Lagoon Acapulco de Juárez, Guerrero Municipality of Acapulco de Juárez Acapulco Bay
Acapulco's largest lagoon, behind Barra Vieja: boat rides through mangrove channels, herons, and a location for the first Tarzan films.
From Acapulco: about 25 min by road (~30 km) How to get there ↓
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Tours to Laguna de Tres Palos
Day trips and guided outings from Guerrero often include Laguna de Tres Palos; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Tours from Acapulco
Paddle Boarding At Acapulco´s Bay
★ 5.0 (247) · From US$24
How to get to Laguna de Tres Palos
- From Acapulco: about 25 min by road (~30 km)
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Tours from Acapulco, near Laguna de Tres Palos
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About Laguna de Tres Palos
The Laguna de Tres Palos is the largest body of water in Acapulco, roughly 15 km long and 5.5 km across, lying in the Zona Diamante southeast of the port, between Puerto Marqués and the international airport and about 30 km from downtown. On the ocean side it is closed off by the sandbar of Barra Vieja, and on its northwest shore sits the town of Tres Palos, home to about 5,700 people in 2020.
Most visitors come for the boat rides. Local boatmen push off from the shore into narrow channels where the mangroves close overhead and lotus flowers float on the water. It ranks among the best birdwatching spots in the municipality: herons and other waterbirds nest in the mangroves, and pelicans are around all year. Because the scenery looked so untouched, the earliest Tarzan movies were filmed here. Kayaks and jet skis can be rented too, and on the shore you can try the traditional black-mud scrub, made with mineral sediment from the lagoon floor.
The lagoon has a place in Mexican history as well. On the night of 4 January 1811, during the War of Independence, José María Morelos's insurgents surprised the royalist camp of Colonel Juan Francisco París on its shore and won the fight; the captured royalist soldiers switched sides and joined Morelos.
Thousands of lakeside families, in villages such as Plan de los Amates, live off its snook, red snapper, mullet, shrimp, tilapia, carp and cuatete catfish. The ecosystem is under strain: since 1970 it has lost about 30% of its mangrove cover to landfill and land clearing, Hurricane Otis hit the black mangrove hardest, and in August 2025 thousands of fish died when the water warmed to 34 °C. Researchers from the Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero are working with residents to clear a secondary channel and help the two best-preserved mangrove stands, of 123 and 56 hectares, recover.
How to get to Laguna de Tres Palos
The lagoon is 35 minutes from Acapulco, 31 km by road. From the Costera, take the Carretera Escénica toward Puerto Marqués and then the Boulevard de las Naciones; past the international airport, carry on about 20 minutes to Barra Vieja, where the boats leave from. The northern shore, by the town of Tres Palos, is reached on federal highway 200 toward Pinotepa Nacional. From Mexico City, Estrella de Oro and other lines run from the Terminal del Sur (Taxqueña) to Acapulco on the Autopista del Sol in about five hours. In Acapulco, city buses along the Costera head out this way, but a taxi is easier; hiring one for the whole day runs 500 to 800 pesos. Many hotel tours bundle transport, the boat ride and lunch. The US State Department tells Americans not to travel to Guerrero; go in daylight and check local conditions first.
Directions to Laguna de Tres Palos on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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From the nearest cities to Laguna de Tres Palos
- Acapulco · about 30 km by road, ~25 min
- Chilpancingo · about 120 km by road, ~1 h 45 min
- Tlapa · about 195 km by road, ~2 h 50 min
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Before you go to Laguna de Tres Palos: hours, prices and tips
- Hours
- Boat tours run daily from 8 am to 6 pm; mornings are recommended. Programa Destinos México · checked Oct 2026
- Entry
- A boat costs 300 to 600 pesos, depending on the length of the ride and the number of passengers. Programa Destinos México · checked Oct 2026
- Time needed
- The boat ride takes about an hour; a full tour from Acapulco with lunch at Barra Vieja takes about six hours. Civitatis · checked Oct 2026
- Best time of day
- November to April, in the dry season; rains fall from June to October and temperatures sit around 26 to 33 °C all year. Programa Destinos México · checked Oct 2026
- Guide or tour
- Getting into the channels requires a boat with a local boatman; organised tours include a Spanish- and English-speaking guide. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide Civitatis · checked Oct 2026
- What to bring
- Light cotton clothing, swimwear, a hat or cap, sunglasses, water shoes and biodegradable insect repellent. Programa Destinos México · checked Oct 2026
Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.
Visiting Laguna de Tres Palos: what to see and do
Take a boat through the mangrove-roofed channels and past the lotus flowers.
Watch herons nesting in the mangroves and pelicans over the open water.
Paddle a rented kayak along the shoreline on your own.
Try the black-mud scrub made with sediment from the lagoon bed.
End the day with grilled pescado a la talla at the Barra Vieja beach restaurants on the ocean side.
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Places to stay in Laguna de Tres Palos
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Tours & activities
Day trips and guided outings from Guerrero often include Laguna de Tres Palos; with a local guide you can get there without a car.
Mobile data
Signal can drop away from Guerrero: download a map of the way to Laguna de Tres Palos before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.
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Closest to Laguna de Tres Palos
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Playa Revolcadero · Beach · 8 km away
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Barra Vieja · Village · 13 km away
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Playa Majahua · Beach · 13 km away
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Puerto Marqués · Village · 13 km away
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Playa Pichilingue · Beach · 14 km away
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Capilla Ecuménica de la Paz · Landmark · 16 km away
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Playa Icacos · Beach · 17 km away
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Playa Condesa · Beach · 19 km away
Near Laguna de Tres Palos
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Isla La Roqueta · Island · Guerrero
~35 min: drive to Playas Caleta y Caletilla, Acapulco, then 10 min by boat
Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.
Lists with Laguna de Tres Palos
Lakes and Lagoons in Guerrero · 4Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.