The Oaxaca Coast

Overview

Oaxaca's Pacific coast is wilder and less developed than Cancún or Los Cabos. Mountains drop almost straight into a sea that is warm all year, and Highway 200 links small towns; Puerto Escondido to Huatulco takes about two hours.

Think of it as three different trips. Puerto Escondido is a surf town that has grown into a busy small city with a strong food and bar scene. The Mazunte, San Agustinillo and Zipolite strip is a string of laid-back villages known for yoga, sunsets and (in Zipolite) Mexico's only legal nude beach. Huatulco is a government-planned resort area spread across nine bays, with calm water, all-inclusives and a cruise pier.

Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido became famous in the 1970s for Zicatela, a beach break so heavy that surfers call it the Mexican Pipeline. Today it draws surfers, digital nomads, Mexican families and more and more Americans, and it is busier and pricier than its laid-back reputation suggests.

Neighborhoods

• Zicatela: the long surf beach and the strip behind it, packed with hotels, cafés, bars and surf shops. Lively and loud at night.
• La Punta: the southern end of Zicatela, with a point break, sandy lanes, budget lodging, and the late-night party crowd.
• Rinconada and Carrizalillo: west of the center on a bluff, with restaurants along Avenida Benito Juárez and stairways down to the best swimming coves. The most comfortable base for couples and families.
• Bacocho: a quieter residential and hotel zone near the airport, with beach clubs on a long beach.
• Centro and El Adoquín: the old town around the pedestrian street above Playa Principal, where fishing boats and tour boats launch.

Surfing

Zicatela is for experts, especially in the big south swells that roll in from about May to October, when international contests are held. Beginners and intermediates head to La Punta's left-hand point break or the gentler waves at Carrizalillo, where surf schools give group lessons of about 1.5–2 hours with board included. Compare a few schools on the beach, ask about group size, and protect yourself with a rash guard and reef-safe sunscreen. See outdoors for surfing elsewhere in Mexico.

Rip currents, beach by beach

This coast faces the open Pacific, and every year visitors drown here, often strong swimmers who underestimated the shore break and rip currents. Look for the flags at lifeguard towers: green means relatively calm, yellow means caution, red means do not swim, and black means the beach is closed to swimming. Never swim after drinking, at night, or alone. If a rip pulls you out, swim parallel to the shore until you are free of it, then head in. More on flags in beaches.

Mazunte, San Agustinillo and Zipolite

About an hour east of Puerto Escondido, three small beach towns sit within a few miles of each other on a side road off Highway 200, between Puerto Ángel and Mazunte. Most people pick one as a base and hop between them by colectivo truck or taxi.

Mazunte

Mazunte was once a center of sea-turtle slaughter. When Mexico banned the trade in turtle meat and eggs in 1990, the village turned to ecotourism, and the federal government opened the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga here in 1991, an aquarium and research center with native sea, river and land turtles. Today Mazunte is a Pueblo Mágico of sandy lanes, yoga studios, small hotels and wood-fired pizza. Walk out to Punta Cometa, the rocky headland at the west end of the beach and the southernmost point of Oaxaca, for sunset; it takes about 20 minutes, and you should bring a flashlight for the way back.

A few minutes west, the community of La Ventanilla runs boat trips through a mangrove lagoon with crocodiles and birds. (Do not confuse it with the Ventanilla highway junction near Puerto Escondido.)

San Agustinillo

The smallest and quietest of the three, about half a mile (1 km) from Mazunte, with one main beach, a short strip of guesthouses and restaurants, and gentler waves. A good choice if you want a beach you can swim at and a village that goes to bed early.

Zipolite

Zipolite's long golden beach was informally nudist for decades before the municipality made it legal in 2016, making it Mexico's first and only legal clothing-optional beach. Nudity is normal on the sand, especially toward the western end and the small cove of Playa del Amor, while most people dress for the street and restaurants. The town has a relaxed, international and strongly LGBTQ+-friendly crowd, and a nudist festival is held in early February. See LGBTQ+ travel.

• Do not photograph other people on the beach, and keep your phone camera pointed at the sea.
• Nobody has to undress, and plenty of visitors keep their swimsuits on.
• Take the riptide warnings seriously; this is the most dangerous swimming beach on the coast.
• Keep valuables out of beach bags; theft from unattended belongings is common.

