Excursion Review: Panoramic Hiking Views To El Faro Lighthouse in Mazatlan
Introduction: Why I Chose the Lighthouse Hike Excursion in Mazatlan
When I’m not cruising, I’m planning a cruise. And when I’m not planning a cruise, I’m on the phone with my therapist trying to schedule an emergency session to which she replies: “Not having a cruise to plan does not qualify as a mental health emergency.” While I forcefully disagree, I generally accept her advice to “take a hike,” although I’m not sure she means it literally.
As a result, I’ve actually learned to love hiking and have done so all over the world, from my home state of Washington to the Great Wall of China. And now I can put a pin in Mazatlan, Mexico!
But paying to go hiking on a cruise? You’re probably thinking, “that doesn’t sound like something I want to do on vacation!” And I hear you. But it was inexpensive at just $35, I had onboard credit to burn through, and I figured if one 3 hour excursion could allow me to justify 168 straight hours of cruise binging, it would be worth it. So, I booked the “Panoramic Hiking Views to El Faro Lighthouse” excursion in Mazatlan!
Which Cruise Lines Offer the El Faro Lighthouse Hike Excursion in Mazatlan?
I booked this excursion through Princess. Here’s how it was advertised, including the cost of $34.95.
Princess Excursion: Panoramic Hiking Views To El Faro Lighthouse
Carnival Excursion: Panoramic Hiking Views To El Faro Lighthouse
But the same excursion is also offered through Carnival for $44.99 ($34.99 for kids). Here’s how it’s advertised on Carnival:
NCL Excursion: Hike To The Lighthouse
And NCL also offers this excursion for $59.00 ($49.00 for kids). Here’s how NCL describes it:
My Experience on the El Faro Lighthouse Hike Excursion in Mazatlan
The El Faro Lighthouse Hike Excursion in Mazatlan: How it Started
My excursion ticket was waiting in my cabin when I entered for the first time and included instructions to meet ashore beside the ship at 8:15am. So sticking with my motto, instilled in me by my exceedingly responsible father, “if you’re not 15 minutes early, you’re late,” I arrived by 8:00am and then grumbled to myself about having to wait around until 8:30am to depart (that’s one thing I hate about cruise excursions).
In any case, as soon as our group of 16 was assembled, we were instructed to board the people movers (available for anyone coming off the ship to use in order to get to the main terminal area which has a wide variety of shops and vendors and a few restaurants). While on the 5 minute ride past approximately 20 million shipping containers piled up higher than my downtown Seattle high rise apartment building, I recorded some video footage which I posted to Instagram with this caption: I cancelled my hike and decided to do this awesome shipping container tour instead!
Only one person found that funny and she happens to be the same person who thinks this is the best excursion review ever written. Shrug.
At the terminal, we were instructed to sanitize our hands and walked through a “sanitizing mist” which made me feel like a stock of corn getting de-bugged in the fields.
Then we stopped at some restrooms where our guide Cristobal (friendly, knowledgable, with a perfect mastery of English and pictured below) introduced himself, went over our agenda for the day, and encouraged us to use the restroom, as that would be the only opportunity on the tour to do so.
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After all the women returned from the restroom (The men just shrugged and said, “that’s what bushes are for,” and I decided not to warn them that in Mexico “bushes” are often actually cactuses.), we prepared to board our transportation to the base of the mountain. There was a white mini-bus parked in front of us and we, naturally, figured it was ours. Instead, we were ferried across a busy street where we were instructed to wait for our vehicles. When these red trucks, with plank benches lining the beds, pulled up, someone in our group joked, “there’s our ride” (like there’s NO WAY they’d put us in THOSE)! But sure enough, they loaded 8 of us in each of these trucks and we were off!
I felt a little like a dignitary in a parade and practiced my best Miss America wave at passersby, tarnishing the reputation of American beauty pageant contestants and probably Americans in general. Sorry about that.
Thankfully it was a short ride, just 10 or so minutes, to the base of the mountain where we debarked to begin our second adventure of the day.
The El Faro Lighthouse Hike Excursion in Mazatlan: How it Went
Before we started our hike, we stopped at this sign at the base of the mountain for a photo op:
Cristobal was kind enough to take photos for everyone. And a handsome cat was gracious enough to pose with me so I didn’t look like no one asked me to the dance (I mean, it wouldn’t have been the first time). Sporting a fur tuxedo, he made me feel like that person who shows up at the MDR wearing cutoff jean shorts and a t-shirt on formal night. And I knew exactly how that feels too, having been that person the night before: “Oh great, not again!”
