Sayulita in May: Weather, Sea Temperature, Rain and Things to Do

MEXICO · SAYULITA · MAY

May in Sayulita runs hot and almost rain-free. Afternoons average 97.0°F, nights cool to 66.4°F, and an average May brings 0.9 days of measurable rain. The sea sits at 80.7°F. June then arrives with 11.5 rain days and 7.52 inches of rain.

Choosing between destinations for May belongs to our where-to-go guides. The question for Sayulita is narrower: stay with May, or slide the dates a month either way.

On this page

• What is the weather in Sayulita in May?97.0°F highs, 66.4°F lows and 0.9 rain days
• Can you swim in Sayulita in May?Sea at 80.7°F, and why that is an average of daily maxima
• How busy and expensive is Sayulita in May?Nayarit’s 5% lodging tax and the rate data we could not find
• What is there to do in Sayulita in May?Islas Marietas at 125 pesos, the turtle camp, the town beach
• What does a Sayulita itinerary for May look like?Two days built around 97.0°F afternoons
• Sayulita in May or April or June?Air, rain and sea for April, May and June
• Is May a good time to visit Sayulita?Who May suits, and when to choose April or June instead

Every figure here for air temperature and rain comes from one station: Las Gaviotas (SMN 18021), about 19 miles east across Bahia de Banderas and the nearest official normals for this stretch of coast. Sayulita’s own beach town is not separately measured, so read the numbers as the regional climate, not as a reading taken on the sand. The sea and daylight figures come from other sources, named where they appear.

Sayulita weather in May

May’s normals come from Mexico’s national weather service, the Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), and cover 1991-2020: an average high of 97.0°F, an average low of 66.4°F and 0.24 inches of precipitation for the month. They are readings from a real station at Las Gaviotas, a thermometer rather than a grid-cell model.

An average May brings 0.9 days of measurable rain by SMN’s own count. That is less than one day in the whole month, so a rained-out plan is the exception. The station sheet does not publish the threshold SMN uses for “measurable,” so we do not line that count up against rain-day figures from other countries.

From an average afternoon of 97.0°F to an average night of 66.4°F is a drop of 30.6 degrees. Pack light, breathable clothes for the day, sun protection for the hours around midday and one thin long-sleeved layer for after dark.

On May 15 the day runs about 13 hours 11 minutes. Sunrise-sunset.org puts sunrise at 12:22 UTC and sunset at 01:33 UTC, which lands as early morning and early evening on Sayulita’s clock. Beach time fits best in the morning and the last hours of light, with the middle of the day given to shade.

Can you swim in Sayulita in May? Sea temperature

Off Sayulita the sea surface averages 80.7°F in May, taken from the Open-Meteo Marine API as the mean of daily maxima over 2015-2024. A mean of daily peaks reads a shade warmer than a 24-hour mean, so water at dawn runs a little cooler than that figure, and sites that publish 24-hour means will show a slightly lower number.

At 80.7°F the water is warm enough for a long swim. It sits 16.3 degrees below the 97.0°F afternoon high, so the sea is where the hottest hours go.

We found no wave-height or wind series for May, so we promise nothing about surf size or chop. Sayulita’s town beach is a well-known beginner-friendly break, while the point break and river-mouth beaches nearby draw more experienced surfers. Check a live surf report for your week before you book a lesson.

How busy is Sayulita in May? Crowds and prices

We found no hotel-rate or occupancy series for Sayulita, so we crown no month cheap or expensive. The calendar does give May a position: it sits between April’s 0.06 inches and June’s 7.52 inches of rain, the last of the three months before the rains arrive.

We also found no data on how many weeks ahead rooms fill in May, so we give no lead time. One dated item in SECTUR’s calendar falls in the month: the shore fishing tournament on May 25-26. Festival dates can shift from year to year, so confirm it and check room rates for that weekend first. For general booking habits, see our travel basics.

Nayarit sets its lodging tax at 5% under Article 62 of the state’s Ley de Hacienda, and the 2026 Ley de Ingresos confirms it. Ask whether a quoted nightly rate includes it before you compare two rooms. We have not checked how individual hotels show it on a quote.

Paying more changes the month in one place: the room. Afternoon highs average 97.0°F, so air-conditioning or a room with steady airflow makes the midday hours restful, and the 66.4°F nights leave evenings comfortable outdoors either way.

Things to do in Sayulita in May

Dry days are May’s contribution. With 0.9 days of measurable rain on average, a boat trip, a surf lesson and an all-day beach plan rarely need a backup, and June’s 11.5 rain days make that harder to promise a month later.

