Marietas Islands, 20 miles off the coast of Puerto Vallarta

The Marietas Islands are located just 20 nautical miles West of Puerto Vallarta. Through the centuries, a crater has formed in one of them, giving way for the formation of a small beach, which is known as Playa del Amor or Hidden Beach, which has also become a natural attraction for tourists.

Unfortunately, that beach was over-exploited by tour operators 4 or 5 years ago. They irresponsibly saturated the island with people on a daily basis, bringing up to 1000 people every day, endangering the existing flora and fauna living in them.

Nowadays the SEMARNAT authorities are protecting these islands, controlling the flow of tourists, allowing the entrance of people at no more than 150 persons per day distributed in 5 different schedules.

To reach Playa del Amor (or Hidden Beach), the guest must swim almost 80 yards from the boat to the entrance of the crater. The entrance is shaped like a marine cave, and you’ll have to swim through it for 18 yards to reach the sandy beach found inside the crater. Once there, you’ll be able to enjoy the beach surrounded by the rocky formations of these peculiar islands.

The Marietas Islands tour is an activity in high demand, reason why many tourists decide to make their reservations days or weeks in advance.

If for any reason you don’t want to get into the Hidden Beach or you couldn’t make a reservation in time for a space, you can still enjoy the tour to these islands. Nopalera Beach is on the same islands and it has easy access, you can also enjoy that or a number of other activities (like bird watching) included on this tour. The variety of tropical birds like the Bobo bird with blue or yellow feet, Tijerillas birds, or pelicans. Not to mention the numerous local fish which are a pleasure to watch as well.

Make sure the boat that takes you on this tour has all the permits and legal licenses required, as well as insurance for civil responsibility.

We wish you the best vacation ever.

Your Friends at Tours en Puerto Vallarta