Santa Cruz Bay Tour: A Review of 5 Stunning Sites
Planning a trip down to the Oaxaca coast in Mexico? If so, you’re probably wondering about activities, and one that always pops up is the Santa Cruz Bay tour. It’s often billed as a “must-do,” so I felt the need to see if it measures up. I recently took the half-day tour, and I’m sharing my honest experience visiting those five talked-about spots.
What to Expect on the Half-Day Tour
Alright, so the general idea with the Half Day Tour Santa Cruz Bay is that it whisks you away on a boat – usually a small one with other tourists – to explore different points along the coast. The tour I selected made five stops: La Entrega Beach, a spot for snorkeling; El Órgano Beach, supposedly a hidden beach; a chance to glimpse the Bufadero, which is kind of like a mini-blowhole; then a stop at a spot for looking at sea turtles; and lastly, a cruise by La India Cara, a rock formation which, as the name indicates, supposedly looks something like a face. Each tour can be a bit different, that’s true, very much so depending on your operator, that is, their itinerary, and very much what they emphasize. This review reflects, though, what you can likely experience.
La Entrega Beach: A Snorkeling Stop
First up was La Entrega Beach, which is meant to be snorkeling central. Now, I will say this, the water was genuinely clear and calm. It’s also pretty popular with families. Getting in the water was easy enough; I will give them that, there were even a few colorful fish swimming about, though, they were a bit sparse, very. It felt more like I was snorkeling in a swimming pool, just that there happened to be a few decorations dropped at the bottom, yet that could be I expected something really stunning from the advertising I noticed. A bit more excitement in that water, maybe. Also, you will find plenty of vendors all too happy to rent you equipment if, that is, you don’t have your own. Be ready for them. That being said, a lot of the people really appeared to be enjoying the activity a lot.
El Órgano Beach: Is it Really “Hidden?”
El Órgano Beach was stop number two, the “hidden beach.” When they said it was “hidden,” I sort of pictured this, like, secluded paradise. The kind you can only reach with some kind of secret handshake and password. The reality? This beach wasn’t bad, of course, just that it was small and it was, very, very easy to access, plus it had, basically, a restaurant. It did have pleasant sand, of course, but, well, “secluded” wasn’t the word. Maybe I’m spoiled by my past times at truly secluded locales, though I wasn’t getting desert island vibes at this location. So that’s something.
Bufadero: A Tiny Blowhole
Okay, so the Bufadero, that blowhole I mentioned? You do get to see this geological formation, a place where water shoots upwards through a hole in the rock, when the tide conditions are, that is, correct, but keep your excitement to a very reasonable minimum. On this particular trip it just kind of…fizzled. A little water trickled out. That was it. The tour guides tried to make it seem dramatic and, honestly, really interesting, they, you know, failed. Perhaps if it actually shot water high into the air I’d feel differently. That’s just very much Mother Nature for you, really: you just never, never know.
Sea Turtle Spotting: Ethical Considerations
The sea turtle bit was…complicated. Look, everyone likes sea turtles, that’s correct. These tours are famous for showing you these delightful animals in the ocean, yet you cannot shake some degree of uneasiness concerning the whole spectacle. You are motoring out to a zone where sea turtles are basically used to boats approaching to get tourist pictures, even though the captains and guides make sure not to get too close or do anything too shocking. It is still difficult to tell what impact, if any, these constant visits may create on such wondrous wildlife, so there is that, very truly. At any rate, yes, we viewed sea turtles. They looked to be carrying out their normal activities, at least, they were.
La India Cara: Rock Formation
The final stop on our tour was La India Cara, that, really, that face-shaped rock I had mentioned previously. At this point I felt like a pro gazing at rock formations. Did it look like a face? Kind of. If you squint. And use your imagination quite a bit. My fellow travelers certainly enjoyed taking plenty of photographs, but for me it turned out being just something that looked very much like a rock. The setting near the ocean was picturesque at least. I really tried to see the India Cara everyone speaks about! I sort of found it, yet a Rorschach test may just be in order for yourself if you have any real excitement to seeing this thing.
Look, overall, the Santa Cruz Bay tour might be for yourself if you are seeking, basically, a concise summary of a handful of local attractions, especially if time is pretty much of the essence. Personally? The snorkeling was really alright, that, I think, was the greatest feature. However, with this experience, take the word “amazing” with a bit of salt.