Islas Marietas y Sayulita

We needed to get out of the hotel already by 7 but the mechanic just opened at 9 so we got a coffee in a nearby Kiosko. There we planned our next options depending on the time it will take to fix or if it's possible altogether. The mechanic said that he's pretty certain that they can fix it but it will take at least a week. So we decided to get a rental car to explore the central parts of Mexico.
About an hour later we were on the road to Punta Mita, a nearby town in the Nayarit Riviera. It's known to be more upscale than the laid-back surfer town Sayulita. And right after entering the town we were stopped because we were not allowed to enter the resort complex (not that we really wanted to but there was supposed to be a viewpoint 😅). So we parked at the beach and compared some tour companies offering boat rides to the National Maritime Park of the Islas Marietas. We had an hour to kill until the boat departed so we relaxed with a leftover beer in the sun 🌞
The boat ride to the first stop was pretty quick and just the two of us and the guide were in the water to swim a short but pretty intense distance to the Hidden Beach. And the sight of it was absolutely gorgeous! 😍 You have to swim under a small natural bridge to a secluded beach. The access is very limited and controlled by the government (they are actually on a small boat in front of the natural bridge). We took some pictures and just enjoyed the scenery before heading back to the boat.

There were some views and activities, like snorkeling 🤿 but without a snorkel 🙄 And interestingly enough, Julia and me were the only ones in the tour group that could swim. After a short trip to a beach with cacti 🌵 we were on our way back buuut then one of the crew members spotted a whale 🐋🐳... And it was pretty close by so the captain led the ship slowly in their direction. They were a family of four humpback whales getting out of the water occasionally and after about 20 minutes they were right next to our boat 😍 It was a magical experience to see these giants so close by... The scarred fins and tails just about 10 meters away that I felt like I needed to hold my breath. We stayed with them for about 15 more minutes and then drove back to the town.

I was still so stunned by this close encounter when we got into the car and drove about half an hour North to Sayulita. We took a beautiful little colourful hotel right after entering the town. We just quickly stepped by and dropped off our little luggage before walking to town.

Sayulita is also a pueblo mágico and it has an immersive, contagious livelihood. Even though we were hungry we got distracted by musicians, artists and vendors on the streets. Also the beach was filled with people which we haven't seen at any other beach around here yet (only in Baja). It reminded me of the Full moon party in Koh Phangan 🍻 Afterwards we urgently needed to have dinner and got some delicious Mexican food and tried some new things, like Shrimp tacos and Pellizcadas queso con rajas. For dessert I tried Maquesitas which was pretty good but nothing all too special.Read more