Beaches Archives - Puerto Vallarta Mexico

How big is the Hidden Beach (Marietas Islands)

Marieta Islands Hidden Beach is a very small one, it's located inside a cave carved out into the island by seawater erosion. Because it is so small its total size will depend mostly on the tides, sands also come and go, evolving in time and after stormy seasons the beach may all but disappear too. In general, I would say it is about 30 m length x 15-20 m wide (100 x 50-60 ft) - both times I've visited the beach, it's had a useable edge. When I visited in 1999 the beach was flatter and the sand was softer. Now in December 2021, it was a bit steeper and I felt the sand a bit rougher than what I remember. Marietas Islands' Hidden Beach, also known as Playa del Amor (Love Beach) is not visible from the sea outside, you can see a bit of light through the access tunnel. It's a 35 m (110 ft.) long water tunnel connecting the beach to the outside, the Pacific Ocean. There is between 3 and six feet of space above the water in the tunnel, so in the past, at times visitors could reach the beach by kayaking, today, due ...

How do you get to the Hidden Beach in Puerto Vallarta?

First off the Hidden Beach is located in the northwestern part of Banderas Bay. There are a number of tour operators that take you to the Marietas Islands, most do not take you to Hidden Beach and visit other very impressive areas around the main islands. So do take this into account. Tours that go to the Hidden Beach (AKA Lover's Beach or Crater Beach) start off very early in the morning in high-speed motorboats. These are operated by authorized Tour Operators, we recommend Ecotours Vallarta and Vallarta Adventures. These tours will start off from either the API (Area Portuaria Integral), Puerto Vallarta's harbor area or Marina Vallarta. The ride there takes anywhere from 45 minutes to 60 minutes. You'll get a total of 30 minutes from the moment you jump into the water to go to the Beach and back.

How long is the boat/ferry ride from Puerto Vallarta to the Marietas?

How long the trip is will depend on two variables: Is the boat trip actually going to the Hidden Beach? Are you going to stop or try to find dolphins & whales along the way? If the trip is going to the crater beach, it'll be a 40-45 minute full-speed ride in a high-speed motorboat from the Puerto Vallarta API (harbour area) or Marina Vallarta with some 10-12 other passengers. If your trip isn't going to the beach, it'll take around an hour or an hour and a half, time will vary depending on how many marine creatures you encounter along the way (November to March you will encounter Humpback Whales and those are very hard to skip).

Are the Marietas Islands open?

When the authorities detected growing destruction of the ecosystem at the Marietas Islands, they limited access to the Hidden Beach to a maximum of 116 people per day and the boats going there cannot carry more than 15 passengers at a time. The entrance to the beach is strictly controlled by National Park personnel and entry is granted strictly in order of arrival. Entrance is done in groups. Once 116 passes are reached, no one else enters. From the moment you enter the water, you have 30 minutes to get to and back from the beach. Access is delimited by a line of buoys. Both the tourist providers and you must pay a special entry permit (the money is reinvested in the park and access control). You get a special wrist strap and you are provided with an official helmet that identifies you as authorized. You must also wear a life jacket and no snorkels or fins are allowed. So there is actually a sort of race to get as soon as possible every morning on the days that access is allowed (some of the days of the week). To really know if your tour is going to Hidden Beach ...

How do you get to the Marietas Islands?

Nowadays, the only way to get to the islands and hidden beach at the Marietas Islands from Puerto Vallarta is by boat with a recognized and authorized tour company, we recommend Ecotours de México y Vallarta Adventures. You may also find options from Punta de Mita, but you'll need to figure out a way to get to Punta de Mita Embarcadero. Not all tours to the Marietas are created equal, first, because there are environmental concerns, secondly, local environmental authorities must approve those who travel there, especially tour operators, thirdly, they must know the area well, tides, and other important aspects. There are tours that only take you to the islands and do not include a swim into Lover's Beach (Hidden Beach), few more expensive options include the swim into the crater beach swimming through an impressive and breathtaking sea cave.

Are there two seahorse statues in Puerto Vallarta?

Yes, there are actually two seahorse statues in Puerto Vallarta. The first one was commissioned from Rafael Zamarripa in 1960 and was placed in Los Muertos Beach at a place called Las Pilitas where there are some boulders to which it was attached. After a strong storm, it was lost in the sea. A larger version was requested from the artist and it was placed at a safer location as the first statue/sculpture placed on the Malecon in 1976. Read more about these sculptures here: The Seahorse Statue on the Malecon The Seahorse statue at Las Pilitas (Los Muertos Beach)

How do I get to Yelapa?

There are a few ways to get to Yelapa, some of them are not really practical for most people, we'll start off naming them all: 1- Take a water taxi to Yelapa directly from Puerto Vallarta 2- Ride a local bus to Boca de Tomatlán and then take a water taxi from Boca de Tomatlán 3- Drive to Chacala (2-hour drive - 77 km / 48 miles to a small town in the mountains) and then hike or mountain bike down to Yelapa 4- Take a day cruise tour to Yelapa. The best and most reasonable way to get to Yelapa is to grab a local bus (camión) on the corner of Basilio Badillo and Constitución, it costs 10 pesos (2021), once you get to Boca de Tomaltan, walk down Pelícanos street to the Malecón or Pier and pay for a ticket on one of the many water taxis going to the south beaches, the 2021 rate for a one-way ticket is $120 pesos (approx. $6 USA dollars). There are water taxis that take off from the Playa Los Muertos pier, they are a bit more expensive and the trip by sea is a bit longer, only recommended for those ...

Is Yelapa worth a visit?

You may be asking yourself if Yelapa is worth visiting? When you are in Puerto Vallarta and you want to spice up your day and have a good time, then by all means plan a trip to Yelapa. It's a great and relaxing adventure, take the bus to Boca de Tomatlán and then one of the many water taxis (pangas) to Yelapa. You can hike to the waterfall, eat in one of the cute restaurants in the village, find some raicilla, stroll around the small alleys in the village or just enjoy some Margaritas on the main Yelapa beach while sunbathing or swimming in the calm waters of Yelapa bay.

Is Yelapa Mexico safe to visit?

Yelapa is certainly a safe place to visit, not only is it safer than Puerto Vallarta, Yelapa is, without doubt, one of the safest places to visit in all of Mexico. Yelapa is a small quiet and relaxed town, plus it's quite secluded (the only practical way to get there is by sea) and the villagers all know each other, and most are long-time residents. So you can really just relax, there is nothing to be worried about there!

How much is a water taxi to Yelapa?

Yelapa, Jalisco, México We recommend going to Boca de Tomatlán by land, a public bus charges some $0.60 dollars from Puerto Vallarta there, and from Boca, jump on a water taxi (panga) to Yelapa. It's $120 pesos one way from Boca de Tomatlán to Yelapa (2021 exchange rates = USD$ 6.00 dollars) You'll arrive at the eastern side pier in Yelapa (main Yelapa beach) or at the town pier if you want to go straight to the waterfall.

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