A NATIONAL PARK
116 entries a day · Closed Mondays, except public-holiday Mondays
ONE MILE OUT
Your vessel anchors at the boundary
DECEMBER TO MARCH
Humpbacks on the route
ONE BEACH, FOUR NAMES
Playa del Amor · Playa Escondida
· the Hidden Beach · Lover’s Beach
They are the same place. A collapsed volcanic crater on the Marietas Islands, open to the sky, holding a small crescent of sand that can only be reached by swimming through a rock arch. Federal authorities issue a limited number of entry bracelets each day, and every one of them is earned with a real open-ocean swim. That is precisely what keeps it worth reaching.
THE ONE-MILE LINE
Two ways to visit.
Only one of them gives you full freedom.
The usual way
An open panga from Punta de Mita or a crowded catamaran from Vallarta. A wet ride out, a queue at the access point, and — because federal rules prohibit alcohol, music, plastic and water toys within one mile of the islands — nothing to return to but a bench and the ride home.
The Boat and Bay way
Your vetted vessel cruises out at your pace and anchors precisely at the one-mile boundary — the closest any yacht is permitted. A certified panga, arranged and paid before you ever board, comes to collect only those who want the swim.
Everyone else keeps the yacht: shade, bathrooms, the bar, music, a prepared lunch. When the swimmers return, the day simply continues.
The park’s rules end exactly where your deck begins.
The only door is the sea
HOW THE DAY UNFOLDS
From the marina to the crater, and back to lunch
Board at the marina
Your bracelets are already reserved, the panga already scheduled, the vessel already provisioned. Nothing is arranged on the day.
The crossing
If departing from La Cruz: about an hour on a motor yacht, an hour and a half on a catamaran. From December to March, humpback whales and their calves are regular company on this route.
Anchor at the one-mile line
The islands ahead, the whole bay behind you. Your yacht holds this position for the entire visit.
The panga arrives
Certified local guides — people born on this water — carry bracelet guests the ten minutes to the access point.
Vest, helmet, briefing
Then the swim: a genuine open-ocean passage to the arch. Depending on tide and swell, you may pass briefly underwater for a few seconds.
Inside the crater
Twenty to twenty-five minutes on sand that most of the world has only seen from a drone.
The reef, then the table
A snorkeling session over the coral on the way back — equipment included — and lunch waiting on deck when you climb the ladder.
Sunlight through an open crater, onto sand few ever stand on.
SAID PLAINLY
This is a real swim. We will not
pretend otherwise.
Reaching the Hidden Beach is not a relaxing float. It is an active open-water swim with current, and a passage under a rock arch where the sea may briefly close over you. The federal park sets the conditions of entry, and we hold to them exactly — because they are what keep this place intact.
Guests who prefer not to swim lose nothing of the day. The yacht, the whales, the reef seen from deck, the lunch — all of it remains theirs, one mile out.
AGES
12 to 65 is our standard. The park permits entry from age 10; ages 10 and 11 join by individual review, as do guests over 65 — exceptions, not promises.
CONDITION
Confident swimmers in good health, comfortable entering and leaving a panga from the water.
REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES
Life vest and helmet, issued at the briefing. No fins, no diving, no footwear on the sand.
THE SEA DECIDES
Authorities close access for swell, jellyfish, or conservation. If they close it, your bracelet may be refunded. Otherwise, bracelets are not refundable.
DISTANCES & TIMING
From your marina to
the islands
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
about 1 h 10
1 h 30 via catamaran
CRUISE, ONE WAY
6-hour charter
8 hours for parties of nine or more
Nuevo Nayarit
about 1 h 30
2 h 05 via catamaran
CRUISE, ONE WAY
7-hour charter
8 hours for parties of nine or more
Marina Vallarta
about 1 h 45
2h25 via catamaran
CRUISE, ONE WAY
8-hour charter
9 hours for parties of nine or more
For two to four guests, a 4-hour charter from La Cruz is possible: the Marietas and nothing else, the earliest departure of the day, a single panga rotation, and no idle margin in the clock. From five guests, six hours is the honest minimum.
The four-hour day, two to four guests. The Marietas and nothing else: board early (the park opens at 8:00), one panga rotation, no beach stop. It works on a motor yacht from La Cruz or any vessel from Punta de Mita, more easily in low season. From the south of the bay, four hours does not reach the islands and back.
