In the Bay of Banderas, just off the coast of Yelapa, Mexico is a preserved bird sanctuary with so many birds, you won’t believe it. The Marietas Islands is the only nesting ground besides the Galapagos Islands where you will find the blue-footed booby. This is also where you will find, “The Hidden Beach” (which isn’t so hidden, as it’s visited daily by hundreds of tourists.) It’s absolutely stunning, and the amount of wildlife you will see is absolutely incredible. I went with MiraMar Excursions and what a memorable trip it was!

Seeing humpback whales on the trip was the highlight of the trip. There were also dolphins, and I could have sat and watched them all day.

Fernando and the crew of the boat were great guides and made sure to point out interesting birds so we wouldn’t miss them.

As part of the excursion, we also did some snorkeling, but visibility wasn’t the greatest on the day we went.

We also got to boat around all the islands, and there were some stunning views of the landscape.

We then got to swim to the hidden beach. The currents are pretty strong, and it’s about a five-minute swim under the cave. You do get a life jacket and hard hat that you are required to wear. Each group is only allowed thirty minutes inside the cave, and it felt like we got even less than that, but it’s still an amazing place to see. (This is a good time to mention, that I highly recommend traveling with International Medical Insurance, especially for excursions like this one.)

After the swim back from the cave, we had a light lunch of ceviche and plenty of beer as we made our way back to Yelapa. We also got a special treat of seeing four whales together which made for a perfect day. After seeing the other gigantic boats that were crowded with people, I was especially glad that I had gone with Miramar Excursions on their smaller boat for the trip.

The boat tour to The Marietas Islands with Miramar Excursions was one of the highlights of my time in Yelapa, and I’d recommend it to anyone who is staying in Yelapa. To book your boat tour, click here.

I would like to thank Miramar Excursions for hosting me. As always, all opinions are my own, and I have not been influenced in any way.