Puerto Escondido is a small beach town on the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. It’s known as the surf capital of Mexico because of the great waves on Playa Zicatela. Puerto Escondido means “hidden port” and as the name says, it used to be a remote beach town. In recent years tourism has increased enormously, which has also caused a raise of prices. Nevertheless, Puerto Escondido is still relatively affordable and a backpacker’s paradise. I have traveled Mexico for almost a year in total, and Puerto Escondido has been my favorite place of all. It’s the place in Mexico that feels like home to me. Here’s a guide to the best Puerto Escondido beaches.
When you’re in Puerto Escondido, I recommend visiting the nearby mountain village San José del Pacífico.
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Puerto Escondido Beaches
The beaches of Puerto Escondido are great for surfing, sunbathing, sipping a cocktail or a beer in a beach bar and watching the sunset. Here’s a guide to the best beaches of Puerto Escondido:
Playa Zicatela
Playa Zicatela has a length of 3.5 km and is the second longest beach of Puerto Escondido. It is divided into the north, called Zicatela, and the south, called La Punta. Zicatela is known for its giant waves that only expert surfers can handle. The area is home to many restaurants, bars and great nightlife. During the day you can relax on a sun lounger of one of the beach clubs.
Also, the place with the best wifi in town is located in Zicatela. If you need a good internet connection, go to the Selina hostel and have a coffee or a fresh juice in their café.
Playa La Punta
La Punta is the south end of Playa Zicatela and the most popular place to stay for backpackers and surfers. The area is characterised by unpaved roads, a vibrant scene of bars and restaurants in the evening and a surfer vibe during the day. The main attraction in La Punta is the sunset, that seemingly everyone in Puerto Escondido watches on that part of the beach.
La Punta used to be very offbeat but it has recently become quite touristy and it feels like everyday a new restaurant, a new juice bar or a new organic shop pops up. Despite the quick development it still has a “barefoot-vibe” and hopefully, it will stay like that.
The waves in La Punta are good for beginners and intermediate surfers.
Hike to El Arco (the arch)
When visiting La Punta, make sure to hike over to “El Arco”, a rock formation with the shape of an arch. The best time to go there is right before sunset.
To get there you first need to walk to the very south end of La Punta, past the point where all the surfers are. There’s a small hiking path to the top of the cliff on the left. You have to do a bit of climbing to get there, but it’s short and easy – I did it barefoot and with my camera gear. Once you’re on top, you need to hike down on the other side again and walk to the left past a big rock. From there you’ll see a lighthouse. Walk towards it and you’ll find the arch behind the lighthouse on the beach.
Playa Carrizalillo
Playa Carrizalillo is the beach with the most beautiful view from above, as it’s located on the foot of a cliff. To get to the beach you need to descend a steep set of stairs. It’s also the beach with the smallest waves, which makes it perfect for swimming. Also, if you want to learn how to surf and you’re a beginner, Playa Carrizalillo is a great option.
This beach is the favorite beach of most people that I’ve talked to. And it is beautiful, but for me personally it’s too crowded. As the bay is quite small, it gets crowded easily. I recommend visiting Playa Carrizalillo in the morning to avoid the crowds. It’s also an amazing place to watch the sunset.
Playa Bacocho
Playa Bacocho is Puerto Escondido’s longest beach which features several beach clubs. Spend a day at the Beach Club Villasol and enjoy a cocktail by the pool with beach view.
Also, Playa Bacocho is a popular turtle nestling beach. Everyday at 5pm there’s a turtle release where anyone can participate. Just show up a bit before it starts and they will explain you everything. The turtle release costs 4€ per person. You’ll get your baby turtle in a little coconut shell and then you release it on the beach.
It’s a beautiful experience to watch all the baby turtles making their way to the water. Besides the 4€, they also ask for voluntary donations for the good cause. Everyone who works at the release center works there as a volunteer and they’re grateful for every donation.
Playa Coral
Playa Coral is my personal favorite Puerto Escondido beach. It’s a small bay that is usually relatively quiet because the beach is not that easy to access.
To get to Playa Coral, you can either head to Playa Bacocho and walk along the beach past the beach clubs. Then you need to cross some rocks at the end of Playa Bacocho behind which you’ll encounter Playa Coral. It takes around 10 minutes to walk around.
Another option to get there is to pay 3€ entrance to the beach club of Hotel Villa Mexicana. You get direct beach access and the entrance fee includes either two beers or a hamburger with fries.
Beaches to visit on a day trip from Puerto Escondido
There are many amazing beaches in Puerto Escondido, but if you want to do a day trip out of town, the following beaches are great options:
Playa de Mazunte
Mazunte is a laid back beach town with a hippie-vibe. If you’re in Puerto Escondido, I highly recommend also visiting Mazunte for at least a day. There’s a picturesque beach with seafood restaurants and coconut vendors.
Playa de Zipolite
Zipolite is the only nudist beach in the whole country Mexico. When I visited Zipolite, I combined it with a trip to Mazunte as they are near each other. There’s a big LGTB scene and a long beach with lots of restaurants and accommodations.
