If you are serious about snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters off Puerto Vallarta, this is the excursion for you. Visit the wildlife sanctuary of the uninhabited Marietas Islands, (Long Island and Round Island) by boat. Enjoy the beauty of the marine wild life found in abundance in the pristine waters. A boxed lunch, guided instruction and use of the snorkeling gear is all included.

Spend roughly 5 hours snorkeling off a boat in a wildlife sanctuary
Groups are kept small to maximize personal attention from the instructor
If possible, visit Hidden Beach (access is limited by the government)
Visitors must be able to swim 656 feet (200 meters) to visit Hidden Beach

What's Included

Tour lead by biologist/ naturalist
Use of Snorkeling equipment
Box Lunch: Sandwish, granola bar, snack, fruit.
Bottled water

Alcoholic Beverages
Entrance to the national park and conservation fee $6 usd
Port fee $3 usd
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Ecotours Vallarta / Dive Shop
Proa 20, Marina Vallarta, 48335 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico
Address: Proa Street Location 20 in Marina Vallarta. Located near the ramp at the end of Calle Proa, 1/2 block beyond the "8 Tostadas" Restaurant

Start time

08:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Marina Vallarta

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Marietas Islands

3 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
At the check in will be collected the entrance and conservation fee $100 mx pesos per person (federal and local taxes)
Must be followed the rules was established by the by the CONANP (National Commission of Protected Natural Areas) to visit the Islas Marietas National Park. Drones are prohibited in this tour.
The number of visitors that can enter can vary depending on demand, weather, and tide, among others.
Near public transportation

Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
It´s important for you to acknowledge that tour operators cannot guarantee the entrance to the Hidden Beach ahead of time. We do our best effort on every visit to get places for our tourists to enter, but it`s not always possible. If we don’t get spots for the entire group, we`ll do a bingo raffle on board in order to offer the same possibility to everybody on the trip. Visitors who don’t get a spot to enter (or that decide not to enter), have to stay on board our boat with the captain for approximately 30 minutes. Park regulations doesn´t allow to snorkel or swim in the Hidden Beach area. During this time, you can relax and enjoy the scenery and the magnificent birds that inhabit the islands.
All participants must be able to enter and leave the boat with the help of a ladder.
Only for hidden beach, age limit 10 to 65 years old. Allowance 10 minutes visit on the beach. The use of a helmet and a vest are mandatory
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Janet_R

The snorkeling for sure!! Margarita was such a great guide as she is a zoologist. Her information on the birds and the fish we saw while snorkeling was fabulous!!

Reviews

4.5

123 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 123 reviews

Marietas and Hidden Beach adventure

Tara_P, Sep 2023

Had a great time on our Marietas Islands trip. We did get to go into the hidden beach, which was a treat. The snorkeling was nice. Margarita, our guide, was excellent and we loved the conservation aspect of this tour group. The boat ride out is 1-1 1/2 hours and it is not smooth, so if you tend to get seas sick prepare accordingly. Going into the Hidden Beach is no joke. You are swimming against the current. When you get into the cave it is enclosed and when the tide comes in it fills with water and depending on the tide status will dictate how big the hole is you have to get to the beach. If you are inclined to be claustrophobic, think twice about it. We enjoyed the experience and the hidden beach was cool, the Marietas lovely, the blue footed and brown boobies awesome and we got to see dolphins on the way in!!!

Great Experience! Great Value!

Janet_R, Sep 2023

The snorkeling for sure!! Margarita was such a great guide as she is a zoologist. Her information on the birds and the fish we saw while snorkeling was fabulous!!

Amazing experience

andrew_v, Aug 2023

i didnt know what to expect for this trip. But it was probably one of the best experiences i have had. The boat ride was nice. The water was pretty. The hidden beach was amazing, it was about 20 minutes to stay but it is worth it the water was so clear and beautiful. you really dont need to bring anything with you because you spend most of the time on the boat and they provide almost everything.

Not worth the money

Shagha_T, Jan 2023

It’s bot worth the money at all! We have been on the boat for 3 hours and only 10 minutes for snorkeling! The tour says it’s allowed for 10 to 65 years old people. We had a couple clearly over 75 years old, and the hidden island did not have enough capacity for our group, so the 75 year old person went while there was no space for another person who could go! It was ridiculously unfair.

