Sportfishing
Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo is just being discovered as Mexico's exciting sportfishing destination. Anglers thrill at the profusion of sailfish, black and blue marlin (the record is over 1,000 pounds), as well as yellowfin tuna and dorado (mahi-mahi). The fleets are on specialized cruisers or pangas with expert and caring bilingual skippers.

Water activities abound on Zihuatanejo Bay

Scuba Diving
Some 30 dive sites in the area range from deep canyons to shallow reefs. The waters here are teeming with sea life and visibility is excellent. Many opportunities exist for divers & snorkelers.

Water Sports
A variety of water sports is available in Ixtapa, along Playa del Palmar (the beach of the Hotel Zone) and in Zihuatanejo on La Ropa Beach. Parasailing costs about $20 for about a 10-minute ride; water skiing and wave runners cost about $30 per half-hour; banana boat rides are about $5 for a 20-minute trip.

On La Ropa Beach, in front of the Hotel Villa del Sol, Hobie Cats rent for $20 per hour and classes cost $30 per half-hour. Windsurfers rent $10 per hour; classes which include 6 hours over 4 days cost $40.

Golf
There are two 18-hole championship courses in Ixtapa. The Campo de Golf Ixtapa designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., is a wildlife preserve that runs from a coconut plantation to the beach. Part of the Marina Ixtapa complex, the highly challenging links layout Club de Golf Marina Ixtapa was designed by Robert von Hagge. Each as its own clubhouse with all facilities and a restaurant as well as tennis courts. Green fees run approximately $55; caddies or carts $20. Please click on Golf below for more information.

Tennis
All major Ixtapa hotels have night-lit tennis courts as do the Campo de Golf Ixtapa and the Club de Golf Marina Ixtapa. In Zihuatanejo, theHotel Villa del Sol has two courts which are primarily for guest use.

Horseback Riding
You can rent horses near Playa La Ropa in Zihuatanejo, and at Playa Linda just up the coast from Ixtapa. The beaches are excellent for relaxing rides.

Guided Tours
Most major hotels have lobby tour desks or travel agencies which offer a selection of sightseeing tours, land or sea, of Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo and surrounding areas. There are many jungle, lagoon and sea tours also available and you can even ask the local taxi drivers to show you the crocodiles found in the area.

BEACHES

Counterclockwise around the bay, Playa La Madera is walkable along a narrow, seaside footpath (called extensión del Paseo del Pescador) cut into the rocks. Also accesible by road, this pancake-flat, dark sand beach has a sprinkling of small hotels and restaurants. It was named "madera" (wood) beach because during the Spanish colonization it was an embarcadero for shipping oak, pine, cedar and mahogany cut from the nearby Sierra Madre Sur mountains.

Looking north along Playa La Ropa

On the other side of a rocky point is Playa La Ropa, the most beautiful and longest beach in the area, and only 5-minute, scenic taxi ride from town is world famous. Along this one-kilometer stretch of soft sand are water sports facilities, open-air restaurants, & a few hotels. It got its name ("clothes beach") when a Spanish galleon returning from the Orient ran aground, leaving its cargo of silks and clothing strewn all over the beach.

Continuing counterclockwise is Playa Las Gatas, the beach was named for long-gone harmless, docile nurse sharks that used to linger here("gatas", in this case, translates to "nurse sharks", not "female cats"). A mysterious long row of hewn rocks just offshore serves as a "breakwater". It can be explained only by legend: perhaps a "Calzontin" (the title for a pre-Hispanic Purepechan king) built it to shelter his royal daughter's private beach. The beach is now lined with simple seafood eateries that also have lounge chairs for sunning.

Las Gatas is accessible only by boat. Small outboard canopied skiffs (pangas) run continously from and to the municipal pier until 5 PM. The trip takes about 10 minutes. Purchase your round-trip ticket (about $2) at the Cooperativa office at the beginning of the pier. Keep the ticket stub for your return trip.

Looking north along Playa del Palmar

Water sports facilities are available along the beach. Since this is essentially open sea, there is surf which at times can be quite strong. Most hotels will have a warning system, by flag color with explanation, at their beach entrance.

