Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Puerto Escondido began as a small fishing and coffee port on Oaxaca's Pacific coast and grew into one of Mexico's best-known surf towns. It spreads along a string of beaches and rocky coves, each with a different mood, and keeps a lived-in, casual feel despite steady growth in recent years.
Playa Zicatela is the name surfers know, a long beach where powerful barrels draw professionals and spectators during big swells; swimming there is risky. Next to it, Playa Marinero is gentler and popular with beginners, while Playa Principal is where fishing boats land their catch beside the town's original seafront. Calmer water lies in the coves of Puerto Angelito and Playa Manzanillo, and Playa Carrizalillo, reached by a long staircase, is a favorite for learning to surf. Playa Bacocho to the west is known for sunsets and turtle hatchling releases. Evenings often end on El Adoquín, the pedestrian street in the old center.
Surfers and backpackers have long set the tone, though good food and nightlife now draw a wider crowd. Excursions are part of the rhythm: boat trips on Laguna de Manialtepec reveal birds and, on dark nights, glowing bioluminescence, and Lagunas de Chacahua National Park offers mangroves and a remote beach village. Turtle nesting at Playa Escobilla lies to the east.
WiserMap travel guidePuerto Escondido Mexico Surf Sea Turtles and Lagoon BoatsPlan Puerto Escondido on the Oaxaca coast: Zicatela surf, Carrizalillo, Manialtepec and Chacahua lagoons, turtles, local food, stays and seasons.Read the guide
Zicatela is home to the Mexican Pipeline, one of the world's heaviest beach breaks, drawing pro surfers especially from May to October. Watching the big waves from the sand or a beachfront café is a show in itself. Swimming is dangerous due to powerful currents; only experienced surfers should paddle out.
At the southern end of Zicatela, La Punta is a laid-back area with a gentler left-hand point break good for intermediate surfers, plus surf schools, hostels, taco stands and bars. Its beach is a popular place to watch the sunset. In the evening the main street fills with restaurants and music, with a younger crowd.
Between the main bay and Zicatela, Playa Marinero has gentler waves suitable for beginner surf lessons and bodyboarding, with restaurants, rental chairs and umbrellas along the sand. It is close to the Adoquín and easy to reach on foot. Check conditions before swimming, as currents can still be strong.
The town's main beach sits on the calm central bay where fishing boats land their catch in the morning. Restaurants line the sand, and launches leave from here for turtle and dolphin watching tours. It is not the cleanest beach for swimming but is lively and full of local life, especially at dawn and sunset.
These two small, sheltered coves west of the main bay have calm, clear water ideal for swimming and snorkeling, with family restaurants and rental chairs. They get busy with Mexican families on weekends. Reach them by a short taxi ride or by boat from Playa Principal, and rent snorkel gear on the sand.
Carrizalillo is a small horseshoe-shaped cove reached by about 160 steep steps down a cliff, with calm water good for swimming, snorkeling and beginner surfing. Surf schools and a few beach restaurants operate there. It is very popular, so arrive early, and save energy for the climb back up the stairs.
Bacocho is a long, wide beach in a quieter residential area, with strong waves not suited to swimming but excellent sunsets. Turtle conservation groups on the beach release hatchlings into the sea in the evening during nesting season. Arrive before sunset to join a release, and follow the volunteers' instructions.
About 20 km west of Puerto Escondido, this mangrove lagoon is known for boat tours to watch herons, ibises, ospreys and other birds in the morning, and for night trips to swim among glowing bioluminescent plankton, best on dark moonless nights in the warm months. Book with a local cooperative or tour operator.
About an hour and a half west of town, this national park protects lagoons, mangroves and beaches, home to crocodiles, birds and a small Afro-Mexican fishing village with a crocodile breeding centre and a lighthouse. Boats cross the lagoons to remote beaches. It is a long day trip, or stay in simple cabañas.
The Adoquín is Puerto Escondido's pedestrian street running behind the main beach, lined with shops, restaurants, bars, ice cream parlours and craft stalls. It closes to cars in the evening and becomes the centre of local nightlife. It is a pleasant place for a stroll and dinner after a day at the beach.
Puerto Escondido's main market in the upper town sells fresh produce, seafood, Oaxacan cheese, chocolate, mole pastes and household goods, with cheap food stalls serving breakfast and comida corrida. It shows how locals shop and eat. Go in the morning and try a tlayuda or fresh fruit juice at one of the stands.
The lighthouse stands on a hill above Playa Principal and can be reached by a short but steep walk from the bay. Its viewpoint looks over the main beach, Marinero and Zicatela, making it a great spot at sunset. Bring water, go with company in the evening, and take a flashlight for the walk down.
No reviews yet. Been to Puerto Escondido? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Puerto Escondido? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Nimodo at de.wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Flickr contributor, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Miguel from Melilla, España, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Nsaum75, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Carlos Miguélez Monroy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Flickr contributor, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Lunita28mx, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Carlos Adampol Galindo from DF, México, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Claudio Giovenzana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: abimael_de_zoritana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: abimael_de_zoritana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: abimael_de_zoritana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: abimael_de_zoritana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: abimael_de_zoritana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: abimael_de_zoritana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Pfannaflicka, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Vmzp85, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: abimael_de_zoritana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Sasha India, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Vmzp85, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Nivspektor, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: abimael_de_zoritana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: abimael_de_zoritana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Douglas Lovell, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Carlos Miguélez Monroy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Carlos Miguélez Monroy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Carlos Miguélez Monroy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Carlos Miguélez Monroy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Axolotesonriente, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Ix kimiaranda, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Jaumahell, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Jaumahell, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Jaumahell, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Gzzz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Nsaum75, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