Rare chance to get on island but go for trip!

Sheryl_B, Jan 2023

The swim is no joke. Wearing a helmet and timing the waves was exciting. The rangers have the power over which people get access and they have favorites and aren't logical. The guide was full of facts and the info about the already lost hidden island and cat island was great. Lots of whales seen!

Maggie was knowledgeable...

ANN_S, Nov 2022

Maggie was knowledgeable and kept our small group together, safe, and learning. My teenagers loved it, as did I.

Enjoyable, fantastic trip

Debbie_S, Aug 2022

Fantastic tour. Relaxing and organized. Maggie the tour guide was awesome- knowledgeable, professional, friendly and fun. The boat driver was also great. Only part of the group got to go to the hidden beach but that is clearly disclosed on the trip description. Access to the hidden beach is limited. The snorkeling was good, visibility was fantastic. We had plenty of snacks and a sandwich for lunch. This was a very enjoyable excursion

Great snorkeling and tour of the islands!

David_O, Jul 2022

Great small tour with Biologist to help explan fauna. Definitely worth it. I would recommend being a good swimmer and or have snorkeling experience to enjoy.

Don’t spend the extra money

Leah_F, Dec 2021

We didn’t get to visit the hidden beach, which was disappointing to me. Our guide was 30 minutes late, and then after leaving the harbor we had to stop and wait for half an hour for a passenger who had been put on the wrong tour. You pay a 100 pesos per person fee for the national park, so when I asked afterwards if they refund that fee, they got angry (no it’s not refunded, not that I really cared about the 100 pesos). But I also found out that they learn the day before if they got the permits to visit the beach. But they don’t tell you, and pretend that they are hurrying you out there to see the beach. I would prefer if they were up front about it. The snorkeling was nice, but cold. Bring a sweatshirt and pants or something, because the boat ride is chilly. Bring a towel. There is no bathroom on the boat. Water was calm, no one got sea sick. The guide didn’t seem like a biologist/naturalist. Choose the cheapest company because I doubt there’s a difference.

Response from Host, Jan 2022

We are sorry for your disappointment. It´s important for you and everybody to know that no tour operator knows about the availability of the hidden beach in advance, spaces depend on demand and also on weather, tide, etc. The $100 pesos as you mention is a National Park fee and is not related to the entrance to Hidden Beach. Previous to the trip and on our pre-trip information we inform that the entrance to Hidden beach is not guaranteed and you signed a release that you agreed with it. Your guide Michael is a marine biologist and has worked with us for many years and this is the first complaint of this kind we receive about him. This day he was late and this caused a lot of trouble. We already addressed the issues about this day with him to assure this won´t happen again. We have been running Ecotours de Mexico for 25 years and we take pride in being professional and providing personal attention to our guests. We hope you can give us the opportunity to serve you again and prove this to you.

Hidden beach!

Eddie_R, Nov 2021

We went in a small group which was nice we got to see the hidden beach! Then we snorkeled and saw pretty fish, waves were a little bumpy so I recommend medicine if you get sea sick.

Response from Host, Nov 2021

Thank you so much Eddie, it was a pleasure to be part of your vacation! Kind Regards, Ecotours

A must do!

Aileen_T, Jul 2021

We enjoyed this excursion very much! The tour operator and boat captain were fantastic. We saw some dolphins and sea turtles on our way to the island so that was a bonus. Swimming to the island from the boat was challenging but well worth it to see the hidden beach! The snorkeling was fun and we got to see a baby nurse shark as well as other beautiful fish. The blue footed boobies on the other islands and other sea birds were wonderful to see as well. Thank you for the staff for a wonderful experience.

Highly recommend

Gabrielle_R, Jun 2021

We had a great time, our tour guide Cynthia was very sweet and knew a lot about the wildlife. The boat ride was nice and calm and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Lunch was included and very tasty as well.

Marieta Island Tour

Susan_A, Apr 2021

Great tour! Our guide Maggie was amazing. Very knowledgeable and took us to the best sightseeing. Captain Martin was also wonderful. Highly recommend taking this tour.

Once in a lifetime chance!

Patricia_V, Feb 2020

Maggie, our guide, and Raphael, our Captain, made the excursion professional, educational, and safe. It is an excursion to savor forever...swimming into a hidden sand beach...we made “sand angels” in the sand!