Second time on the blue agave tour Unfortunately the second…read moretime around wasn't quite the same as the first... Our tour guide today was quite friendly but not very informative Most of the time he just set up front talking to the driver I suppose I might be comparing it to the first time which was great! That tour was a few years ago and she was very talkative, funny, and informative of both the flora and Fana. The blue agave tour in end of itself this time was also lacking. One the tour guide really didn't inform our group much of the process of making "tequila", just the video And the staff at los Osos we are basically not really there... Other than the people trying to sell the crafts at the small booths next to the tequila tasting. They complete five star part of this tour is the stop for lunch. The food cooked in Molcajete is absolutely worth the tour if nothing else. The food is excellent, the salsa made by you! on the table, the little smattering of beans and guacamole with the accompanied blue tortillas was excellent! Just remember... LUNCH YOU HAVE TO PAY for as it is not included in the price of your tour. Something they need to outline. And YES, they do take credit cards there. We were told they did not. All in all the tour was comfortable, the small town we visited was cute and quiet, and the food that we stopped for and paid for was excellent! Will I do this again... Not quite sure!

This popular port is known primarily for their seafood, especially shrimp. We booked the tour…read morecompany with Costco Travel and the instructions was to find our guide at the "umbrellas". We got a lot of bang for our buck with this tour. Our tour guide was Juan, but he said we can call him "Chilly Willy", a nickname his friends call him. This 6'5″ giant was a delightful tour guide. Very articulate, humorous, and a local to Mazatlan. Originally, we were supposed to stop first at the Cathedral, but had to make a stop at the shrimp market. It wasn't a market you'd find inside a building at a ports of call. It was rows of independent vendors selling their catch under a tent in the streets of Mazatlan. Unfortunately, we didn't see the actual market as Chilly had the driver go outside to bring back 2 samples of the shrimps from Mazatlan. Following the quick "show and tell", Chilly had the driver take us to another market, similar to a Grand Bazaar. You can find everything from clothes, souvenirs, to fresh food ranging from seafood to produce. Chilly tried to give us a quick overview of the market, and moved rather quickly. I didn't want to get separated from the group, and was only able to capture the seafood and meat section. I had wished he gave us a little more time here. We hopped back on the bus and made our way back to the original stop: the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, located in the heart of the city center. We were given a brief summary of the church, and then allowed some time to roam the grounds, grab a snack, or use the bathroom at the Panama bakery. We left el Centro (the center of town) and Chilly had the driver take us to the Golden Zone Mazatlan with the fancy hotels and condos. Our next stop on the tour was at a micro distillery called Onilikan. What's interesting about this micro distillery is the company was founded by Canadians! Like our other tequila stop in Puerto Vallarta, this place gave samples of their spirits. Stephen didn't care for their tequila, but did enjoy their liqueurs and purchased 2 bottles. What was surprising was Stephen's dad really enjoyed a liqueur, he even purchased a bottle! This tour is far from over as we piled back on the bus and made our way along the coast for the highlight of the trip... to watch the cliff divers (or cliff jumpers). Acapulco is more famous for their cliff divers, but Mazatlan has been jumping since 1961. The divers expect tips so have a few bucks handy. Our tour continued back to the historic part of town, stopped at the Casa de Haas (as in Haas avocados) and we walked to the Angela Peralta Theater Opera House, before heading back to the ship around 2:00. I wish Chilly allowed us more time to explore certain areas. I know he is on a time schedule, but most of the tour was on the bus, not on the ground. Its a good oversight of the town, and to make note to visit places next time.

