The Marietas Islands

The Marietas are two small uninhabited islands in Banderas Bay, formed by volcanic activity and later, by most accounts, cratered further by military bomb testing in the early twentieth century before Jacques Cousteau campaigned for their protection. One of those craters opened a circular hole in the island roof above a beach, so Playa del Amor lies at the bottom of a green-rimmed shaft, reached by swimming through a low sea tunnel that only clears at low tide. The islands are also a major seabird colony, with blue-footed boobies nesting here at their northern limit, and humpbacks pass through the bay in winter.

What you actually see

• Playa del Amor - a beach inside a collapsed crater, entered by sea tunnel.
• Blue-footed boobies - nesting at the northern edge of their range.
• Snorkelling the walls - clear water and reef around the islands.
• Humpbacks in the bay - passing through from December to March.

When to go

December to April is the dry season with the calmest water and whales in the bay. Access to the hidden beach depends on tide and swell and is often closed. Visitor numbers are capped daily and the beach itself has a strict limit with a short time slot, so book with a permitted operator well ahead.

Honest expectations

Access to Playa del Amor is tightly limited after the reef was badly damaged by uncontrolled tourism, with a daily cap, timed slots, compulsory life jackets and closures for recovery; many boat trips advertise the islands without including beach entry, so read carefully. The swim through the tunnel is in surge and is not for weak swimmers. Trips are cancelled in swell.

Nearby

Punta de Mita and Sayulita are on the Nayarit coast; Puerto Vallarta is across the bay.