Top Puerto Vallarta activities
Top Puerto Vallarta landmarks
Beyond Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta trip ideas
Boat and Snorkel Tour to 5 Islands of Los Arcos
Badge of ExcellencePuerto Vallarta, Mexico
- 3 hours 30 minutes
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Los Arcos National Marine Park in Banderas Bay has some of the best snorkeling spots in Mexico—if you’re able to reach them. With this small-group tour, your guide takes you to the best places for snorkeling in the marine park, and the park’s five islands, famed for sea caves and for serving as natural bird sanctuaries.
- A small-group snorkeling tour of Los Arcos National Marine Park
- Value: Includes national park permits and use of snorkel gear
- Small group ensures personalized attention from your guide
- Enter sea caves and visit bird sanctuaries on five islands
What's Included
- Use of Snorkeling equipment
- Life vest
- Boat ride
- Air-conditioned vehicle
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- C. Constitución 363, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico
Meet up on the sidewalk in front of the OXXO store and white/green buses. NOT in the touring shop next to the bus stop! (different company) Wait for the guide, don't go on the bus on your own! 'The pancake house' in front as an extra reference. Cruise ship passsengers: LOCAL time ≠ boat time
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Q:How long is the snorkeling portion of the Boat and Snorkel Tour to 5 Islands of Los Arcos?
A:The snorkeling portion of the tour is approximately 30 minutes.
Aug 2023
Q:How long is the boat portion of the Boat and Snorkel Tour to 5 Islands of Los Arcos?
A:The boat portion itself lasts for approximately 1 hour.
Aug 2023
Traveler Photos
See more
Featured review
Lauren_A
If you are a true traveler that likes a taste of adventure then definitely book this tour! I am so glad that I booked this tour! As a first time solo traveler I was very hesitant due to fear, HOWEVER, I felt Very safe during this tour. My tour companions were very nice and had great energy. Santiago was a very great guide. He definitely went above and beyond.
This tour was the perfect combination of a guided tour, self exploration, and snorkeling experience.
I would Definitely recommend!!!!
Reviews
4.5
332 reviews
Jeffrey_C, May 2024
Great tour and really informative guide! Thanks for the great time and we enjoyed the adventure! We got to see a lot of wildlife at Los Arcos!
Jason_S, Apr 2024
Had a great time, started with taking the local bus to the beach, got on a boat and did a tour of the Arcos islands, our tour guide was very knowledgeable and did a great job educating us about the area and the Arcos. Snorkeling was fun, we saw stingray, puffer fish and even a whale.
Jason_D, Apr 2024
Terrific tour of Los Arcos and snorkeling in the nature reserve area. Elian was a fantastic tour guide!
AJ_B, Apr 2024
Saw all 5 of Los Arcos islands, a blue-footed booby and many other nesting birds, thru a small cave and snorkeling with a variety of fish.
Rather silty during afternoon tour but Santiago was an amazing guide! Kept everything flowing, safety conscious without smothering. Gave a choice to stay a bit later for a bite or go on back. The fresh oysters were shucked just for us and were very good! The nachos and tacos were good as well.
Robin_B, Apr 2024
Our background is my husband is 80 but very fit, I'm 70 and my sister 64. We are not young but fairly fit. This sounded like a trip that would be good for us (my husband was not going to snorkel but he would ride along in the boat). This was probably a good trip for the college-aged young men who were also on our excursion.
