Barra de Navidad is a small picturesque town of fishermen in the state of Jalisco, its beaches have yellow sand and powerful waves, the ideal place to practice surf and water skiing, but the most important activity is sport fishing.
This beautiful singular place begins in the beaches of Costa Alegre at 95km of Quemaro beach, where thousands of fishing fans go toenjoy this wonderful sport.
The town of Barra de Navidad (Christmas Sandbar) with a population of 7000+ is a small farming and fishing community located on the east end of the Bahía de Navidad, 60 km north of Manzanillo. In recent years, the Jalisco state government has promoted Barra as a tourist attraction of the Costalegre. The beachfront fronting the sandbar arks toward San Patricio, Jalisco 4.5 kilometers to the west.
The history of "modern" Barra de Navidad dates back to the mid-16th century when the Spanish used it for ship building, repairs and a jumping off point to the Philippines. A monument has been erected as a memory to these journeys at the end of the jetty. Ruy López de Villalobos (1500–1544) fleet of six galleon ships, the Santiago, Jorge, San Antonio, San Cristobal, San Martin, and San Juan, left Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, Mexico with 370 to 400 men on November 1, 1542. Perhaps, On the early morning of November 21, 1564, armed with five ships and 500 soldiers, Miguel López de Legazpi and his sail-captain Andrés de Urdaneta sailed from the port of Barra de Navidad, New Spain, in what is now Jalisco state, Mexico.
Barra de Navidad. Located 55 km (34 mi) from the port of Manzanillo, off Highway 240, and 216 km (134 mi) from Puerto Vallarta, off Highway 200. This beach is 2 km (1.2 mi) long. A 15-minute boat ride from this beach will take you to an interesting scuba diving area called Morro Prieto, where you’ll see a submerged black rock formation that descends 5 to 12 meters (16 to 40 feet) deep. At this spot you can observe various coral species and schools of surgeonfish
Isla de Navidad is a resort located opposite the town of Barra de Navidad Jalisco peninsula of La Culebra in the state of Colima. The island is located on the border with the state of Jalisco, an hour and a half drive from Manzanillo and next to the town of Colimilla. Within the same is located a hotel with a golf course located oceanfront. It features a lake and is surrounded by reefs where there is a small marina. The island was discovered in 1541 by the Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza and Pacheco as it arrived on December 25, Christmas Day, hence its name.
The large lagoon behind Barra de Navidad is criss-crossed by small fishing boats gathering scallops and transporting visitors and locals from Barra to Isla Navidad and the Grand Bay Hotel, recently voted the Number One hotel/resort in Mexico by the Travel Channel. These boats (panga taxies) also carry passengers to and from the small Colima community of Colimilla where restaurants line the shore.
