The tiny but charming town of  Talpa de Allende is in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Jalisco state. It’s normally pretty sunny and sleepy (except for bustling handmade candied fruit factories and a bustling coffee industsry). But the town also draws tens of thousands of visitors during annual pilgrimages to visit the town’s  “miracle causing” virgin. We simply passed through Talpa one afternoon, but our brief visit was enough to make us want to return.

The church in Talpa de Allende is home to one of the most venerated virgins in all of Mexico. It's also home to a fake pony photo prop too.

The shrine of the Virgin Rosario of  Talpa is one of the most venerated religious sites in all of Mexico.  Three pilgrimages are conducted every year to the site. The Virgin allegedly has healing powers, and many people visit the statue annually to ask for miracles.

The Virgin Rosario of Talpa. She may be responsible for miricles but she sure is tiny.

Vallarta Adventures, which runs a long list of tours out of Puerto Vallarta, also has  more than 20 resident dolphins. We stopped by the training pools one afternoon and were treated to an impromptu behind the scenes show.  There’s even video at the bottom of the post.

For a taste of the action outside Puerto Vallarta, we went on Vallarta Adventures’ Outdoor Adventure trip since it seemed to offer a bit of everything.

Their Outdoor Adventure course includes eight zip lines up to 650 feet long and 250 feet off the ground totalling about three quarters of a mile of zip line. Then there are the four rappels, including one that drops 100 feet down the face of a waterfall, and a free-fall rappel off a platform, Special Forces style. Did we mention the whole gig starts off with a speed boat ride before boarding a 4X4 Unimog followed by a mule ride  2,000 feet up into the Sierra Madre Occidental where the course begins?

The guides were great (young, well-trained, great English) and the course was fast-paced and just heart-thumping enough. The jungle  was gorgeous and the gear and safety standards were impressive. Outdoor Adventure guides have to complete 250 hours of specialized training before they can go out with clients and Vallarta Adventures’ trips have recieved the highest safety certification.

With safety out of the way, it was time to have some fun, as these photos show.

Clipped onto the zip line. Vallarta Adventures actually uses double clips for double safety.

Eric flying down the first of eight zip lines.

At 250 feet off the ground, this is one of the highest zip lines anywhere.

Karen smiling her way down one of three rappels. And she hates heights!

Soaked in a waterfall at the bottom of a rappel.

Eric on a high rappel.