to Boca de Tomatlan, hop the boat headed to the fishing village of Yelapa, and drift in to the hotel’s private pier, where the staff awaits with mules to hold the luggage as you hike quarter-hour uphill through the jungle to this storied eco-retreat.
A literal handmade hotel, it’s the eagerness project of a former Hollywood set designer and interior designer who left Los Angeles in 1997 to construct a house — bringing all materials in by boat and mule, high above Yelapa.
That modest aim evolved over time into this fabled escape, whose 10 unique rooms — think palapa-thatched roofs, polished concrete floors, raffia furniture and vibrant pops of daring, beautiful color — unfold over terraced levels.
The ocean views improve the further you climb.
Activities by sea include coastal sightseeing and snorkeling trips in quest of whales and manta rays, and sunrise fishing for tuna and mahi mahi.
By land, try the “Yelapa Insider,” where you’ll hike to town — an organic sprawl of paths with no cars; just mules, horses, and the occasional ATV —stopping en route at a rosewood workshop to see how a family of artisans transforms the rare, protected species into art. Then follow a hidden trail through the jungle to a blinding natural pool on the very top of the Yelapa’s “local” waterfall.
Back on the ranch, sample spa treatments like an antioxidant coffee scrub and a starlight aromatherapy bath. Full board includes breakfast goodies, lunch on the poolside terrace and a candle-lit al fresco dinner featuring fish ceviches, empanadas and enchiladas (rooms from $250).