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 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

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. 

There is also a walking path to Las Gatas from Playa la Ropa, just a 10 or 15 minute walk over the rocks along the shore of the bay - 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.

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 overnighting, bungalows are available at Las Gatas Beach Club, an ecological hideaway on the far end of the beach near the point.  Overnight camping is permitted, ask around at the restaurants for permission.

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