Playa Las Gatas
Spend a day at Playa Las Gatas, a very special beach on Zihuatanejo Bay.
Rumored to be the playground of ancient royalty, we believe the legend that the Las Gatas man-made reef was created to provide a safe place to swim for an Indian princess. Take a water taxi across the bay to a beach with no roads or high rise hotels. The protected waters are excellent for children with almost no wave action inside the reef.
Playa
las Gatas was named for the small, harmless cat shark. There are
no sharks at Las Gatas today, we sold them all to the Japanese for shark
fin soup.
Getting There
It is accessible only by water taxi from the Municipal Pier or by doing a bit of scaling over the shoreline rocks and a poorly defined path that runs between La Ropa and Las Gatas and that is best taken only by the sure-footed and more adventurous.
The water taxis run all day from the Municipal Pier in downtown Zihuatanejo. Round trip is about $5 US. Be sure to check the schedule, the last taxi home is posted as being at about 5:00 pm. A number of organized tours are available, check at your hotel desk or with a local travel agent.
The walking path is only just a 15 or 20 minute walk over the rocks along the shore of the bay - but again beware that this path does require a bit of scaling over a couple of rock bluffs, and can vary in difficulty according to the height of the tide and waves along the shore. Stairs have also been cut down from the upper road leading to Cerro del Vigia and overlooking Las Gatas, but these are often in poor repair and overgrown with weeds, so again, this route is best only tackled by people with good shoes and sure footing and balance.
Activities
Las Gatas is the most popular snorkeling
beach in Zihuatanejo. Snorkel and scuba
gear is available for rent on the beach at Carlo Scuba, along with PADI instruction and certification. Banana boat
rides, massages and even
fishing charters can be found here. Swim out carefully along the man-made breakwater to see the colorful tropical fish. Snorkeling is finest along the outside of the reef but be careful of the wave action - don't get yourself scraped by the coral (and don't even try to touch it, please!) or stickled by any painful sea urchin spines...!
Surfing is popular at the far end of the beach near Owen Lee's Las Gatas Beach Club although the waves are not always suitable for the sport. There is also a walking path to the lighthouse on the point of the bay, enjoy the natural beauty as you head for a wonderful view of the Pacific Ocean.
Food and Lodging
There are a dozen small, palapa roofed seafood restaurants along Las Gatas beach. Sample the fresh fish, lobster and octopus caught fresh daily by the Las Gatas fishing fleet.
For many years Las Gatas Beach Club functioned as an ecological hideaway on the far end of the beach near the point, offering bungalows and restaurant service. The installations can now be hired for private and special events.
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