Bahías de Huatulco (pronounced Wha-TOOL-Co), is a destination resort area on Mexico's Pacific Coast in its most southern state of Oaxaca. More commonly known to outsiders as just Huatulco, the area is locally referred to as "Bahias" to distinguish it from the original, further-inland town of Santa María Huatulco. Huatulco's tourism industry is centered around its nine bays, four of which have been designated as ecological preserves where no development is permitted.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
The name Huatulco historically refers to the lively (but decidedly non-touristy) town of Santa María Huatulco, located in the foothills of the Sierra Madre del Sur a number of kilometers inland from the beaches. However, the Huatulco tourist area is centered on the small towns of La Crucecita, Santa Cruz, Chahué, and Tangolunda, officially considered outlying villages of the Santa María Huatulco municipality, which are gradually merging into one bigger population center. The area is a FONATUR ('Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo') project, developed deliberately from the ground up as a resort area within the last few decades, and has been a major success in that regard.
The Bahías de Huatulco tourist area revolves around a few town centers: La Crucecita is the biggest town center, where vacationers and local tourism workers mix freely. Though it's largely a normal Mexican town, it does have a lot of cute restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops, especially in the central area near the zócalo. A bit more inland, it's at least a 30-minute walk to the nearest beach (Santa Cruz). Santa Cruz Huatulco is the mega-tourist village centered around the cruise ship terminal.
The "Bays of Huatulco" are the main sightseeing attraction, with daily boat trips (550-600 pesos per person for a "colectivo" boat) visiting multiple sheltered beaches, letting passengers step on the beach or snorkel at certain ones, often including remote beaches in the national park without any buildings or access by road. As of April 2024, one promoter claimed that dolphins, turtles, and whales are also seen on every trip. There is also a waterfall somewhere in the area.
The main activity here is hanging out on the beach. Major tourist beaches (Santa Cruz, Chahué, Tangolunda, La Entrega, Maguey, San Agustín) are lined with seafood restaurants and bars, where you can generally enjoy shade, a relatively safe place to put your belongings, and sometimes wifi, as long as you're "consuming". The water is generally calm and safe to play or swim in, with large areas of each bay roped off with buoys to protect from boat traffic (though life guards, where present, don't seem to enforce any rules on where or when you swim). If that sounds boring to you, the national park also offers decent snorkeling, diving, hiking, birdwatching, and mountain biking. If you enjoy shop…
1 El Grillo Marinero, Calle Carrizal 908, ☏ +52 958 587 0783. W-M 13ː00 - 20ː00. Casual palapa-style restaurant serving Mexican seafood. Lots of shrimp and fish options as well as octopus and shellfish. Beverages limited to beer and soda. Diners who want a cocktail should find different restaurants. (updated Jan 2026) 2 Dulce Sabor, Zapoteco 85, Crucecita, ☏ +52 958 100 4938. Daily 07ː00 - 13ː00, Su also 14ː00 - 18ː00. Popular buffet restaurant serving breakfast every day and dinner on Sundays only. The food is traditional Mexican cuisine with some splashes of regional Oaxacan flavor. A variety of fresh squeezed juices is available. Great value for the price. M$220.
The serious nightlife scene is two hours away in Puerto Escondido, but Huatulco does have a lot of small bars, especially in the Crucecita town center (and of course inside beach resorts). In the daytime, most beaches have multiple restaurants right on the sand with beer service, and possibly drinks. "Cocteles" here usually means seafood salads (like shrimp cocktail), not mixed drinks.
The Huatulco area seems to be very safe in terms of crime. Maybe consider inquiring locally before wandering dark parts of Crucecita at night. Swimming here is generally safer than other places because of the calm, sheltered water in the bays, but you should still be cautious - never underestimate the ocean. Jellyfish can sometimes show up, but they don't seem to be the dangerous kind. Crocodiles are theoretically present in wetlands in the national park, but shouldn't be an issue on sandy beaches.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Huatulco typically sees ~31°C daytime highs and 17 rainy days.
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