Sayulita in March: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Things to Do

SAYULITA · MARCH · NAYARIT, MEXICO

March in Sayulita means dry days, a warm Pacific and afternoons that average 92.8°F at the nearest official station. The town, in the municipality of Bahia de Banderas, was formally named a Pueblo Mágico on December 3, 2015, and the designation was renewed in August 2021. Until the late 1960s it was a handful of palm-thatched coconut-farming houses, and everything a visitor does here today came after.

You have picked the place, so what remains is the date: the air, the rain, the water and the light in March, plus what they mean for a room, a boat and a flight. Neighborhoods and where to sleep live in our Sayulita guide, and the wider question of which month to choose sits in our month-by-month picks.

On this page

• Sayulita weather in March92.8°F highs, 58.8°F lows and 0.5 rain days
• Can you swim in Sayulita in March?Sea at 77.1°F, and what we could not find on waves
• How busy is Sayulita in March?Events calendar, the 5% Nayarit lodging tax and booking order
• Things to do in Sayulita in MarchIslas Marietas at 125 pesos, the surf breaks and the turtle camp
• Sayulita itinerary for MarchTwo days built around the 7:12 p.m. sunset
• Sayulita in March vs February and AprilHighs, rain and sea temperature for three months
• Is March a good time to visit Sayulita?Who it suits and when to shift a month

Two air gateways serve this stretch of Nayarit, according to SECTUR: Puerto Vallarta International Airport, and Tepic International Airport (TPQ), about an hour east of the coast. We found no fare or flight-time data for Sayulita, so we give no price for the flight. Booking basics are in our travel basics.

Sayulita weather in March

The air figures here come from Mexico’s national weather service (SMN, CONAGUA), 1991-2020 normals, station 18021 at Las Gaviotas. The station sits about 19 miles east across Bahia de Banderas and is the nearest official one, and Sayulita’s own beach is not separately measured. At that station March averages a high of 92.8°F, a low of 58.8°F and 0.19 inches of precipitation.

Measurable rain falls on 0.5 days in an average March, by SMN’s own count. A March day in Sayulita does not need a rain plan. SMN does not publish the threshold behind “measurable” on the station sheet, so we cannot say how much water counts as a rainy day.

From afternoon to night the average drops 34.0 degrees, from 92.8°F to 58.8°F. Pack a hat, sunscreen and thin cotton for the afternoon, then a light layer for the coolest hours. The low was recorded at the station across the bay, so the beach itself may read differently after dark.

March 15 brings about 12 hours 04 minutes of daylight, from sunrise at 7:08 a.m. to sunset at 7:12 p.m. local time, converted from sunrise-sunset.org’s 13:08 and 01:12 UTC. The last swim fits before 7:12 p.m., and a first surf session fits well ahead of the afternoon peak.

Can you swim in Sayulita in March? Sea temperature

Sea surface off Sayulita averages 77.1°F in March, according to the Open-Meteo Marine API over 2015-2024. That figure is a mean of daily maxima, a shade warmer than a 24-hour mean, so a dawn swim may feel a little cooler than 77.1°F. It sits level with SECTUR’s average annual air temperature for the town, about 25°C (77°F).

Yes, you can swim. 77.1°F is warm enough for a long swim without a wetsuit for most people, though comfort varies. Sayulita’s town beach is a well-known beginner-friendly surf break, and the point break and river-mouth beaches nearby draw more experienced surfers.

Our sources carry no wind or swell figures for March, so we cannot say how large the waves run or how choppy the bay gets. Check a surf forecast the week you go, and ask at the beach before booking a first lesson.

How busy is Sayulita in March? Crowds and prices

We found no occupancy series and no monthly room-rate data for Sayulita, so we crown no month expensive and none cheap. The SECTUR events list we read has nothing in March. The Festival Sayulita runs January 30-February 3, and the next entry is a shore fishing tournament on May 25-26, with SECTUR noting that some festival dates slide from year to year.

With no occupancy data to lean on, we give no number of weeks for booking. The sensible order is dates first, then a room, then flights into Puerto Vallarta International, since the room is the part that ties you to Sayulita.

Nayarit sets its lodging tax (Impuesto Sobre Hospedaje) at 5% under Article 62 of the state’s Ley de Hacienda, confirmed by Article 4 of the 2026 Ley de Ingresos. We could not verify whether a given host includes it in the nightly rate or adds it at checkout, so ask which one before you compare two listings.

An air-conditioned room is the upgrade that changes a March stay, since afternoon highs average 92.8°F. We have no nightly rates for it, so we cannot say what it adds to a bill.

