Travelling to Mazatlan: Part 3: Things to DO: Islands/Beaches

Okay, so I have covered some activities to do outside of the hotel area - the central market, the cathedral, zip lining and the tequila distillery! 

An obvious activity that most of us partake in when on a sunny holiday - the beach?  Oh yes, the beach!  There is NO shortage of places to dig your toes into the sand there..

 

Whether it's plopping down a towel directly outside of your hotel, or going across the ocean to one of the islands directly across from the Golden Zone beaches; from north to south, Isla Pájaros – Bird Island, Isla Venados – Deer Island and Isla Lobos – Wolf Island.

We ended up finding a 'guide' and boat driver on the beach and booked a catamaran ride (for about $20) to Deer Island for snorkeling (Which ended up being a little too murky) and a little change of scenery.  In a more secluded area we were able to see tons of fish, crabs, etc.  Very cool!

Above: Looking over at the Golden Zone

Below: Our driver "Monkey" (seriously)

Below: Enjoying some sun and cold beers on Deer Island

 

One of my travel companions was also interested in learning how to surf (and surprisingly to me, Mazatlan has a pretty booking surf crowd!) and booked a 2 hr date with a surfer (met on the beach)for about $20 to learn how to surf - he showed her the basics and provided a wetsuit top and the board.  

We ended up doing a lot of relaxing on the beach - enjoying the scenery, visiting and on occasion, paying a mariachi band a few pesos for a song (and dance hah), or looking at the snacks/jewelry/products that people sell on the beach.  We also came across ladies who would do the old' Bo Derek braids for a pretty reasonable price, if that's your thing.  There was also the options to parasail, water ski, body surf, take a banana boat ride, etc, etc! 

Also good to know is that jellyfish are common in Mazatlan from June - November.. There is a lot of marine life in the water/on the beach - so be wary of where you step.

If you happen to be in Mazatlan in the summer months (Aug and Sept), you can participate in the release of baby sea turtles, or see their mothers lay eggs. I would SO love to do this one day!

As a whole, the peddlers are not OVERLY aggressive, but it can be a tad annoying when you are trying to relax.  It's also difficult to not want to buy from everyone - you see many mothers with children on the beach ALL day trying to sell various items - and knowing this may be their only source of income. 

We did travel to a few more 'local' (verses tourist) beaches and this was virtually non existent.

Below: Watermelon, coconut, mango, honeydew - all fresh and served with a chili lime mix which is sooooo amazing!

 

Also good to know is that jellyfish are common in Mazatlan from June - November..   There is a lot of marine life in the water/on the beach - so be wary of where you step!