Old Town Mazatlan Segway Tour

We’ve done quite a few Segway tours around the world and this was one of the best. Carlos was extremely personable and knowledgeable about the area. He was passionate about old town which we loved over the more modern areas.

Mazatlan, a deer town and a hidden gem

To combat the 19th month cabin fever of COVID-19, we finally broke down to book a ten day cruise San Francisco to San Francisco en route several coastal cities of Mexico. We had resorted of doing nothing while onboard, and had done a good job of doing nothing for the first 6 days. In the early December, the southern tips of Mexico enjoys the best of the weather. Nevertheless it was still way too hot and humid. After a brief port walk at Puerto Vallarta and Mazanillo, we decided to continue our relaxing onboard. On the seventh day when the ship docked in Mazatlan we decided to take a Segway tour. Booked through Tripadvisor, the tour was not part of the cruise excursion. The only risk for us was to find the starting point once we we’re onshore.

Whisked by trolleys from ship to port, we were welcomed by the local merchants who kept a courteous distance while waving brochures for attention. Outside the port, open air taxis lined up for passengers. An orange haired female cop, tall, slender and beautiful, directed traffic with whistles and hand gestures. Her. Her chin up, back straight, she carried herself with grace and confidence. Pairs of local police patrolled the blue line, a designated tourist walking path leading us to the center of the downtown. At the end of the blue line, white haired men in blue shirts — marked clearly as volunteers— approached tourists handing out maps and offering consultation on directions or hot spots of shopping and sightseeing. At the conclusion of our consultation, I asked the gentleman if he had retired. “Yes, indeed,” he responded. “Retired 13 years ago, I live here 5 months out of a year.” “From Minnesota?” I asked, assuming the Minnesota snowbirds’ seasonal pattern of fleeing the harsh winter. “From Calgary,” the gentleman replied, and added, “the weather is about the same as Minnesota.”

The orderliness of the town, the courteous promotion from the merchants, and friendliness of the volunteers put us as ease as we explored the old town, the center of which was the 150+ year-old cathedral, stood prominently golden amid the colorful buildings nearby. But finding the starting point of Segway tour turned out to be more challenging than we thought. Following the map we located the street along the boardwalk, but the street numbering was either missing, misleading or confusing. Armed with the address of Olas Altas 166, we thought we found the right place, an open park sandwiched between the numbers of 256 and 131, but there was no sign of Segway or other fellow tourists. We walked into a bank. The receptionist took our piece of paper and walked inside. Soon an English speaking bank teller came out and informed us that we had walked pass it. We now need to walk back, about 3 quarters of a mile. Fifteen minutes later and fifteen minutes late, we were greeted by Carlos, the Segway guide to a group of 2 — us, the only two who signed up for the 11:30 am group.

A middle aged handsome man, Carlos sported a wide smile and spoke a perfect English, peppered with a few Spanish as he shouted out greetings to his friends and fellow tour guides. Well tanned under the year round Mazatlan sun, the locally raised Carlos exhibited a genuine love for his hometown. On the Segway he took us around the beach town and its hundred year old beach houses with the famous Mazatlan colorful facades. Several beach mansions were under renovation. The workers gathered under the shades taking lunch breaks. They looked up flashing their white teeth and broad smiles, nodded to acknowledge as we drove by.

“Look,” Carlos pointed to an unrenovated complex with a row of green iron wrought covering the small windows. His voice was loud enough to carry over to both of us who kept a few feet distance in between two Segways. “This used to be a military hospital, but no longer used.” The small windows reminded me of an old hospital eerily similar to a jail. A couple of blocks away, he pointed to another compound yet to be renovated. “This used to be my junior high.” Passing a few windows, he pointed to the second last one and added, “this used to be my classroom.” A few blocks later, Carlos pointed to another house and told us, “this was where my friend lived. We went to school together.” Trying to figure out how long ago, I tease for a clue, “You must be 35.” “Oh, no,” Carlos chuckled and confessed right away. “I am 52 this year, but always been a teenager in my heart.”

In the old town, Carlos pointed out the facade consistent to the buildings, renovated or un. He called our attention to the constrast between two neighboring ones, one renovated while the other none. He took us to the hotel where Herman Melville, Moby Dick author, had a brief stay March 28 to April 6, 1844 as a sailor aboard the frigate United States. His famous quotes were on the plaque at the front entrance. “As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for everything remote. I love to sail unforbidden sea and land on barbarous coasts.”

