Great group experience with Xiutla Riders!
billaO4618PK, Mar 2026
This is our second time working with Xiutla Riders to have an ATV excursion into the mountains near Puerto Vallarta. This time, we brought our kids and booked a longer, private ride. Our prior experience was last year, just the two of us, and with another couple (e.g. not a private tour). We had an amazing experience and our kids said it was the highlight of their trip. Here's a little about it.We started off at the Xiutla PV office just off the Malecon (about six blocks from the north end of the Malecon). After pre-briefing, paperwork, helmet fitting, etc., we hit the road through PV to get to the nearby mountain trails. Our guide, Franco, recognized that two people in our party didn't have much ATV riding experience and he was excellent acknowledging it and also giving them the option to park their ATVs during the excursion and hop on with one of the other drivers. That made everyone at ease.During the PV portion of the tour, we drove through residential areas and along the Rio Cuale until we hit the outskirts of PV. The drive through neighborhoods is awesome and it gives you a real flair for PV. I've covered a lot of that ground on foot, but many of our guests hadn't, so it was a way to see the town without sweating out a long, warm walk during the afternoon.We got to the foot of the mountain and talked about priorities for the trip. When we reached the Ypoint (where you can go up the mountain one-way to Rancho Mi Abuelo (a stop for drinks and food) or go up the mountain, we made the decision to spend some time at one, recognizing that it might cut our time going up into the other part of the mountains. Franco was awesome and said that he'd take us for a longer ride in the other parts of the mountains even if we wanted to spend more time at Rancho Mi Abuelo. So we did that and appreciated his flexibility.The stop at Rancho Mi Abuela is cooler than you might think. They've done a lot of work there since we were in PV even last year, adding some sleeping cabins and a paintball course. They have some beautiful pools and a good bar. Their Micheladas were excellent. They pitch their margaritas, which is fine, but the michelada is a lower-cost, refreshing alternative. Try one!After Rancho, we went back down the mountain to the Y and then headed back up into the mountains in the other direction. For people who know about the ziplining, etc. in the mountains around PV, this is the path that gets you there. We went up deeper into the mountains that we did last year because Franco was willing to take us there. It was an awesome extension of our trip and our photos up there were awesome. Franco also gave a really nice history lesson and was willing to share a little bit more about some of the goings on in PV lately, which was much appreciated.We headed back down the mountain and stopped for a tequila tasting and some lunch. Sergio there was awesome and food and drinks were excellent. We've met Sergio before and, when he's not at the tequila stop, he also guides. Try to get a trip with him; I'm sure it's a blast.After the tequila tasting, we followed a different path back to the shop. When we did, I got behind a little and missed a turn that the group took. Franco was awesome ("I came with six people! I have to return with six!") looking for me and, although I was able to find my way back to the group because I know the area, I appreciated how he searched. We all got back together, got back to the shop, and departed.Fun fact: one of our guests lost his driver's license on the mountain. The next day, we got a note from the shop that one of the other drivers found it in the dust. I appreciated that they called and it's crazy that they found that needle in a haystack. It saved one of us a trip to the DMV to replace it (and that's no small value).My only feedback doesn't related to Xiutla, but to the photographer who accompanied us. It's a separate company and the photographer did an awesome job, We appreciated him being along every step of the way, but when we asked about pricing, it was at first unclear how much it was to get all of the photos and, later, he said it was $270. We couldn't justify that with everyone having their own cameras and one of our group having his own high-quality (not iPhone) camera, so we passed and felt terrible about it. He rode with us for three hours. If the initial price point would have been lower, we would have said an easy "yes" or if they offered a bundle of photos (20 for $100 or something like that), we also would have been onboard. Just a thought.Overall, loved the ride and appreciated the team this time like last. Franco said he's moving to France and then Spain in three months, so he won't be guiding much longer. If you're going to PV in the next month or two, ask for Franco or Sergio. Both are great people and deserving of a good tip at the end of their journey!
