El Matador Sea Caves & Arches
Malibu (El Matador State Beach) · near Malibu · Los Angeles / SoCal
Caving
At a glance
- Depth
- 0
- Season
- Year-round · Low tide required for cave/arch access · Sunset is the iconic time
- Cost
- Small state-beach parking fee · Steep trail/stairs to the beach
- Difficulty
- Moderate — a steep path and stairs down the bluff, then low-tide rock scrambling among caves and arches
Permits and booking
- Permit
- State beach parking fee; no cave permit. Access via a steep bluff trail and stairs. Low tide required for the caves and arches — check charts and mind the returning water.
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Gear
- Tide chart · Grippy footwear for wet rock · Sun protection · Camera (this is one of California's most-photographed beaches)
Caving detail
- Nickname
- Malibu's Photogenic Grottoes
- Cave type
- sea-cave
- Tour length
- 1–2 hours
- Formations
- Sea caves & rock arches · Dramatic sea stacks · Tide pools · Iconic Malibu sunset backdrop
- Featured caves
- The caves and arches
- Intl tip
- El Matador is part of Malibu's western beach cluster near Leo Carrillo (surfing guide) and Zuma. Sunset is the moment — but it's also the most crowded time. Weekday mornings at low tide offer the caves nearly to yourself. Parking is limited; arrive early.
The guide
El Matador State Beach, at Malibu's western end, has more sea caves and rock arches than any beach in Southern California — a p…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to El Matador Sea Caves & Arches — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.0378, -118.877