La Playa de los Alemanes, Las Grietas

Beach, Hiking

By Karey Fuhs

La Playa de los Alemanes, another beautiful white-sand beach, and Las Grietas, a series of rock crevices filled with water, are close to town.

Take a 50-cent water taxi across the bay to the second dock, where you will encounter the head of the walking trail. Following the trail for about five minutes, you will arrive at La Playa de los Alemanes, where you can relax, swim, and enjoy the mangrove (and Finch Bay Hotel) surroundings.

Make sure you get to the beach during low tide, because it can disappear at high tide. Past the beach, the trail becomes rocky and potentially treacherous for balance-deficient or barefoot visitors. The trail continues for about 20 minutes past a small salt mine, arid-zone vegetation, and the occasional bird to the top of the first of two approximately 12-meter deep crevices known as Las Grietas.

If you are daring, you can jump from there into the cool water below, or you can follow the wooden staircase down to the water. There you can swim, play with the blennies that have made their home among the submerged rocks, or jump from the various rocky platforms. Make an effort to arrive at mid-day, when the sun shines directly overhead and illuminates the crevice.