Anyway, speaking of cats…
There were many ferrel, but friendly, tame, and healthy looking (there were bowls of food set out around the area for them) cats that dotted the mountain. You’ll be able to quickly identify the cat people on your excursion as they attempt to pet and photograph them. And the non-cat people will start sprinting up the stairs like they’re competing for time when Cristobal offers to show everyone a polydactyl cat (pictured above with Cristobal’s arm and hand).
Trivia Question (It’s the law that cruisers must love trivia!): Why are polydactyl cats called “Hemingway” cats?
Answer in the comments if you know. I’ll award a virtual ship-on-a-stick to anyone who answers correctly!
In terms of the hike itself, the first 1/2 miles was on a well-groomed gravel and dirt path, steep in some areas, but easy for an experienced hiker. The final stretch required climbing 320 stone steps, numbered so your relatives can leave some flowers on the exact step where you died of exhaustion (kidding, kidding – you’ll be fine). We stopped frequently so Cristobal could point out interesting plants, geological features, and birds and so everyone could catch their breath. The views on the way up were spectacular, only topped by the views at the…top!
My favorite view from the top was of these two small white islands called the, “Islas de Caca” or, in English, the “poop islands.” I’m a child. But, hand to God, these islands are white from bird poop. Birds excrete nitrogenous wastes in the form of uric acid, which falls from the sky as a white paste that doesn’t easily dissolve in water. So it sticks to these islands like plaster. I wouldn’t recommend anyone park a car in this area!
While I suggest bringing your own water for the hike up, we were provided with cold bottles that Cristobal purchased at the lighthouse once we reached the top:
We were also treated to some local coconut marshmallows:
We had plenty of time at the top to explore around and take in the beauty and unique history of the area. There was also another photo op available. Other people did cool, Insta-worthy poses, standing on the stone wall facing Mazatlan with arms stretched wide like they were trying to gather up the whole city in a warm embrace. Me? I panicked and did essentially the exact same boring pose at the top of the mountain I did at the bottom of the mountain:
I didn’t find the lighthouse itself that impressive, which is why I don’t seem to have a single photo of it (sorry). We weren’t allowed to tour the inside (although you may be able to if your group is smaller). There was also a glass walkway that jutted out over the water. However, there was an extra charge for that and, for liability reasons, we were not allowed to do it as part of the tour.
The El Faro Lighthouse Hike Excursion in Mazatlan: How it Ended
At the conclusion of the hike, we were offered two options. First, we could be returned to the ship. And second, we could be dropped off in town with instructions on how to walk back to the ship on our own. With my weekly exercise out of the way, I was ready to head back to the ship to eat!
Conclusion: Would I do the El Faro Lighthouse Hike Excursion in Mazatlan Again?
As it turned out, I barely broke a sweat (I didn’t mention that part to the group sitting next to me at the buffet at lunch though, as I pointed to the mountain out the window and bragged, “I just hiked that!”).
What I did do was learn some fascinating facts about the history, geography, and flora and fauna of the area, meet some lovely people, pet some friendly cats, and feast my eyes on some of the most breathtaking vistas I’ve ever seen on a cruise. And I worked up enough of an appetite for three lunches instead of my usual two.
So, would I do this excursion again? No. But would I do this hike again? Yes! In fact, I’m going to take my son on it next week on our cruise aboard the Carnival Panorama. But now that I’ve done it once with an experienced guide, I feel comfortable walking to the base of the mountain from the terminal and doing the hike on my own for free.
I guess the more relevant question for you would be: Am I glad I booked this excursion? Yes! And I feel confident in recommending it to anyone who feels comfortable walking half a mile on a groomed surface both uphill and downhill and climbing up and back down 320 stone steps (I had to in include the “20” because those last 20 are the hardest!). And with that…
Class Dismissed.
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Ernest Hemingway had polydactyl cats at his home in Key West. Their descendants are still on the property today. Getting to see all of the cats is the main reason I toured the Hemingway house.
We have a winner!!! Congratulations! Please accept this virtual ship-on-a-stick as your prize (you’ll have to imagine it in your head because I can’t figure out how to even post a photo of one here, lol). Well done and thanks for sharing your experience – I’d love to do that tour and see the cats!
Nice! We once hiked up a nearby mountain from Saguenay, QC on our HAL cruise. We did much the same when we got back to the ship after our hike, bragging to staff. “See that cross on top of that mountain? Yeah, we were just up there!” Most staff were blown away and all guests we told could not believe it as they stayed on and ate in the Lido and sat by the pool. Thanks for writing this and brining back a memory for us.
Thanks for sharing that memory. That sounds like another amazing hike – I hope I get the chance to try it someday!