Puerto Ángel

A working fishing port just east of Zipolite, with good snorkeling at nearby Playa Estacahuite. Pochutla, about 20 minutes inland, has the banks, bus station and supermarkets.

Huatulco's bays

Huatulco was planned from scratch by FONATUR, the federal tourism development agency, starting in 1984, along the same lines as Cancún but at lower density. Nine bays and some 36 beaches stretch along about 16 miles (26 km) of coast, much of it protected inside Huatulco National Park (1998), with dry tropical forest on land and coral communities offshore. The result is tidy, green and calm, with less nightlife than Puerto Escondido.

• La Crucecita: the small inland town that serves the resort, with a shady plaza, inexpensive restaurants and a church whose ceiling is painted with a huge Virgin of Guadalupe.
• Santa Cruz: the central bay, with the marina, the cruise pier and the cooperative that runs boat tours to the other bays. La Entrega beach nearby is calm and good for snorkeling.
• Tangolunda: the main hotel zone, with the big resorts and a golf course.
• Chahué: a marina and beach between La Crucecita and Tangolunda.
• The western bays: Maguey, Órgano, Cacaluta, Chachacual and San Agustín, mostly inside the national park. Some are reached only by boat or trail; Maguey and San Agustín have restaurants on the sand.

A day on a bay-hopping boat with snorkeling stops is the classic outing. Others include the small Copalita archaeological and eco park, coffee farms up the mountain in Pluma Hidalgo, and rafting on the Copalita River in the rainy season.

Cruise days

Ships dock at the Santa Cruz pier, mostly between fall and spring, and you can walk to the beach, the marina and the boat-tour stand. La Crucecita is a short taxi ride. Huatulco is small, so on busy cruise days the closest beaches fill quickly; a boat to a western bay is the easiest escape. See cruises.

Lagoons, turtles and wildlife

Playa Escobilla, between Puerto Escondido and Mazunte, is one of the world's most important nesting beaches for olive ridley turtles, which come ashore in mass arrivals called arribadas. It is a protected sanctuary closed to casual visitors.

Getting there by air

Puerto Escondido (PXM)

The small airport is on the edge of town, about 10 minutes by taxi from Zicatela or Rinconada. From the US, American flies nonstop from Dallas–Fort Worth (year-round, twice weekly since December 2025) and United Express from Houston (weekly, since April 2025), both on small regional jets. Domestic nonstops come from Mexico City (Aeroméxico, Viva and Volaris, plus Viva from AIFA), Guadalajara, Tijuana and seasonally Monterrey; Volaris adds Puebla from December 1, 2026. Canadian carriers add seasonal winter flights. The terminal is tiny and a new one is under construction, so expect lines at peak times.

Huatulco (HUX)

About 20 minutes from Santa Cruz and Tangolunda. American Eagle flies seasonally from Dallas–Fort Worth, and Air Canada and WestJet add winter flights from Canada. Aeroméxico, Viva and Volaris connect Mexico City, with other domestic flights from Monterrey, Guadalajara and Puebla. Mazunte and Zipolite are roughly an hour by road from either coast airport, so pick whichever has the better flight.

Schedules on these routes change often, and US flights may run only a few days a week. Check the airline before planning, and see flights for connecting through Mexico City.

Between Oaxaca City and the coast

The big change is the Barranca Larga–Ventanilla highway, inaugurated in February 2024 after years of construction. It links Oaxaca City with Highway 200 near Puerto Escondido and cut the drive from more than six hours of switchbacks to about three hours. Work on some sections continued after the opening, and mountain highways here can be hit by landslides in the rainy season, so check conditions before you go.

Getting around the coast

• Colectivo trucks: pickup trucks with benches run constantly between Pochutla, Puerto Ángel, Zipolite, San Agustinillo and Mazunte for a few pesos. Flag one down on the road and pay when you get off.
• Taxis: plentiful in Puerto Escondido and Huatulco, unmetered and priced by zone or by negotiation. Agree on the fare first. Ask your hotel what a ride should cost.
• Car rental: useful for exploring, available at both airports. Highway 200 is two lanes with topes (speed bumps), trucks and animals; drive in daylight. See driving.
• Scooters and ATVs: widely rented in the beach towns, and a common cause of injuries. Travel insurance often excludes them, especially without a motorcycle license.