Punta de Mita is the shortest crossing by far; La Cruz the natural home of the day. From Nuevo Vallarta, Marina Vallarta and Los Muertos a motor yacht is the sensible choice: a catamaran from the south of the bay spends more of the day in transit than at the islands. If you are staying in Puerto Vallarta, a car to La Cruz takes about 45 minutes and gives back more than two hours of sea time.
THE BRACELET
One price,
and everything inside it
300
USD per guest
USD per guest
250
ABOARD ANY VESSEL IN OUR COLLECTION
(except 2BR)
two guests: 330 USD each
ABOARD 2BR — THE 71-FOOT VESSEL WE CONSIDER BEST COMPOSED FOR THIS CROSSING
minimum of 2 bracelets
- Reserved entry to the Hidden Beach, secured in advance
- Panga transfer from your yacht and back, both ways
- Certified local guides, born on this water
- Life vest, helmet, and safety briefing
- Snorkeling equipment and the reef session
- Every permit, schedule, and coordination handled before you board
Bracelet prices are per guest, in addition to your charter, IVA included. Reservations must be made in advance — daily entries are limited by the park, and in high season they are spoken for early.
BEYOND THE HIDDEN BEACH
The islands hold
more than one secret
Playa La Nopalera
The open beach on Isla Larga — turquoise water, no cave, no arch swim. When conditions permit a landing, it is the gentler way to touch the islands, and where the park’s interpretive trail begins.
The blue-footed booby
The islands shelter over one hundred bird species, including one of the world’s largest colonies of the blue-footed booby — the same bird that made the Galápagos famous.
The reef
Jacques Cousteau’s advocacy helped protect these waters, and the snorkeling shows why — coral heads, rays, and fish in the kind of density that earned the Marietas the name “the Galápagos of Mexico.”
Whales in season
From December to March, humpbacks calve in these waters. The crossing itself becomes the first act of the day — often the one guests talk about longest.
In season, the escort is forty tons and travels with a calf.
COMPOSED FOR
Which days belong here
Milestone
birthdays
The ones that want a story attached, not only a table.
Families with
strong swimmers
Teenagers remember this crossing for years.
Groups divided
on adventure
Half swim the arch. Half keep the deck. Both get their day.
Proposals,
honestly advised
See below — this one deserves a real conversation.
Tell us what you have in mind. We will tell you honestly whether the moment belongs inside the crater, or on your own deck one mile out, with the islands behind you and no one else aboard.
BEFORE YOU ASK
Questions
guests bring us
Is the Hidden Beach the same as Lover’s Beach?
Yes. Playa del Amor, Playa Escondida, the Hidden Beach, and Lover’s Beach are four names for one beach — the crater beach on the Marietas Islands. If you have seen the famous aerial photograph, you have seen this place.
Can you guarantee we will enter the Hidden Beach?
No one honestly can. Access is controlled by federal authorities and closes for high swell, jellyfish presence, or conservation. What we control, we control fully: your bracelets are reserved in advance, your timing is advised around conditions, and if the authorities close access, your bracelet may be refunded. If anyone promises you a guarantee, they are promising you the sea’s behavior.
I am not a strong swimmer. Should I go?
Not to the crater — and we will tell you so directly. The entry is a genuine open-ocean swim. But the day is built so that non-swimmers lose nothing: the yacht anchors a mile out with the bar, the music, and the view, and when conditions permit, Playa La Nopalera and the reef offer gentler water.
Can children come?
Our standard for the swim is ages 12 to 65. The park itself permits entry from age 10, and we will consider ages 10 and 11 individually — the child must be a genuinely confident open-water swimmer, and the sea that day must agree. Younger children stay aboard the yacht in comfort, and a dedicated babysitter can join for the day at 250 USD — so the adults' swim costs no one their peace of mind.
What should we wear and bring?
Swimwear you can genuinely swim in, worn from the morning. No footwear is permitted on the sand, and sunscreen is restricted in park waters to protect the coral — apply reef-safe protection early and lightly. Vests, helmets, and snorkeling equipment are provided. Towels wait on the yacht.
“I reserve the bracelets, brief the guides, and remain reachable from shore for the whole day. The islands are wild. Your logistics are not.”
— OKSANA · FOUNDER, BOAT AND BAY
ISLAS MARIETAS NATIONAL PARK
The entries are few, the sea decides the day, and everything within our control is already done.
Tell us your date and your party, and we will compose the rest.