Costalegre, Mexico

The “happy coast” lives up to its name thanks to pristine nature and deliberate attempts to keep it that way.

Kathryn Romeyn

IN THE STATE of Jalisco, north of the port city of Manzanillo and south of tourist-thronged Puerto Vallarta, lies Costalegre, Mexico’s “happy coast.” The 200-mile expanse of sugary sand is bordered by dense jungle, protected estuaries, and sea turtle sanctuaries, juxtaposed with the peaks and valleys of the Sierra Madre mountains. It’s a rare feeling to be able to snorkel, hike, fish, and swim in this natural setting, which has been balancing the challenge of becoming slightly less remote (thanks to the upcoming Chalacatepec airport and new resorts) with an effort to conserve the things that make it so wondrous in the first place. Several private owners of the region’s oceanfront property are putting Mother Earth first by developing only a small fraction of their biodiverse land. In 2022, the…

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AFAR (Digital) - 1 Issue, Winter 2025

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