We booked the Marzatlan Trolley Tour through Norwegian Cruiseline. I'm glad they partnered with…read moreTropical Tours because they did a phenomenal job! We were picked up right at the port in a gated area. It was very safe. The trolley I'd an older bus with no windows but was still comfortable. I didn't feel that they packed us like sardines. Our tour guide, Erick was amazing! He was informative and funny. He stopped at off at a tiny market at the end of our tour to pick up a 4 pack of Pacifico beer. He used them as prizes for those who answered questions regarding the information he gave throughout the tour. I thought that was a great way to end the tour. Highlights of the tour were the cliff divers. Make sure you have cash to tip as the divers will give you a sob story about how this is their only livelihood. To be fair, it was very entertaining! We were driven to the MATZATLAN sign and the tour guide took all our pictures. We were then driven to the shrimp market where we were free to walk around to shop. The market was huge but all the stalls sell pretty much the same thing. We then walked a few blocks to the Catedral Basilica de la Inmaculada Concepcion. It was not far . We were given info on the church beforehand but walked through the church by ourselves at our leisure. The cathedral was stunning. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it on the outside and inside. Our last stop was in downtown Matzatlan which was my favorite the town has so much color and history. The tour guide gave us a choice to follow the blue lines on the ground back to the ship. We were able to do back to downtown after the tour. It is about a 15 minute walk. Tour included a shopping trip to the silver jewelry store where they gave you free beer samples. Most of us stood outside. we also stored my La Selecta store with Sinaloan candy and goodies. I highly recommend this tour if it's your first time in Matzatlan!

We were on a cruise and stopped in Mazatlan. We booked a tour through our ship and Tropical Tours…read morewas the local company that provided the bus, driver and tour guide. The bus was in good condition, comfortable and the driver skilled. Our tour guide was friendly, engaging, knowledgeable, and informative.

This is a fantastic activity for everyone! It was exciting, adventurous and delicious. So much…read moreamazing food and history all over. My friend and I intend on doing another food tour next year when we visit. Looking forward to it!

An amazing adventure to explore the flavors of Mazatlan outside the tourist obvious locations…read more An observation of the typical food on my mind and a hotel or off a food truck Mika took us to her favorite locations that we never would've found without her. I now have photos of locations and information that I can repeat the performance. I do wish there had been more variety in the foods provided to taste but otherwise it was a fabulous tour... Mika is a lovely person and shared so much for the rest of us I can't imagine being more comfortable on such a tour. Love love love..... Do this tour...worth it in all aspects. What else can I say. It was good...

Great experience with this tour provider! I had pre-booked an excursion arriving on a cruise ship…read more Once checked in and waiting for others to arrive for the city tour, I explained to the tour guide that I wasn't feeling well and might want to skip Stone Island. He said he could bring me back to the crust port if necessary. He gave a great city tour explaining the buildings and new versus old section of Mazatlan. All in all, a great tour and much more reasonable than booking through the cruise line. Highly recommend!!

We booked a tour of classic Mazatlan sites and our driver was excellent. However, just as a few…read morepeople have mentioned below, we were taken to the worst restaurant I've ever eaten at. I believe someone compared it to Taco Bell. I'd eat Taco Bell a thousand times before going back to Costa Marinera. Obviously, they are partnered with this restaurant because last year we were taken here as well and we walked out. Ask to go somewhere else for lunch. What people wrote about the vendors, is an underestimation. They hound you from the second you sit down.

Do not make business with them! Not only are they not dependable, but they also don't provide the…read morefull refund even when it is their fault. We were disappointed not once, but twice. Our group of 6 took two taxis to location only to be told that it was cancelled. No one provided us an email, call or text. After speaking with person in charge over the phone as he was not in office, he advised next day, that they would be able to reschedule us to next day. Not fully convinced, I sent a message at night confirming and he said it would happen, confirmed it. Next day as we are getting ready, he calls and asks where we are located and then he says he will call me back. Weird but also now I think I have to be more cautious. I then text message if its happening and he advises it isn't happening. May be due to low season, but at that point, warn the guests. We had 2 days wasted as we planned around this boat ride. We requested a refund which they advised would be returned to us 24-48 hours and only recieved partial refund, despite being told it would be a full refund. Spanish - ¡No hagan negocios con ellos! No solo no son confiables, sino que tampoco proporcionan el reembolso completo, incluso cuando es su culpa. Estuvimos decepcionados no una, sino dos veces. Nuestro grupo de 6 personas tomó dos taxis hasta el lugar, solo para que nos dijeran que estaba cancelado. Nadie nos envió un correo, ni una llamada, ni un mensaje de texto. Después de hablar por teléfono con la persona encargada (ya que no estaba en la oficina), nos dijo que al día siguiente podrían reprogramarnos. Aunque no estábamos del todo convencidos, le envié un mensaje por la noche para confirmar, y me aseguró que sí se llevaría a cabo. Al día siguiente, mientras nos preparábamos, él llama para preguntar dónde estábamos, y luego dice que me regresaría la llamada. Extraño, pero en ese momento pensé que debía tener más cuidado. Entonces le envié un mensaje preguntando si sí iba a suceder, y me respondió que no. Tal vez fue por la temporada baja, pero si es así, deberían advertir a los clientes. Perdimos dos días porque planeamos nuestras actividades alrededor de este paseo en barco. Solicitamos un reembolso, y nos dijeron que lo recibiríamos en 24 a 48 horas. Sin embargo, solo recibimos un reembolso parcial, a pesar de que nos aseguraron que sería completo.

