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Playa Caballo snorkeling and swimming tours
Beach in Banderas Bay on Banderas Bay
On the south shore of Banderas Bay, Playa Caballo sits just north-east of Las Ánimas, on the Boca de Tomatlán side. No road reaches the sand, so it is a swimming and snorkelling stop that guests land at from the boat or walk to on a trail.
Marinas
- Marina Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta
Near Playa Caballo
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
Las Ánimas Beach
A broad stretch of sand south-west of Puerto Vallarta, on the far side of Banderas Bay from the marinas, that works well as a lunch and swim stop on a day out by boat.
Boca de Tomatlán
A small fishing village at the mouth of the Horcones River, about 17 km south of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Its pier is the main departure point for the public water taxis to the beaches and villages of the southern shore.
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
Quimixto
A small village on the southern shore of Banderas Bay that has no road and is reached only by boat. Palapa restaurants face the water on its beach, and a trail up the river valley behind it leads to a seasonal waterfall.
- Snorkeling
- Scuba diving
Las Caletas
A small boat-only cove on the southern shore of Banderas Bay, below a nature preserve, where the film director John Huston once lived. One tour company runs the beach and grounds as its own day trip, and the sources do not settle whether a charter yacht's guests may go ashore.
Mismaloya
A small village and beach on the southern shore of Banderas Bay, south of Puerto Vallarta, looking out to the Los Arcos rocks. The Night of the Iguana was filmed here in 1963.
- Snorkeling
- Scuba diving
Majahuitas
Majahuitas is a small cove on the southern shore of Banderas Bay, between Quimixto and Yelapa. No road reaches it, so guests arrive by boat.
- Snorkeling
- Swimming
- Paddleboarding
- Scuba diving
Los Arcos de Mismaloya
Five granite islets just off Mismaloya, about 12 km south of Puerto Vallarta in Banderas Bay, with arches cut through the larger rocks and reef walls below.
- Scuba diving
Princesa Vallarta Wreck
A sunken boat on the floor of Banderas Bay, a little under 200 metres off the Las Gemelas beaches south of Puerto Vallarta. It is a deep dive for certified divers, about 6 nautical miles by boat from the Puerto Vallarta marinas.
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About Playa Caballo
Where it is
Playa Caballo is a small beach on the southern shore of Banderas Bay. It lies just north-east of the beach at Las Ánimas, on the Boca de Tomatlán side, with jungle-covered hills rising behind the sand. Quimixto is beyond Las Ánimas, farther south-west along the same coast. There is no road to it: guests come in by boat, or on foot along a trail through the jungle.
Getting there by yacht
From Opequimar or Marina Vallarta the run is about 10.5 nautical miles: about half an hour at 20 knots, or about an hour and twenty minutes for a sailing yacht making 8 knots. Marina Nuevo Vallarta is about 11 nautical miles away. From Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz it is about 14.5 nautical miles, roughly four more, which adds around a quarter of an hour at 20 knots.
At the beach
This is a beach for a swim and a snorkel. Guests swim straight off the sand and snorkel out into the cove. We have no reliable report of the water depth, of what lives on the bottom, or of any services ashore, so bring drinking water, shade and snacks from the boat.
Planning the day
Playa Caballo works best as one stop on a day down the southern shore rather than as a trip on its own. Las Ánimas is next door, Quimixto a little farther on, and Majahuitas and Yelapa lie beyond along the same coast, so two or three beaches fit into one outing. Whether the yacht anchors off and runs guests in by tender depends on the sea on the day. We'll confirm the landing plan with the captain when you book.