The Marietas Islands or Las Marietas Islands (Spanish: Islas Tres Marietas) are a group of small uninhabited islands a few miles west off the coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. They are very popular tourist destinations because of the abundant marine life populations due to the islands being protected from fishing and hunting by the Mexican Government.
Las Marietas Islands were originally formed many thousands of years ago by volcanic activity, and are completely uninhabited. The islands are about an hour long boat ride west northwest off the coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and are visited daily by hundreds of tourists, yet no one can legally set foot on the islands. In the early 1900s the Mexican Government began conducting military testing on the islands because no one lived there. Many bombings and large explosions took place on the islands causing amazing caves and rock formations to be created. After a massive international outcry, started by scientist Jacques Cousteau in the late 1960s, the government eventually decided to label the islands a national park and therefore protected against any fishing, hunting or human activity. As of now the only human activity that is legal near the islands is snorkeling and kayaking tours that go there daily, but no one can set foot onto the islands.
Protection by the government has created an environment conducive to the development of the marine ecosystem and is one of the only places in Mexico where the fish live free of human interaction. People often report seeing massive sea turtles, manta rays, octopus, wild dolphins, humpback whales and thousands of species of tropical fish around the islands. The islands are also home to a few thousands birds, with species such as the Blue-footed Booby.
Currently, the Mexican Government allows only a few companies to go to the islands for public tours because of their conservation efforts.