The Hidden Beach

What is the Hidden Beach on the Marietas Islands?

A small beach inside a collapsed crater on Isla Redonda, one of the two main islands of the Islas Marietas National Park, about 9 km off Punta de Mita.

The Islas Marietas are two uninhabited volcanic islands, Isla Redonda and Isla Larga, plus a couple of islets and shoals at the mouth of Banderas Bay in Nayarit. Mexico declared them a protected area in 2005, and UNESCO added them to its biosphere reserve network in 2008, as the Riviera Nayarit tourism board notes. The park covers 1,383 hectares and is run by CONANP.

The beach sits inside Isla Redonda. A round hole in the rock roof lets the sun in, so you stand on sand with a circle of sky overhead and the sea washing in through a tunnel behind you. The story usually told is that Mexican military bombing tests in the early 1900s cracked the rock and the sea did the rest; Wikipedia gives the same account. Nobody has a precise date.

If you have seen it called the secret beach, the cave beach or Playa Secreta near Puerto Vallarta, it is the same place. There is no other crater beach in the bay.

Can you swim to the Hidden Beach, and how does the swim work?

Yes, and swimming is the only way in. The boat stops outside, you swim through a short rock tunnel at low tide in a life jacket and helmet, and you swim back out the same way.

The boat cannot enter. It anchors or holds position off the cliff, and a guide leads the group into the water. You wear a life jacket and a helmet, both mandatory. Fins are not allowed, so you kick with bare feet. The guide sets the pace through the tunnel, which is low and narrow; at the narrowest point you may need to duck your head as a wave passes.

Sources give different lengths, because some measure only the tunnel and others the whole swim from the boat. The Food and Pleasure guide puts the tunnel at about 15 metres. The Nuevo Vallarta Hidden Beach tour says roughly 80 metres for the swim. Plan for a swim of several dozen metres in open water, with some swell pushing you around.

The tunnel is only passable at low tide. On a calm morning it feels easy. With a current or chop, it is hard work, and guides will cancel the swim if it is not safe. One guest put it plainly: "Amazing! What a day, it was the best part of our entire trip! [...] don't take the swim lightly."

When is the Hidden Beach open?

Wednesday to Sunday, 8:00 to 17:00. The wider park opens Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00 to 18:00, and everything is closed on Mondays.

These are the official hours on the CONANP park page. The Tuesday gap catches people out: boats can visit the islands on a Tuesday, but nobody lands in the crater.

Opening hours are not the only gate. The tide decides whether the tunnel is passable, and swell decides whether it is safe. Summer storms and big winter swells both cancel swims. The park has also closed the beach entirely before: CONANP shut the islands to the public in May 2016 after coral damage and crowding, and reopened them later with the current limits. The 2026-27 season rules post tracks anything that changes this season.

How many people can visit, and how long do you get on the sand?

116 visitors a day, in groups of about 15 at a time, with roughly 15 to 20 minutes on the beach.

The 116 figure comes from a carrying-capacity study by the University of Guadalajara, cited by Wikipedia and most 2026 reporting. It exists because the old free-for-all broke the place: the islands went from about 27,500 visitors in 2012 to more than 127,000 in 2015, with over 2,500 people a day landing on a beach studied for 116. Anchors and feet damaged the coral, and the park closed in 2016.

Today groups go in one after another. The Vallarta Adventures guide gives about 20 minutes including the swim in and out; the Nuevo Vallarta tour says 15 to 20 minutes on the sand. Short, yes. Enough for photos, a look at the sky through the hole and a few minutes of standing still in a strange place.

Because places are capped, permits go to operators first and sell out first in winter. Book early for December to April and keep the date flexible.

Who is allowed to swim to the Hidden Beach?

Usually confident swimmers aged 10 and up, with an upper age limit between 60 and 70 that depends on the operator. Pregnant travellers and non-swimmers are turned away.

The park sets the safety rules, and operators add their own age limits on top. Here is what the main ones say:

• Hidden Beach tour from Nuevo Vallarta: not suitable under 10 or over 60, for pregnant women, non-swimmers or anyone prone to seasickness.
• Marietas safari from Punta de Mita: not suitable under 10 or over 70, or with heart problems.
• Vallarta Adventures: 10 to 65, strong swimmers only, and you must manage a boat ladder, per its guide.

Back, neck and heart conditions, high blood pressure and recent surgery are common exclusions across operators. If you are borderline, tell the operator before you book, not on the boat. A guide who turns you away at the tunnel mouth is doing their job.

Families with younger children have good options without the tunnel. See the Marietas with kids.

Which tours include the Hidden Beach?

Only tours run by permitted operators. On this site that means the Nuevo Vallarta Hidden Beach tour and the Punta de Mita safari; the private safari lists it as an extra.

Look for Hidden Beach, Playa del Amor or Playa Escondida in the inclusions, not only in the photos. Many tours use the crater photo and then land at Playa La Nopalera.

• Hidden Beach Tour from Nuevo Vallarta: the listing says entry is guaranteed. The swim still depends on tide and swell on the day, as it does for everyone.
• Marietas Islands Safari from Punta de Mita: lists a Hidden Beach entrance, which it calls Playa Secreta, plus Playa La Nopalera and the park fee.
• Private Snorkeling Safari with a Local Guide: Playa del Amor admission appears among the extras. Ask the operator before you book if the crater matters to you.
• Snorkel, Kayak & Playa Nopalera Boat Day: no Hidden Beach. You land on Playa La Nopalera instead.
• The three Puerto Vallarta trips (snorkelling trip, kayak day and open bar day): the tour page shows whether the crater is included. Check before paying.

The full side-by-side is in which Marietas tour to book.

The listing guarantees the Hidden Beach swim, tide permitting, with breakfast, lunch and snorkelling. Groups of 12 at most.

★ 4.6 · 6.5 hours · from $168

Explore the Hidden Beach tour from Nuevo Vallarta → Tour details

Is the Hidden Beach worth it?

For confident swimmers, yes. It is one of the strangest beaches in Mexico. If you mainly want time in the water and on a beach, a Playa La Nopalera day gives you more of both.

Be clear about the trade. You travel for an hour or more from Puerto Vallarta, or 15 minutes from Punta de Mita, for about 15 to 20 minutes on a small patch of sand that you share with your group. The swim is the adventure. The beach is the reward. Guests who go in tend to come out happy: "This activity was amazing. The island and beach far exceeded our expectations."

Skip it if anyone in your group is nervous in open water, under 10 or close to the operator's upper age limit. Skip it too if you travel in July to September, when rain and swell cancel the most swims. A snorkel day with a long stop at Playa La Nopalera costs less, has no tunnel and gives you more time on the sand.

What should you bring, and what does it cost on top?

A rash guard instead of sunscreen, a towel, a small waterproof pouch and some cash. The park fee is 125 MXN per person per day; some tours include it.

The CONANP rules ask for eco-friendly sunscreen at least 30 minutes before you get in the water, but many guides ban all sunscreen at the Hidden Beach, biodegradable or not. Cover up with a long-sleeved rash guard and a hat instead. Leave fins, drones and selfie sticks behind; a small action camera on a wrist strap is usually fine. Shoes are not allowed in the water or on the beach.

Money: the official park fee is 125 MXN per person per day, with children under 12, seniors and people with disabilities exempt. The safari from Punta de Mita lists the park fee and port tax as included. The Nuevo Vallarta tour mentions "$220 pesos Government tax for the hidden beach access bracelet per guest" in its includes block, so ask whether it is collected on the day. The park fee and bracelet post explains the wristband. Bring cash for photos and tips.

Frequently asked questions