The details: First, we met the guide then he had us get in line to catch a public bus and travel for 35 minutes (he did pay for everyone). WE had to wait for 3 buses before we could get on but we did manage to get seats and the bus was packed. Once we reached our destination we had to walk about 1/4 mile or so to the beach, then across the beach up the side of the hill (5-6 steps but steep). It is a nice white sand beach on a cove - no big waves. Once we were there we had to wait a while longer for our boat. When leaving to snorkel we had to wade into about a foot of water and jump over the side of the boat to get in. Then it was off to see the Los Arcos and snorkel. This took about 20-30 minutes of seeing the islands, then time to snorkel. To snorkel, a mask and snorkel were provided - no fins although we were warned about the currents. We masked up and jumped into the (freezing) water. After a minute or so the water was tolerable - I swam towards the caves and this was great - a lot of fish and clear water. When I went to return to the boat and I started swimming to where we left the boat - without my glasses - I was about 1/2 there when I discovered that the boat was not there but on the other side of the roped off area. Luckily I recognized it, but without fins and fighting the current I was pretty exhausted when I reached the boat. The next issue was getting in the boat - they did have a ladder but the rungs barely touched the water. I finally made it back in the boat with the help of two people on the boat. Total time on the boat about 1 hour and 15 minutes (maybe). Upon our return we then had to trek back to the bus stop and get on the bus (we could have stayed longer on the beach if we wanted but only about 20-30 more minutes). We were lucky to catch a bus just as we arrived at the bus stop - the guide paid for us and we were off. After another 40 minutes returning we exited the bus. Total time for this excursion was 4 1/2 hours with only about an hour of it doing what we came for. The staff were nice and knowledgeable, we were required to wear life-jackets so that helped if we got tired of fighting the current, and the snorkel gear worked well.
My suggestion to be physically fit, be a strong swimmer, and have a lot of time if you decide to enjoy this excursion.
Gerda_P, Apr 2024
Andres was a great tour guide! Absolutely loved it! Really fun and adventurous experience. You can see beautiful nature and fish
BeckyH, Apr 2024
So much fun ! Eduardo was the best !!! Great instruction for someone who hasn’t snorkeled a lot !!! Loved the birds ..
Diane_S, Apr 2024
Ilian was good leader. Inexperienced snorkeler puked in the water. Not good. 'Captain' of boat, Charley, was superb. Strong, confident, respectful.
Alexander_A, Apr 2024
The boat ride and tour was fun! Wish we had more time to swim given that it was only 30minutes. However overall short and fun.
Sudha_M, Apr 2024
It was really beautiful and our guide was really good , we enjoyed the group too
Water was calm experience was just great , I recommend this tour
...
Likely to Sell Out
From $49.24
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Likely to Sell Out
Boat and Snorkel Tour to 5 Islands of Los Arcos
332
3 hours 30 minutes
Free Cancellation
From
$49.24
- El Tuito Tours & Tickets
- Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe) Tours & Tickets
- Banderas Bay (Bahia de Banderas) Tours & Tickets
- Boca de Tomatlán Tours & Tickets
- Vallarta Botanical Gardens (Jardín Botánico de Vallarta) Tours & Tickets
- Puerto Vallarta Cruise Port Tours & Tickets
- Gringo Gulch Tours & Tickets
- Vista Vallarta Golf Club Tours & Tickets
- Marina Vallarta Tours & Tickets
- Zona Romantica Tours & Tickets
- Nuevo Vallarta Tours & Tickets
- El Malecon Tours & Tickets
- Marigalante Galleon Tours & Tickets
- Sierra Madre Mountains Tours & Tickets
- Las Caletas Beach (Playa Las Caletas) Tours & Tickets
- Los Arcos National Marine Park Tours & Tickets
- Marietas Islands (Islas Marietas) Tours & Tickets
- Los Muertos Beach (Playa Los Muertos) Tours & Tickets
- Art & Culture
- Audio Guides
- Classes & Workshops
- Food & Drink
- Kid-Friendly
- Likely To Sell Out
- Outdoor Activities
- Active & Outdoor Classes
- Extreme Sports
- Fun & Games
- Motor Sports
- Nature and Wildlife Tours
- On the Ground
- On the Water
- Boat Rentals
- Breakfast Cruises
- Brunch Cruises
- Catamaran Cruises
- Dinner Cruises
- Fishing Charters
- Float Trips
- Freediving
- Jet Boat Rentals
- Jet Ski Rentals
- Kayaking Tours
- Lunch Cruises
- Parasailing
- Power Boats
- Rafting
- Sailing
- Scuba Diving
- Sea Caving
- Sightseeing Cruises
- Snorkeling
- Speed Boat Rentals
- Stand Up Paddleboarding
- Surfing Lessons
- Surfing Lessons
- Swimming
- Water Equipment Rentals
- Seasonal & Special Occasions
- Tickets & Passes
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Travel & Transportation Services
- Unique Experiences
© 1997-2024 Viator, Inc.