Booked a catamaran only to show up and be told it was cancelled. No one informed us. Later informed…read morethe catamaran will head out next day if we wanted to keep the trip. We did ask for refund which they said would be fully returned. It wasn't. They kept the service fee charges. Glad we didn't commit as they also cancelled the following day. Not a reliable company.

A wonderful day in Siñaloa! One of the best tours I have been on anywhere in the world! First…read moreoff, David is wonderful and the tours can be in English or Spanish. On my way to Mazatlán, literally sitting at the airport I tried calling tour Guide Mazatlán after finding it on Trip Advisor. I spoke to a wonderful guide named David and told him what tour I was looking for. I told him I would book online through Trip Advisor and hung up. He texted me and asked just to book through him and I am glad I did! Our guide was David. He picked my sister and I up from our Hotel on the day we scheduled and arrived right on time. When we got in the tour van, David stated he brought a cooler and had refreshments for us to help ourselves to. It was a wonderful thought. We took a drive past a local cemetary. He explained Dia De Los Muertas to us and explained the structures and what they meant. He also drove us by a rooster farm where roosters are trained to fight. I am an animal lover and hate to think this exists but David reminded us how traditions have lived in this part of the country for a long time and while the practice is slowing down, it is still active. It was interesting to see. We next went to La Noria which is a small town where we toured a local craftsman who fashioned leather belts and shoes. We also stopped by a local jeweler and I bought a beautiful ring that the shop owner sized and brought to my hotel later that night. While at this stop, David was wonderful and made us tamarind margaritas. How awesome! Next, we went to Los Osuna, a blue agave distillery. David explained to us the original process for distilling the blue agave and showed us the methods. He also showed us the way it has been modernized and how the drink is now made. After the very cool tour, we were able to taste a couple different flavors. David then made us Mango Margaritas!. The distillery was really nice and is set in a scenic and beautiful. It was a great afternoon. Next we went to another small town, El Quelite. We visited a local restaurant and learned to make traditional salsa and corn tortillas, what a blast! We then had a very nice lunch, had a visit with an iguana and then had some free time to tour the town. We next went to a local bakery and were able to buy some very affordably priced goodies. David then took us back to our hotel. Our tour lasted about 6 hours and was filled with a lot but didn't feel rushed or exhausting. He kept it light, upbeat and let us go at our own pace. We had 5 people on our tour which was great. A few more wouldn't have hurt but I am glad that David keeps it smaller. It was more tailored to us and went with our flow. As I saw some of the other tours that day, they each had 20+ people. I think with a tour that large, it wouldn't have been as personal. David is a true professional and made our day absolutely amazing. He goes above and beyond for his clients/passengers. I would absolutely recommend Tour Guide Mazatlán and David to anyone looking for a great half day or day long trip. You will not be disappointed!!

I was very impressed with the service I received on our airport transfer…read more David was waiting for us with a sign flagging us to him. He immediately grabbed a couple of our bags and whisked us away to the van. We were traveling in a group of 7 but space was not an issue at all. A/C is a must at this time of year in Mazatlan and his van did not disappoint. He also had a variety of drinks in a cooler (water, soda, juice, beer) to help cool us down. Before we arrived I was able to make arrangements through email with David for a quick stop at a supermarket, as we were staying in a house in the El CID Marina area. Depending on the distance he can provide a quote for you. He not only kept the van running with the A/C during my shopping spree, but he immediately jumped out of his van to load all while we comfortably sat back down in the A/C. Details is what I watch for, and David does a very good job exemplifying great service. I did not have any second guesses booking a tour with him there on the spot. Keep up the great work David!

