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<\/p>\nLas Marietas Islands have gotten some attention lately thanks to this cool photo of the secret beach in one of the islands that went viral on facebook with over 40,000 shares. \u00a0Since heading to the islands is one of the favorite activities for our guests here at Hotel La Quinta del Sol, we thought it was about time that we wrote a post about all the great things you can do on a trip over there.<\/p>\n
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Las Marietas Islands are located a couple of miles off the coast of the northern tip of the Bay of Banderas and are about a 20 min boat ride from the marina here in Punta de Mita. \u00a0The islands are clearly visible from the balconies here at the hotel, so if a guest hasn\u2019t heard of them before they arrive it\u2019s usually one of the first things they ask about. \u00a0They are an uninhabited archipelago\u00a0of islands with over 1,400 hectares between them that were made into a national park in 2005. \u00a0It is home to over 90 species of birds, including it\u2019s most famous inhabitant \u2013 the blue footed booby, recognizable by it\u2019s smurf-blue feet and also found in the Galapagos Islands. \u00a0The waters around them are crystal clear and teeming with sea life, so for that reason the islands have become a favorite destination for snorkeling.<\/p>\n
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The first time that we went to the islands was with a couple of guests who were avid fishermen, so that meant getting up before dawn to heading down to the marina in the dark. \u00a0We met up with our guide and captain at the marina in Punta de Mita, where you can find many licensed captains to take you to the islands. \u00a0The got us onto their panga boat and we set off. \u00a0We made a short pit stop at another boat that was fishing for bait about 500 m from shore to stock up. \u00a0The nice thing about getting up so early was that we got to see the sun rising over the mountains of Punta de Mita.<\/p>\n
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Since our main goal was to make it over to the islands, the lines were cast into the water and we troll-fished as we slowly headed over. \u00a0Within a few minutes, we had some action on one of the lines. \u00a0It was Rami\u2019s first time fishing, so with a little guidance from our guests and the captain, he pulled in a not-too-shabby sized Dorado or Mahi-Mahi. \u00a0My catch, on the other hand, left something to be desired.<\/p>\n
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One of the great things about heading to the island is that there\u2019s a good chance that you will see some humpback whales. \u00a0The Bay of Banderas is an important breeding ground for the whales throughout the months of December to April. \u00a0You can usually first spot them from a distance by the spray of air and water coming from their blowholes. \u00a0On this trip and several others we\u2019ve been lucky enough to be treated to a show of acrobatic breaching, fin slapping and tail slapping.<\/p>\n
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After stopping to enjoy the show, we continued on to the islands where decided to explore, checking out the many archways, blow holes, caves and, of course, all the incredible bird life.<\/p>\n
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We finally stopped outside the entrance to the \u201csecret beach of Las Marietas\u201d and jumped into the crystal clear waters to do some snorkeling. \u00a0Around the outside of the islands are rock reefs where the protection of the national park has allowed the waters to teem with sea life and it is home to over 100 varieties of fish. \u00a0After checking out the waters, we swam under an archway in the island and ended up on the beautiful, white sand, \u201csecret\u201d beach which is located beneath a hole in the top of the island that floods the beach with sunlight below.<\/p>\n
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