Quimixto is a laid back town south of Puerto Vallarta that is not accessible by car. Many people come here to enjoy the small town and hike to the waterfalls.
Private Boats vs. Water Taxi: There are plenty of private boat operators who go to Quimixto including ones that launch from Mismaloya or Boca de Tomatlán. I find it to be the easiest to launch from Boca de Tomatlán as it is the closest to Quimixto. However, the boat ride from Mismayola is also a pretty ride. There just are not any regular water taxis from Mismayola. So, you would need to take a private boat. When you arrive in Boca de Tomatlán, you should expect someone to approach you about taking a private boat. If you say no, then someone will approach you about the water taxi. They explained to me that the private boat operators always get first dibs on approaching the tourists. As of June 2022, the water taxis were 100 pesos each way to Quimixito. They leave approximately every 30 minutes or every hour depending on the time of day and the season (boats leave Boca more frequently in the morning). When we arrived, the next boat wasn't going to depart for another 45 minutes, so we opted to have a private boat drop us at Quimixto and arranged for a time for it to come pick us up. If you are just going up to the waterfall, that is about a 30 minute hike. So, if you stay there for an hour, a 2.5 hour round trip is plenty of time. Of course, if you want time to relax on the beach, you can ask for more time. If you go the water taxi route, you will just follow their schedule.
The Trail: The trail is easy to follow. Once you get into town, head up the hill along the cobblestone street. At the top of the hill, one of the locals has his horses to rent right before the river. There is a shallow river to cross, but it is not a problem. The trail is a well-worn path, that does get muddy at times. Of course, as there are horses, that means that you will come across the occasional horse pile. At times it appears that the trail splits, but they are parallel trails that quickly come back together. The total distance is about one mile and only about 300 feet of elevation gain. So, it is an easy route.
The Horses: As the trail is an easy one, going on horses is really just an excuse to try something different. The horses are small and the instructions to ride them were quick. These horses could guide themselves, but we did have a guide follow us up. They cost 350 pesos per person when we went in June 2022 with a group of 4. Our favorite part was coming down with our "guide" -- who was a 12-year old boy. He was singing, playing music for us and jumped on the back of my son's horse. He brought a lot of fun energy!
The Waterfall: When we went in June 2022, the water was flowing fast over the waterfall -- much faster than the Yelapa waterfall at the same time.
Swimming: I have been a couple of times to Quimixto and been able to swim both times. However, the locals told me that sometimes during the rainy season the water gets too high and fast to swim safely. So, be cautious.
When we were there in June, some folks were jumping off the cliffs. That is not my jam, but it was fun to watch. The folks who were doing that had a guide who told them where it was "safe" to jump. So, I would not jump without some guidance.
The Restaurant: When you get to the end the trail, to access the water, you will need to go through the restaurant, which has a one drink minimum purchase requirement. It is a fun location, and certainly worth the few dollars to support the business. When we were there, they were resupplying (via horseback), so you appreciate the effort it takes to get the supplies there.
The Town: The town is very small -- smaller than Yelapa. I found it to be very charming. There are a variety of folks selling candy and snacks from their homes. They were appreciative of our purchases.
Fun Fact: Quimixto is the the town in Mexico where the youth ministry group was headed when Michael Scott and Andy joined at the last minute in Season 7, Episode 7 of the Office. Sadly, they jumped off the bus and never made it.