Playa Agua Blanca
Playa Agua Blanca is a long and beautiful stretch of sandy beach that is completely empty apart from some surfers and a few locals. All you can find here are some basic fish restaurants with tables and chairs in the sand. There are no hotels and no shops, there’s no wifi and no cell phone reception. This is a great place to disconnect.
Playa de Chacahua
Chacahua is a National Park that consists of several lakes and islands. You need to take a boat ride through the lakes to arrive to Playa Chacahua. My personal highlight was the boat trip because it’s amazing to see the flora and fauna of the lagoons.
Chacahua is especially popular among surfers as it has some of the best waves. Most people who visit Chacahua stay there for a couple of nights, but I only went for a day trip which is fine too.
It’s a remote place where you can disconnect and be with yourself and with a few fellow travelers.
How to get to Puerto Escondido
Puerto Escondido has an international airport that is only a 10 minute drive from the town center. If you arrive from nearby places like Oaxaca City, Mazunte or San José del Pacífico, you can take a colectivo for a relatively low price. Just be aware that the roads to get there are steep and windy if you arrive from anywhere further away from the coast.
You can also check the bus connections on the ADO website. Mexico has an amazing bus network with lots of routes.
Getting around in Puerto Escondido
Puerto Escondido is quite small so it’s easy to get around. If you’re staying near Playa Zicatela, you can reach either side of the beach within 30 minutes of walking. Besides that, there are colectivos that take you from one side of the town to the other for less than a Euro. You can hop on and hop off wherever you want and the price is always the same.
There are also lots of taxis and they are pretty cheap. You can just walk up to the road and stop one. If you want to visit all of the Puerto Escondido beaches, you might need to take a taxi because they are a bit far from each other. But as I said, it’s really cheap to take a taxi or a colectivo.
To visit the Puerto Escondido beaches that are out of town, you might want to rent a car to get there. There are several car rental agencies at the airport and in town.
Where to stay in Puerto Escondido
Puerto Escondido consists of several different neighbourhoods. The areas where most tourists stay are Zicatela, La Punta, Carrizalillo and “Centro” (town center). Depending on what you expect from your trip to Puerto Escondido, you may pick a different area to stay.
Zicatela
Zicatela has the biggest waves and it is the nightlife district with lots of bars and some clubs.
Where to stay in Zicaltela:
La Punta
La Punta is my personal favorite area. It has a surfer vibe and is more quiet during the day. There are several bars and restaurants and it can get quite busy in the evening before the party crowd heads to the clubs of Zicatela. This is also the best area for vegetarian and vegan friendly restaurants.
Where to stay in La Punta:
Carrizalillo / Rinconada
Carrizalillo / Rinconada is a nice and more quite region. It’s further away from everything that’s going on around Playa Zicatela. There’s no nightlife and only a few restaurants and shops.
Where to stay in Carrizalillo / Rinconada:
Town center of Puerto Escondido
Centro is the area that I least recommend to stay in. While it’s nice to visit the local market from time to time, it doesn’t have much appeal to spend more time there. It’s a bit far from the beaches and it’s a very local neighborhood.
If it’s your first time in Puerto Escondido, I recommend staying somewhere near Zicatela Beach, between Zicatela and La Punta.
Best time to visit Puerto Escondido
Puerto Escondido has two seasons: Dry season and rainy season. It’s hot and tropical all year around but the best time to visit the beach town is between December and April.
From May to November it rains a lot and it’s extremely humid.
I stayed in Puerto Escondido from January until May and I personally enjoyed the weather from January to March the most. It was hot during the days but it cooled down a bit at night and it wasn’t as humid as in the following months.
Is Puerto Escondido safe?
Puerto Escondido is probably one of the safest places in Mexico that I’ve visited so far. During 4 months of living there, I’ve never witnessed a single crime. Puerto Escondido is a calm beach town where locals and tourists live peacefully next to each other.
Nevertheless, you shouldn’t be walking from one side of the town to the other at night (even though I regularly did that…) and also avoid being on the beach at night (I did that many times too), as you could get robbed there. Just apply your common sense. Even though Puerto Escondido is very safe in my opinion, it’s still Mexico. Maybe I was just lucky that nothing ever happened to me. To be honest, I think you also have to be very unlucky to get robbed in Puerto Escondido. But better be safe than sorry!
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July 27, 2021 at 4:45 pm
Such gorgeous photos! The Puerto Escondido Beaches look really beautiful.
July 31, 2021 at 8:30 pm
Thank you so much! They really are beautiful!
August 3, 2021 at 8:33 pm
Wow! Puerto Escondido’s beaches are so beautiful. I’m heading back to Mexico in October (possibly) and would love to check out these spots. Also, your photos are so beautiful! 🙂
August 4, 2021 at 8:45 pm
That’s so cool! Love that you’re going back to Mexico in October!!
August 7, 2021 at 1:47 pm
This looks like the perfect place to stay in Mexico if you want to hit up the beaches! There are a lot of great ones to choose from here as well which is always good.
October 21, 2021 at 9:22 am
Playa Zicatela isn’t the longest beach. Playa Bacocho is.
October 21, 2021 at 8:02 pm
Thanks for letting me know! I will change it 🙂