Puerto Escondido to Mazunte is about 40 miles (65 km), roughly an hour; to Huatulco, about 70 miles (110 km).

Where to stay

Book far ahead for Christmas through New Year, Semana Santa and the Mexican summer holidays in July and August. For all-inclusive fees, taxes and rentals, see where to stay.

Costs and money

Puerto Escondido's trendier restaurants and bars in Zicatela and Rinconada now charge close to US prices ($$–$$$), while market fondas, taco stands and beach shacks remain $. Mazunte has both rustic and surprisingly pricey options, and Huatulco's resorts are priced for international visitors.

• Bring enough cash for Mazunte, San Agustinillo and Zipolite. ATMs there are few and often empty; Pochutla, Puerto Escondido and Huatulco have bank branches.
• Use ATMs inside banks and cover the keypad; skimmers have been reported on standalone machines in tourist strips.
• Cards work at most hotels and better restaurants in Puerto Escondido and Huatulco, sometimes with a surcharge. Small places, tours and colectivos want pesos.
• When paying by card, choose to be charged in pesos; letting the machine convert to dollars costs more.

For tipping and daily budgets, see money and the budget tool.

Safety and health

Under the State Department's advisory of May 29, 2026, Oaxaca state is Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, and the advisory names Puerto Escondido and Huatulco among the places with no travel restrictions for US government employees. Two restrictions matter if you plan a road trip: employees may not use Highway 200 between Pinotepa and the Guerrero border (the coastal route toward Acapulco), and may not travel in the Isthmus region that includes Salina Cruz and Juchitán (the route east toward Chiapas). If you are heading to Chiapas, fly or check the advisory carefully before driving. Guerrero, to the west, is Level 4, Do Not Travel.

The common problems here are smaller: theft from beaches and rentals, robberies on isolated beach paths and dark lanes at night, drink spiking and padded tabs at some late-night bars, and scooter crashes. Take a taxi after dark between Zicatela, La Punta and Rinconada, keep an eye on your drink, and do not walk the beach between towns at night. See safety for emergencies and consular help.

Health

• Mosquitoes: the CDC lists dengue as a risk throughout Mexico, highest in the rainy season. Use repellent, especially at dawn and dusk, and choose rooms with screens or nets.
• Sun and water: the sun is intense year-round; drink plenty of bottled water, never tap water. Water is scarce in parts of Puerto Escondido and the Mazunte area, where many hotels rely on trucked water, so take short showers.
• In the sea: shuffle your feet in shallow sandy water to avoid stepping on stingrays.
• Medical care: Puerto Escondido and Huatulco have clinics and small hospitals; serious cases go to Oaxaca City or farther. Travel insurance with medical evacuation is wise. See health.

The coast is also earthquake country. If you feel strong shaking on the beach, head to high ground and follow the evacuation-route signs, since a large quake can bring a tsunami.

When to go

The dry season, roughly November through April, brings sunny days, low humidity, the calmest seas and the most visitors. The rainy season, roughly June through October, brings heat, humidity, afternoon downpours, green hills, fewer crowds and the biggest surf.

Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30. Hurricane Agatha came ashore near Puerto Ángel in May 2022, and Hurricane Erick made landfall as a Category 3 storm in western Oaxaca on June 19, 2025, knocking out power and phone service in Puerto Escondido. If you travel from June to October, buy travel insurance, watch the forecast from the National Hurricane Center, and keep your plans flexible. See when to go for month-by-month detail.

One week on the coast

1. Days 1–3

   Puerto Escondido

   Fly into PXM. Swim at Puerto Angelito and Carrizalillo, take a surf lesson, watch the surfers at Zicatela, join a sunset turtle release at Bacocho in season, and spend one evening on the Manialtepec lagoon.

2. Days 4–6

   Mazunte and San Agustinillo

   Base yourself in San Agustinillo or Mazunte. Visit the turtle center, hike Punta Cometa at sunset, take the mangrove boat at La Ventanilla, spend an afternoon in Zipolite, and snorkel at Estacahuite near Puerto Ángel.

3. Day 7

   Huatulco

   Move to Huatulco for a bay-hopping boat trip and an easy last night, then fly home from HUX.

To pair this with the city, spend four days in Oaxaca City and the valleys first, then drive the new highway or take a small plane to the coast.