Islas Marietas National Park is the headline outing. Its Playa del Amor charges a 125-peso CONANP entrance fee and opens Wednesday through Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., so Monday and Tuesday are off the table. Sayulita sits on the same stretch of coast as the boat departures for the islands. We found no verified boat fare, so ask the operator what the price includes.

A visit at the 8:00 a.m. opening happens ahead of the hottest hours, when highs average 97.0°F. SECTUR also lists a sea-turtle camp, Campamento Tortuguero Sayulita, among the town’s official attractions. We could not verify its May schedule or whether it offers visits that month, so confirm before counting on it.

Wandering the town costs nothing, and Sayulita has been a Pueblo Mágico since SECTUR named it on December 3, 2015 (the designation was renewed in August 2021). For the town beach itself we hold no admission figure.

Sayulita itinerary for May

Day one belongs to the town and its beach. Start at first light on the sand, when the air is well under the 97.0°F afternoon average, and take a surf lesson on the beginner-friendly town beach. By mid-morning move into shade for a long lunch and stay out of the sun through the hottest hours. Return to the water in the late afternoon, swim in the 80.7°F sea and watch the sunset in the early evening of a day that runs about 13 hours 11 minutes.

Day two goes to Islas Marietas National Park, so pick a Wednesday through Sunday, the days Playa del Amor is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and carry pesos for the CONANP entrance fee. If a shower or rough water cancels the boat, the town beach fills the day and the island trip moves to the next open day. With 0.9 days of measurable rain in an average May, that swap should be rare.

Sayulita in May vs April and June

Highs barely move across the three months, at 94.6°F, 97.0°F and 96.4°F. The change comes at night and in the sky. Lows climb from 61.3°F in April to 66.4°F in May and 73.4°F in June, and rain jumps from 0.24 inches in May to 7.52 in June, with rain days going from 0.9 to 11.5. The sea gains 3.5 degrees from April to May and 3.1 degrees from May to June. Air figures are SMN station data, while sea figures come from the marine API.

Slide to April and you gain cooler afternoons (94.6°F against 97.0°F) and the least rain of the three at 0.06 inches, but you give up 3.5 degrees of sea warmth. Slide to June and the sea reaches 83.8°F, the warmest of the three, with nights at 73.4°F, in exchange for 11.5 rain days and 7.52 inches of rain.

Is May a good time to visit Sayulita?

Yes, for anyone who wants dry days and a warm sea and can live with afternoons that average 97.0°F. Beach, surf and boat plans fit the month well. Midday hikes and sightseeing fit it less. Whatever the month, read the State Department’s current advisory before booking: it rates Nayarit at Level 2, “Exercise increased caution.”

If heat is the sticking point, April runs cooler, with highs of 94.6°F, nights of 61.3°F and 0.06 inches of rain. If the warmest sea matters most, June reaches 83.8°F, with 11.5 rain days as the price. Other destinations for the same weeks are laid out across our destination guides.

May pairs a sea already at 80.7°F with only 0.24 inches of rain. April has the rain figure but a 77.2°F sea, and June has the warmer water but 7.52 inches of rain.

The last word

Book May for the last stretch of dry sky before the rains, and build one day around Playa del Amor. Fly into Puerto Vallarta International; SECTUR names it and Tepic, about an hour east of the coast, as the two air gateways to this stretch of Nayarit. Landing on a Tuesday puts the island’s Wednesday opening on your first full day.

Sources & data for Sayulita in May

• Air temperature, precipitation and rain days, 1991-2020 normals · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), station 18021 Las Gaviotas, Bahía de Banderas · checked Sep 30, 2026
• April and June air normals · same SMN station and period · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015-2024, May, April and June · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Daylight, sunrise and sunset for May 15 · sunrise-sunset.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Lodging tax · Ley de Hacienda del Estado de Nayarit, Article 62, confirmed by the 2026 Ley de Ingresos · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Events calendar, attractions, Pueblo Mágico designation and gateway airports · SECTUR (gob.mx), Sayulita, Nayarit · checked Sep 30, 2026 · festival dates can shift from year to year
• Islas Marietas entrance fee and hours · CONANP · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Travel advisory level · U.S. Department of State, Mexico Travel Advisory · checked Sep 30, 2026
• We found no hotel-rate or occupancy series, no booking-lead data and no wave or wind series for May, so we rank nothing on those. Fees, hours and event dates change · check with operators when you book.