We went on a wonderful semi private tour with Pauola yesterday. We had a great time learning and…read moreeating our way through Mazatlán Centro Highly recommend it, next time we're going to do a cooking class

Don't hesitate one second for booking anything w Pauola and her company. Our group of 4 friends…read morefrom the Midwest did the taco cooking class and a walking food tour of old Mazetlan. The staff is engaging, fun, knowledgeable, professional, and easy to be with. Food is unbelievable in both experiences!!

Review for "Deer Island Snorkling and Beach BBQ" Tour. This tour is boring AF, and costs $90 CDN…read more($65 USD) - AVOID!!!! Total rip-off!!! The catamaran takes you to some islands to see birds ("bird poop island") and sea lions, and then takes you to Deer Island where there is nothing to do but sit on the beach and drink. Cuz you can't do that anywhere else. Don't waste your time snorkelling, the small reef is long dead and there's only a few brown fish hanging around. We brought our own gear, I certainly wouldn't trust the cleanliness of their gear based on the condition of the catamaran. The catamaran (the Kolonahe) is poorly maintained, the men's toilet didn't flush, and one of two struts for the top structure of the catamaran (you know, where people walk and sit) was completely rusted out and broken off. For the price they're charging, that boat should be impeccably maintained. There's little to no guide interpretation (in english anyhow) as you sit on the catamaran listening to much loathed 1990s classics like Céline Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". Nothing says good times on a boat like the Titanic Soundtrack. Of the 25 people on board, 4 were Mexican, and two of them spoke english fluently, yet with my limited spanish I overheard the "guide" speaking to them at length about the Mazatlán coastline while ignoring the rest of the guests. The beach BBQ is a sad showing of the worst food the El Cid resort has to offer, runny refried beans, chicken skewers, salad. Why would anyone pay $90 for this, especially as all the guests were staying at all-inclusives anyhow (telltale wristbands). To top it off, I overheard the "guides" talking to the El Cid food server and laughing at the guests and calling them gordas (fatties). To add further insult, we waited over an hour at the dock (El Cid Marina) for the catamaran to be ready, and then again for 45 minutes for the shuttle (one 8 seater van for everyone) to take us back to the hotel. Total waste of a vacation day. An older couple said the Stone Island tour was much better, like the guides actually talked to them in english and told them about some of the area history. Personally based on my experience, I would avoid anything the Aries Fleet has to offer, they're just ripping off tourists as far as I can tell. You can rent a sea kayak and paddle yourself over to Deer Island in probably 20 minutes if you really want to check it out.

We recently took a cruise to Mazatlan and had the good fortune to hire Jesus Angel Vega to be our…read moretour driver. He took us to the oldest cathedral and old town and to see the cliff divers. We went to lunch on the beach and to the section where as he said the Gringos live. We saw everything you would see on a big expensive tour but we're able to tailor it to suit our needs and the price was much better. If you want a wonderful tour call him or email him ahead of time. He is great. He speaks beautiful English and has lived there his entire life. We will return and Jesus will be our driver and tour guide. Thanks Jesus. Call 044 669 994 8129 or 044-669-981-5017. Jesus Angel Vega. Email jesus_mantecon@hotmail.com

Enjoyed an informative city tour of Mazatlan by Jesus. He is knowledgable of local history and…read morecurrent locations for good food and general interest. We had Jesus pick us up at our hotel for several trips and he was always punctual and reasonable in terms of fare. His taxi is clean and we were always comfortable with his driving. We communicated with him by e-mail (jesus_mantecon@hotmail.com) and he always responded quickly to confirm our pick-up time.

We did the Zip line and ATV tour. We had 4 tour guides for our party. Zip lining was so fun!…read moreNothing to be afraid of. ATV tour we saw a Honey Badger, picked fresh mangoes and limes.

Great company to work with I was terrified to do this and…read moreafter my first run I almost gave up. Claudia and Mike were awesome. Assured me I was ok and even did runs with me. Love how they cared. Edgar then took us on an ATV adventure which was unforgettable. These group of instructors are the best. They feed you give you unlimited about of water and entertain you the whole time. The tequila tasting was superb. Thank you Mike, Claudia and Edgar. Great memories. Thanks for the pictures Edgar we love them. The CA girls