A lot of people ask us how we go about planning our trips.  I think the thing that keeps a lot of people from traveling is the stress they feel when planning a trip.  Having never been to a place, you have no idea what to do, the best activities, how to get around, etc.  It’s why people choose a package tour because all of the details are decided for you.

To be perfectly honest, we’re pretty lazy when it comes to planning our own trips.  You might be surprised to learn that we do almost no pre-planning.  We get airline tickets, and usually a place to stay for the first night or two, and the rest, is total improvisation.

But when you’re abroad, great opportunities always seem to fall into your lap.  One way or another, there’s always some cool adventure waiting for you, as long as you keep an open mind and a spirit of flexibility.

A day trip from Sayulita, Mexico to the nearby Marietas Islands is a good example of how these things tend to come together.  Usually you find a local operator offering tours to some nearby sight.  They have photos on a sandwich board outside their shop with a few highlight photos.

We usually don’t worry about getting the “right” or “best” tour because everyone offers the same package on the same basic itinerary at basically the same price.  In fact, operators often combine their paying customers and put them on the same trip together regardless of what they paid.

The most frustrating part of booking activities this way (aside from the usual lack of safety equipment) is that every operator is a copycat of one another.  For a brief window of time, everyone arrives at the same time, the sites are mobbed and then everyone leaves at the same time, leaving the sights deserted again.  So the trick is to convince your captain or driver to take you at an irregular time – say early morning or late in the day, when others aren’t around.

This can be harder than it sounds.  It’s usually mind-blowing for them to understand that you actually want to visit something without hundreds of tourists around.   But with a little cajoling, it’s sometimes possible to charter your ride apart from everyone else, and often you can sometimes have a really place all to yourselves.

We planned our excursion to the Marietas with that in mind, and had mixed success.  Even if you end up with the crowds, it’s a terrific outing if you’re staying in Puerto Vallarta or Sayulita.  Here are some of the highlights: 

The Marietas are uninhabited volcanic islands a few miles off the coast, and so naturally the Mexican military decided that using them for bombing practice was a great idea.  In early 1960s international outcry led by Jacques Cousteau helped convince the government to preserve them as a national park. 

The upside to all that bombing is that caves and stone arches litter the islands making for some interesting scenery as you tour around in a boat.

The islands feature abundant sea life, and the most common stop  is a snorkel trip into a cave known as Hidden Beach, fronted by a clear lagoon full of some really big tropical fish.  It’s often crowded with tour boats and swimmers – even at unusual hours, but it’s still a nice place to take a dip, even if it’s highly regulated (you have to wear a life jacket when you snorkel, and little kids aren’t allowed to go ashore).

The islands look a lot like Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, and like the Galapagos, you can see Blue-Footed Boobies.

There’s also a species of  iguana that’s fairly easy to spot.

After leaving the lagoon, our captain took us to a private beach where we had plenty of time to explore the shore while he snuck off to do some illegal fishing. We played in the waves and imagined that we were living on a deserted island.

The islands were amazing, but the highlight was probably what we saw on our way back to Sayulita.  In the distance we saw splashing off the bow, and soon realized it was a baby humpback whale around 15 days old.

The critter was trying to dive but kept bobbing to the surface.  Mom and dad would sometimes appear, nudging and encouraging the little whale as deftly as a 40 ton creature can.  The clumsy way it frolicked in the ocean reminded us of the spastic movements our 5-month old son Ian usually makes.  It seemed that both were still getting used to their own skin!

If You Go:

Cost per person can vary depending on who you book with.  The price per adult can be upwards of $85, so compare prices before you go.  If you have a group, it might be cheaper to charter the entire boat.  From Sayulita, several captains operate from the surfing beach near the main part of town.

Some include snorkel equipment while others don’t, so be sure to ask.