El Caballo is a small cove on the south shore near Las Ánimas — calm, protected and easy. It is the kind of stop that does not need a whole day built around it, which is exactly why it works so well as one leg of a longer charter.
Small Cove, Easy Day
El Caballo sits on the south shore of Banderas Bay a short run from Las Ánimas. It is protected enough to stay calm through most of the day, shallow and sandy near shore, and rocky at the edges — which is where the snorkeling is. Nothing about it is dramatic. It is simply a good, reliable place to get in the water.
What You Do Here
Swim, snorkel the rocks, and use your anchor hour. Because the cove is calm, it is one of the stops our captains suggest for families with younger kids or for groups where not everybody is a strong swimmer. Masks and fins are on board; so are life jackets in every size.
Pairing It With Las Ánimas
The most common way El Caballo gets used: anchor here first for the swim, then move a few minutes over to Las Ánimas so the group can walk the beach, eat fresh fish at a palapa restaurant on the sand, and come back aboard for the run home. You get the quiet cove and the beach village on the same charter without spending extra hours running.
Fishing on the Way
The run south from Marina Nuevo Vallarta is working water. Rods, tackle and bait are on every boat, so trolling a couple of lines on the way down costs you nothing but a few minutes. See fishing charters for how far offshore you can get in the hours you book.
Which Boat
Any of the three. If the group is small and you want to hit three or four stops in the same hours, Peaceful Easy Feeling moves fastest. For shade, seating and a bathroom on a longer day, take Guanatuna or Steel n Time.
