Umatac Bay is the most scenic on Guam's western coast — a sheltered crescent of water backed by steep green hills and framed by the low silhouette of Fort Nuestra Señora de la Soledad on one side. Ferdinand Magellan sailed into this bay on 6 March 1521, making it the site of the first documented European contact with Guam and one of the first stops of his circumnavigation of the globe. A concrete monument near the shore marks the landing.
The bay itself is calm and relatively free of development, which makes it unusually quiet by Guam's standards. You can swim from the small beach at the southern end of the village, though most visitors simply stand on the road that runs along the shore and look out at the water. Every March, the village re-enacts Magellan's landing with a festival that draws participants from across the island. The re-enactment involves a fleet of traditional-style outriggers and tends to be more lively than solemn.