Marietas Islands Excursion- Puerto Vallarta
On a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with the fam, we went on an excursion to Marietas Islands and discovered the island’s famous hidden beach! While in Mexico, we stayed at the Hotel Riu Jalisco – check out the view from our room below! The resort was beautiful, and we found the location perfect to explore Puerto Vallarta and neighboring small towns. We also loved hanging out on our balcony overlooking the pacific ocean.
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Full-Day Marietas Island Tour
During our time in Puerto Vallarta, we decided to book an excursion with Vallarta Adventures! They have a ton of good options to explore the area by land and sea. We went on their Marietas Islands Tour. The excursion was a full day and ran us about $150 U.S dollars per person but it was totally worth it!
The Marietas Islands Tour included:
- Breakfast served at Vallarta Adventures
- Boat ride to and from the islands
- On-board entertainment (really funny cover band!)
- Whale Watching
- Snorkeling
- Kayaking and Paddle Boarding
- Snacks and Drinks
Our Marietas Islands Experience
Playa Del Amor or the Hidden Beach of Puerto Vallarta is located about 20 miles off the coast in the Marietas Islands. The ecologically-diverse island is also part of Islas Marietas National Park and is known for its remarkable secluded beauty. The “hidden” beach is actually located on the interior of the Island and is difficult to access (more on this later!). On the boat ride out to the Marietas Islands, we enjoyed stunning ocean views as well as some snacks and drinks. The ride took about an hour and a half, but it really didn’t seem that long at all. Side note – if you get motion sickness, make sure to take some non-drowsy seasickness meds BEFORE you get on the boat.
We Paddled (and Fell!)
Once we arrived near the islands we had the option to do a few fun water activities: snorkeling, kayaking, and/or paddleboarding. I was pretty happy relaxing on the boat but my husband wanted to try his hand at paddleboarding. You can see how that went below:
We Swam
Then it was finally time to go to the hidden beach! I was so excited! The expert guides from Vallarta Adventures reminded us all that only STRONG swimmers were to go on from here. My husband and I are both strong swimmers so off we went. We were divided into several small groups and loaded onto smaller boats to go to the hidden beach.
As we got closer to the islands, we were given some very important safety instructions on how to get to the hidden beach. We were going to have to swim through a water cavern to get to the interior of the island where the beach was located. The water was a little rough on the day we toured, so I was a little nervous at the idea of having to swim through basically a water cave with rocks all around me, but we had come this far and weren’t going back!
The water was high and rough so I was very grateful for my lifejacket! We all swam in a group towards the access point of the island a.k.a. scary water tunnel. As we approached, a guide swam ahead to check everything out. He came back and let us know that the access point to the hidden beach was completely underwater! And if we wanted to still see the beach we could but we would have to swim underwater for a split second. WAIT, WHAT!?!? Underwater! No one said anything about this!
I was freaked out but we couldn’t turn back now! We held the hand of one guide (on the ocean side) and then swam under the cave formations to the other guide (on the interior island side). We were only underwater for a split second but it was so scary! I have to say this may be the most adventurous thing I have done during my travels so far. I was so proud of myself for actually doing it! Side note for the record – my husband thought it was really cool and claimed he was not scared at all. 🙂
We Enjoyed
Okay, so after the scary part we actually got to hang out at the hidden beach! And it was so cool. 🙂 The sand was lovely and the ecosystem inside the island was so interesting to learn about. While at the beach, we discovered that there are over 100 species of unique birds and fish that call the beach area and Marietas Islands home. We laid in the sunshine on the beautiful hidden beach and just took in the moment.
We Drank
After about 30-minutes or so of exploring the hidden beach, we made our way back. The procedure to go back was the same. The swimming underwater was less scary this time. 🙂 Then back onto the small boats and finally back on the big boat where warm towels, snacks, and drinks awaited us.
On the boat ride back, the drinks were flowing and the cover band was really rockin! We even had an opportunity to catch a glimpse of a humpback whale swimming near the boat. They were fin-flapping, or lobtailing, and it felt like they were showing off just for us. 🙂 It was incredible to see these amazing creatures up close.
Participant Restrictions:
To go on the Marietas Islands tour there are some restrictions, see below; and I must admit the experience did end up being fairly physically demanding, so make sure you are really ready before taking this tour.
- Minimum age: 12 years old
- Life jackets must be worn
- Access to the hidden beach is not guaranteed and is dependent upon sea conditions (we almost weren’t able to go in due to water levels)
- Use of sunscreen is prohibited in the Hidden Beach
- Participants must be fit and able to swim 75m (200ft) from boat to beach.
- People who suffer from heart disease, back or spine problems cannot participate in this activity
- Expectant mothers are restricted from this tour
What to Bring:
Here is my list of items of what to bring on the Marietas Islands Tour:
- Swimsuit
- Towel
- Light Sweater (it got windy on the way back!)
- Hat (a must!)
- Biodegradable sunscreen (eco-friendly :-))
- Extra cash for photos and souvenirs
Location and Contact info:
Website: https://www.vallarta-adventures.com/en/
Phone Number: Direct or within Mexico: +52 (322) 226-8413
Phone Number: From the USA or Canada: 1-888-526-2238
Whatsapp: +52 1(322) 182-0870
Email Address: info@vallarta-adventures.com
Address: Vallarta Adventures’ Office at Marina Vallarta, Edificio Marina Golf Local 13-C, Calle Mástil, Marina Vallarta Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco; ZC 48354, Mexico
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Book your Mexico stay here:
Booking.comCheck out some of my other stories about Mexico HERE!
Book your own Marietas Islands trip:
Marietas Islands: Snorkel Cruise from Puerto Vallarta
Scuba Dive Tour: Marietas Islands
Whale Watching and Snorkeling in Marietas Islands National Park
Marietas Islands Eco Discovery Snorkeling Adventure
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About the Author
Hi my name is Sara and I am the creator of WanderMoore! 🙂 I started WanderMoore in early 2020 after leaving a full-time job in the Communications/Marketing field to stay home and raise my kiddos, Mila and Liam. I wanted something fun to work on in my free time and WanderMoore has become one of my biggest passions! Thank you for reading my post! I can't wait to share more of my travel adventures with you 🙂
This looks so fun! I am craving sun and beach right now and this spot looks perfect 🙂
Intresting article
Hahaha I laughed out loud at the paddle board photos of your husband! A similar thing happened to my partner when we went paddle boarding in Toronto! He fell in many times hahah!
Great informative post 🙂
This looks so fun and I have never heard of this island before.
Sounds like a beautiful tour. I would love swimming through the underwater part to get to a secret beach. Wonderful to see whales too.
Oh wow didn’t know you could go whale watching there looks fab!