Puerto Vallarta Food Tour: Pueblos, cooking class & tastings

Cook with locals in the Sierra Madre foothills, then sit down to what you made

A six-hour cultural tour from Puerto Vallarta into the rural pueblos of San Juan de Abajo and Valle de Bandera, with a local guide, a hands-on cooking class and lunch included. You visit the church and plaza of each town, walk through the countryside that supplies the city's markets, and prepare a meal using techniques and ingredients the guide teaches you on the spot.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore pueblos and local cuisine

• Visit local church and main plaza
• Admire pueblos' architecture and scenery
• Participate in local cooking class

The Experience

The tour starts with a drive into the Sierra Madre foothills in an air-conditioned vehicle, heading toward the small towns—locally called pueblitos—that ring Puerto Vallarta. San Juan de Abajo and Valle de Bandera are farming communities where most of the fresh produce eaten in the city is grown, and the guide walks you through each town's main plaza, church and gazebo to show you the local architecture and daily rhythms. This is not a rushed stop-and-photograph loop; you move at a pace that lets you absorb the customs and scenery without the noise of a larger group.

The cooking class happens in one of the pueblos, where you work alongside a local instructor to prepare lunch using techniques passed down in the region and ingredients sourced from the surrounding farms. You are not watching a demonstration—you handle the food, learn the steps, and build the meal yourself. Afterward you sit down to eat what you made, which is when the flavors and the morning's walk through the countryside connect.

The tour runs six hours total and includes bottled water and soda throughout the day. A guide fluent in English and Spanish leads the group, and children from age 8 are welcome. The minimum drinking age for any alcohol served is 18.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned vehicle transport.
• local guide in English or Spanish.
• hands-on cooking class in one of the pueblos.
• lunch prepared during the class.
• bottled water and soda throughout the day.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Vallarta Adventures

Is this one for you?Most food tours in Puerto Vallarta stop at restaurants or markets to taste what others have made. This one puts you in the kitchen with a local cook, so you leave knowing how to make the dishes instead of just remembering the flavor.

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Top questions

What towns do we visit on this tour?

San Juan de Abajo and Valle de Bandera are the two pueblos you explore. Both are farming communities in the Sierra Madre foothills known for growing the fresh produce sold in Puerto Vallarta's markets, and each has a church, main plaza and gazebo you walk through with the guide.

Do I actually cook during the tour, or just watch?

You cook the meal yourself during the hands-on class in one of the pueblos. The local instructor teaches you the techniques and walks you through each step, and you prepare lunch using regional ingredients and methods. You then sit down and eat what you made.

How long is the tour and what's included in the price?

The tour runs six hours and includes the air-conditioned vehicle transport, the local guide in English or Spanish, the cooking class, lunch, bottled water and soda throughout the day.

Is this tour suitable for children?

Children from age 8 can participate, and the tour is suitable for all fitness levels. The walking through the towns is at a leisurely pace, and the cooking class is designed for mixed ages and abilities.

What is the countryside like between San Juan de Abajo and Valle de Bandera?

The route passes through the Sierra Madre foothills, where the farming that supplies Puerto Vallarta happens. You see the land where the produce you cook with is grown, which gives context to the ingredients and the regional cuisine the guide teaches you.