About ten minutes beyond the Ixtapa Hotel Zone is the long, pristine Playa Linda. At the edge of the beach is a handicraft mart, as well as a rock jetty from which covered skiffs (pangas) take passengers on a 10-minute ride to Ixtapa Island (they used to leave from nearby Playa Quieta until the beach was taken over at the end of 1995 by Club Med). The boats run continously (on demand) from early morning until 5 p.m. A round trip costs about $2-$3 (keep ticket stub to return). You can also go horseback riding here or view the crocodiles at this local reserve.

The Isla Ixtapa's most popular beach is Playa Cuachalalate named for an endemic tree whose bark has been used since ancient times as a remedy for kidney ailments. Like Las Gatas in Zihuatanejo, this beach is also lined with good seafood eateries.

At the north end of the beach, watersport rental equipment, instruction and dive excursions are available. A short walk across to the other side of the island takes you to a gorgeous, sandy beach called Playa Varadero, which faces the sunset. It is also lined with small restaurants, and there are water sports facilities. Just behind the restaurants is Playa Coral with crystal-clear water great for snorkeling. A fourth beach, Playa Carey, toward the south end of the island, is small and isolated. The pangas run between the small boat landings at both Cuachalalate and Varadero beaches and Playa Linda on the mainland. Make sure you don't miss that last run to the mainland or you might find yourself paying much more to get back, or actually sleeping over on the beach!

SIDE TRIPS

La Soledad de Maciel
To the south of Barra de Potosí is the town of Petatlán where you'll find one of Guerrero's precolumbian treasures, La Soledad de Maciel. The area is sometimes called "La Choli". Although the site is very small and not on the grandeur of most archaeological sites in Mexico, La Soledad appears to have been an important ceremonial site of Cihuatlán, the capital of an indigenous city-state. Here you will find odd rock formations, rock art and even the remains of a ball court. There is a big stone idol called "El Rey" which the site is probably most famous.

Most visitors won't seek the area out, but if you are an amateur archaeologist and are not disappointed easily, you will enjoy the area. You will probably need a guide (see Land Activities) who is knowledgeable and speak English. Once there, the locals (mainly children) will try to sell you artifacts similar to the ones in the Museo Arqueológico in Zihuatanejo. They may or may not be authentic.

Petatlán also has the Santuario al Padre Jesús, reconstructed church which is famous for the gold vendors on weekends. You'll also find nearby beaches and lagoons.

Troncones Beach
To the north of of Ixtapa approximately 35 kms. you'll find another idyllic spot called Troncones Beach. Click on the Troncones Beach Guide for information and lodging, restaurants and how to get there.

SPORTFISHING

Yates Del Sol
Zihuatanejo - Tel/Fax: (755) 4-2694

DIVING & SNORKELING

WATERSPORTS

Whisky Water World
Sunset Cruises * Snorkeling * Jet Skis * Parasailing
Paseo Pescador #20, Zihua. * Tel: (7) 554-0147 * Cel: (7) 556-6488

CHARTERS & CRUISES

Pacific Cruise
Snorkel Cruise to Isla Grande * Sunset Cruise
Open Bar, Snacks & Music * Bilingual
Marina Ixtapa * Tel: (7) 554-4844

SURFING

LAND ACTIVITIES

Guide Servando Moro
English-speaking Guide
Tel: (7) 554-7606

Guide Rudolfo Carbajal
English-speaking Guide
Tel: (7) 534-3247

Horse Stables Rudolpho
Zihuatanejo * Playa Linda

Pacific Moto Rent
Ixtapa * Los Patios Shopping Mall

Tropical Bikes
Mountain Bike rentals for Adults & Children
Rent by the Hour ($4), Day ($20) or Adventure Tour ($9)
Next to Bancome, Ixtapa * Tel: (7) 554-6894

Viajes Gelo
Tours of each city, Ixtapa Island & Las Gatas Beach
Mexican Fiestas * Ecological Tours * Horseback Riding
Ave. Morelos s/n * Tel: (7) 554-3445

GOLF & RELATED

Marina Ixtapa Golf Course
Robert Von Hagge Designed * 18 Hole * Par 72
Tennis * Restaurant * Rates: $60
Ixtapa * Tel: (7) 553-1410

WEDDINGS