Colomitos Beach snorkeling and swimming tours

A very small beach

Colomitos is a tiny cove on the southern shore of Banderas Bay, a short way along the coast from the fishing village of Boca de Tomatlán, south of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco. It is often called the smallest beach in Mexico. Treat that as a nickname rather than a measured record: the point is that the sand is small, and a visit here is a short stop rather than a day spread out on a long strand.

Getting there

Visitors arrive by water or on foot. From Boca de Tomatlán the public water taxis, the open local boats called pangas, make the hop in about five minutes, and walkers can follow the path along the shore in around 40 minutes. A yacht comes from one of the marinas in Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta or La Cruz and runs down the southern shore. In a straight line, Boca de Tomatlán is about 9.6 nautical miles from Opequimar, 9.9 from Marina Vallarta, 10.7 from Marina Nuevo Vallarta and 14.7 from Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz, and the cove lies a short way beyond it. At 20 knots the run from Marina Vallarta takes around half an hour; a sailing yacht making 8 knots needs about an hour and a quarter. Following the coast adds a little to each figure.

In the water

The cove is a known spot for snorkelling, and its water suits a swim. Masks and fins vary from boat to boat, so check what is carried on board before you set out if you want to look at the fish.

What to know

We have not found an official page setting fees, opening hours or rules for the beach, so read this page as a guide to the place rather than a statement of what is permitted there. Whether a yacht anchors off the cove and takes guests in by tender, or simply lets them swim from the boat, depends on the sea that day and the size of the yacht. We'll confirm the plan with the captain before your trip. Colomitos sits on the same stretch of coast as Las Ánimas, Quimixto and Yelapa, so it fits easily into a day spent working along the southern shore.