Carlos took us to the old town, separated from the new by merely two blocks. We took a break at Mercado Square where Carlos recited the brief history of Mazatlan, which literally means deer. The Spaniards first took refuge, followed by the French. The Germans came afterwards. The city that was born since had so much resemblance to New Orleans. As if answering the question I was about to ask, Carlos said, “yes, the Carnival is here every year, on Tuesdays before the Ash Wednesday.” I looked around the buildings surrounding the square. Every one has a balcony fenced by iron wrought in different patterns. Around lunch time, the street was filled with seafood aroma, saltiness from the raw ceviche, and greasiness from the deep friers, nevertheless, enticing. It was a city full of vigor and liveliness.

After maneuvering through the alleys across old and new towns, Carlos took us to the boardwalk. Along the way he’d point out anything that could be remotely hazardous — up a twig drooping from a tree, or a tip of an umbrella, down to a pothole or a speed bump. No matter how remote, he fulfilled his guide duty to ensure our safety. I felt safe and comfortable all along, except for a few occasions where a group of pedestrians would walk slow, side by side, occupying the entire boardwalk. They were preoccupied either by the scenery or their own thoughts. It wasn’t until Carlos whistled for attention that they’d yield for us to pass by. Along the boardwalk Carlos showed us the deer sculpture, natural swimming pool, fishermen sculpture, open air taxi, and pointed out the cannons that had stood rusty, a testimony to a decade old city’s self defense mechanism.

Our Segway tour concluded two and half hours later. Although just a glimpse, I had a full appreciation of a hidden jewel. The bright sun, blue sky, sea breeze, friendly people, and a local guide pouring the love for his city and infested every tourist around him. A tour well with the time.

Great experience. Started with a short training session. None of us had been on a segway before. Within 10 minutes we were al feeling comfortable and maneuvering safely. Off on the tour. Saw lots of the old town. Carlos our guide spoke very good english and was very informative.

Really enjoyed this tour. Carlos was very friendly and knowledgeable. He was very patient teaching the first-timers in our group to navigate the Segway. Tour was very interesting and loved the stretch along the beach.

We had the best time with our guide, Carlos! Safety was always his top priority and ensuring you had fun was a close second. His knowledge and love of the area and his sense of humor made this an experience to remember. We would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about this great area of the city.

Carlos was our tour guide and he was awesome. Even though we had ridden Segway’s before he made sure we were safe and felt comfortable on them. He was very knowledgeable and knows Mazatlán’s history. We covered a lot of miles during our tour. Poncho (Carlos helper) rode along with us on his bike, he would control traffic while we crossed busy streets, which made us feel very safe. The day we did our tour it was very hot and humid. Towards the end of the tour, the heat had gotten to me and I felt faint. Carlos continued on with the rest of the group and Poncho stayed with my husband and I. He quickly got me some ice from a near by restaurant so I could cool down. He (Poncho) called back to the office and had a truck come pick us and the Segway’s up and take us back to the office. When we returned to the office, the owner of the company was waiting there for us and insisted on driving us back to the cruise terminal not letting us take a taxi. The tour itself was definitely 5 stars but the extra care that was shown to me was very much appreciated.

Sunset tour of Centro was nice with all the historical buildings with great street lighting all around. The Malecon section was excellent. They have a green/bike path that is perfect for the Segways. Our guide Carlos was energetic and knowledge. A must do, even if you never Segway’d before. Simple training and your off to the races.

We were looking for something fun and affordable to do during our cruise stop in Mazatlan and I’m so glad we found the segway tour. Carlos the tour guy makes sure you are comfortable riding then sets off to show you around the older parts of downtown, stopping to give interesting facts and take pictures. Then you ride along the boardwalk which has amazing views. We were shocked how far you can ride on a segway! Carlos was great at communicating along the way and would constantly look back and check on us. My husband did take a stumble after hitting a bump (he didn’t listen when he said to go around the thing in the road) but Carlos was right there to help. (Don’t worry its not common to fall. We were the first ones to use his first aid kit this year to get a bandaid!) My husband was still very comfortable riding and we agreed it was our favorite thing we did on our trip. We would 100% go back again.

Tip: When you get off the cruise ship the first couple of taxis drivers will say $10-25 for a ride but if you keep walking a bit you will see a ton of drivers in white shirts that will take you for $5.

Our guide gave us a lot of great history. Loved the beauty of the Machado area and had a blast cruising the boardwalk.

We had such a great time. It was my husband’s first time on a segway and now he wants one! It is pretty hot for us in Mazatlan, so we did the 9am tour. It was a great way to see a lot without getting hot and worn out. Carlos is the guide that does all the tours. Born and raised in old town Mazatlan. Super welcoming. The tour he gave helped us have a more authentic experience of Mazatlan. Just a tremendous opportunity to spend time with a local. Could not recommend the tour more. Be brave and try it. It’s so much easier than you think it will be.