Colomitos is barely a beach — a short crescent of pale sand wedged between two rocky points, with jungle pressing right down to the high-tide line and water so clear you can count the rocks under the boat. It is the most photographed cove on this stretch of coast, and the only two ways in are a hot 40-minute hike from Boca de Tomatlán or a boat. We recommend the boat.
The Smallest Stop on the South Shore
Colomitos is genuinely tiny — a pocket beach you could walk end to end in under a minute, framed by dark rock headlands and backed by dense green hillside. What makes it worth the run is the water. The cove is sheltered, shallow over sand near shore, and drops away clear along the rocks, which gives it that jade-into-turquoise look that ends up on every Puerto Vallarta postcard.
Because it is small, it fills up. Hikers come over the coastal trail from Boca de Tomatlán and water taxis drop day-trippers through the middle of the day. On a private charter you have the option nobody on foot has: arrive early, or arrive late, and have it more or less to yourselves.
What You Do at Colomitos
Anchor off the cove, swim in, and enjoy the fact that you got there without sweating through a jungle trail. Snorkeling along the rocky edges of the cove is good — clear water, plenty of small reef fish. There are no services here at all: no restaurant, no bathrooms, no palapas for rent. Everything you want, you bring, which is exactly why we recommend it as one stop in a longer day rather than the whole day.
Building a Day Around It
The natural route from Marina Nuevo Vallarta runs south past the hotel zone, hits Los Arcos for snorkeling, then continues a short way down to Colomitos. From there you are minutes from Las Ánimas if the group wants lunch ashore, or you can keep running toward Majahuitas for the clearest water on the coast.
Since every charter here is booked by the hour with a 4-hour minimum, stringing two or three of these coves together in one trip is the normal way people use the boat — not an upsell.
Which Boat
Anything in the fleet gets you there. Practically, a smaller group on Peaceful Easy Feeling can move fast and hit more stops in the same hours. Bigger groups will be happier on Guanatuna or Steel n Time, where there is shade, seating and a bathroom for the whole run.
Good to Know
The cove is small and the anchorage is close to rock, so the boat stays off the beach and you swim or wade the last stretch. If anyone in your group is not a confident swimmer, say so — the crew will position accordingly and life jackets are on board. Bring water shoes if you have them; there is more rock than sand under the surface at the edges.