Things to do in Sayulita in March

Dry weather (0.5 rain days), 77.1°F water and 12 hours 04 minutes of daylight line up for outdoor days: a full beach day, a surf session, a boat trip out to Islas Marietas. February’s 1.3 rain days make a washed-out plan likelier, and April’s 94.6°F highs make the midday hours harder.

Islas Marietas National Park sits on the same stretch of coast as Sayulita’s boat departures. Playa del Amor there charges a 125-peso CONANP entrance fee and opens Wednesday through Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., so build the boat day around those five days. We found no boat fare in our sources and give none. Closer to town, SECTUR lists the sea-turtle camp Campamento Tortuguero Sayulita among the official attractions, though we could not verify its March schedule, so ask before you plan around it.

The water hardly moves across the season while the air does. The sea rises from 76.8°F in February to 77.1°F in March, a gain of 0.3 degrees, while the average high climbs 1.6 degrees over the same step. A boat trip or a surf session feels much the same in the water in both months, and the extra warmth is on land, at midday.

We found no admission fee listed for the town beach or the nearby surf breaks, and the 125-peso Marietas entrance is the only fee we could verify. Board rentals, lessons and boat fares are separate lines, and we have no rates for them.

Sayulita itinerary for March

Day one, town and beach. Start at first light, with sunrise at 7:08 a.m. and the coolest air of the day (the average low is 58.8°F), for a walk through town and a session at the beginner-friendly town break. Move indoors for the hottest hours, when highs average 92.8°F. Return to the sand in late afternoon and stay through sunset at 7:12 p.m.

Day two, the boat. Pick a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, since Playa del Amor at Islas Marietas National Park opens Wednesday through Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and bring 125 pesos for the CONANP entrance fee. Rain is rare at 0.5 days on average, so if the weather turns, this is the day to move. We could not verify how operators handle weather cancellations, so ask when you book.

Sayulita in March vs February and April

From February to March the average high rises 1.6 degrees and the average low stays at 58.8°F. From March to April the high climbs another 1.8 degrees and the low rises 2.5 degrees. Precipitation falls from 0.50 inches to 0.19 inches to 0.06 inches, and the sea moves only from 76.8°F to 77.1°F to 77.2°F. Air figures come from the SMN station, sea figures from the Open-Meteo Marine API.

Moving four weeks earlier, to February, buys afternoons 1.6 degrees cooler and costs 0.31 inches more rain and 0.8 more rain days. Moving four weeks later, to April, brings 0.13 inches less rain and 0.2 fewer rain days, but afternoons 1.8 degrees hotter and nights 2.5 degrees warmer. The sea changes 0.3 degrees one way and 0.1 degree the other.

Is March a good time to visit Sayulita?

Yes, for a beach trip. March pairs 0.5 rain days with 77.1°F water, with afternoons averaging 92.8°F. It suits anyone who wants a dry week with a swim, a surf lesson and a boat day at Marietas. It suits less anyone who wants a festival, since SECTUR’s list has no March entry, or anyone who wants cool afternoons.

If the answer is no, look at February: highs average 91.2°F, and the Festival Sayulita runs January 30-February 3, so a trip in the opening days of February can overlap it. If heat is the problem, neither neighbor helps much, since 1.6 degrees separates February from March.

What March offers that its two neighbors do not is the pairing: rain down to 0.19 inches, with afternoons still 1.8 degrees under April’s.

The last word

A loose plan works in a March week in Sayulita, with 0.5 rain days on average. Book the room first, put Playa del Amor on a Wednesday-to-Sunday morning, and read the U.S. State Department’s Mexico advisory before you pay for anything: it rates Nayarit at Level 2, “Exercise increased caution” (checked Sep 30, 2026). Then pack a hat for the 92.8°F afternoons and a light layer for the evening walk back from the sunset.

Sources & data for this guide

• Air normals for March, plus the February and April columns · Servicio Meteorologico Nacional (CONAGUA), 1991-2020, station 18021 Las Gaviotas, Bahia de Banderas · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Sea surface temperature, mean of daily maxima 2015-2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Daylight, sunrise and sunset for March 15, converted from UTC to local time · sunrise-sunset.org · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Pueblo Mágico designation, average annual temperature, events calendar, sea-turtle camp, airports · SECTUR, gob.mx, page “Sayulita, Nayarit” · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Playa del Amor entrance fee and hours · CONANP, Islas Marietas · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Lodging tax · Ley de Hacienda del Estado de Nayarit, Article 62, and Ley de Ingresos 2026, Article 4 · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Travel advisory · U.S. Department of State, Mexico · checked Sep 30, 2026
• Editorial admission: we found no occupancy series, room rates, boat fares or wind and swell data for Sayulita in March, so none appear · fees, hours and festival dates change, so confirm with operators when you book.