Puerto Escondido is a town in Oaxaca on the Oaxaca-Pacific coastline, with around 30,000 inhabitants. It's known for its big waves and excellent surfing conditions. "Escondido" means "hidden", but in a well-connected world that's no longer true. Once considered a well-kept secret, "Puerto" has grown into a sometimes-awkward mix of small industrial city, beach destination, backpacker party mecca, and French expat community.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
In early 2024, a new high-speed highway opened between Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido, cutting travel times between the two to just three hours, and causing an explosion of visitors to Puerto Escondido, with the Semana Santa holidays overwhelming the town's infrastructure and, sadly, its beach cleanup volunteers. Due to the rapidly changing situation, be aware that a lot of this article might be out-of-date! Though less walkable than beach towns like Mazunte or Zipolite, Puerto Escondido retains some appeal for its newfound nearness to Oaxaca city by bus or car, its good surfing, its party scene, and its slightly more scenic beaches, which are surrounded by green vegetation year-round, compared…
Frequent local buses (urbanos) ply the main roads. There is no route map, but all buses have their destination painted on the windscreen and pass through the 1 crucero (at the intersection of Carr. Costera and Av. Oaxaca). The fare is M$5 (Sep 2014) for a single ride, no transfers. The fixed price for a taxi in town is M$30-50 (Sep 2014) for the airport and Bacocho beach. Night rates are M$35 (Sep 2014). Some taxis will charge more than the going rate if you do not specify M$30 before the ride. A taxi from the airport to Punta Zicatela should cost you M$200 (Nov 2021), although this very much depends upon your Spanish negotiating skills and will often cost significantly more.
Watch the sunset above La Punta - walk to the southern end of La Punta beach and walk around the cliff to a small rocky beach. From here you will see a lighthouse on the left and a small rocky hill on the right. Walk to the rocky hill and make the simple climb to the grassy top. From the top you will have a great view of the sunset and both beaches to your right and left. If the tide is high, you will not be able to walk around the cliff however there is a small path above it which you can follow. Be sure to bring some beers with you.
You can take lessons if you're a beginner – try one of the friendly surf instructors on any beach or at one of the surf shops. Female instructors are available for those who may find the roaming hands of some of the male instructors a bit more than just being friendly. 1 Playa Zicatela. This is the location of the famous Mexican Pipeline, with several international surfing competitions being held here annually. This beach is only for expert surfers and very strong swimmers; even experienced surfers have been injured here, and many people have drowned. The southern end of the beach near Punta Zicatela has consistently good waves.
1 El Sultan, Benito Juárez, Rinconada. (updated Aug 2022) 2 Comedor Tere, Del Pacífico 407. (updated Aug 2022) 3 Pepe's Fish Tacos, Primera Sur 127. (updated Aug 2022) 4 The JP Bunker, 71980, Calle Primera Pte. 305. (updated Aug 2022) 5 Antojitos Regionales Las Juquileñas, Calle Octava Nte.. (updated Aug 2022) 6 Tacos Paco, 71984, Frente Al Sol. (updated Aug 2022) 7 Comedor doña China, 17 de Octubre 708. (updated Aug 2022) 8 Taqueria Rosy, Av. Oaxaca 103. (updated Aug 2022) 9 Chilango-Taco, Calle Alejandro Cardenas Peralta (Brisas de Zicatela). M-Sa 13:30-23:00.
1 BarFly, Calle del Morro s/n (a couple of blocks down the street from Casa Babylon). Tu-Su 10:00-04:00. Dancing until 02:00. 2 Casa Babylon, Calle del Morro s/n (off of Playa Zicatela), ☏ +52 954 582 0875. Daily 09:00-02:00. They make really good mojitos and there's sometimes lots of cool beautiful people there. 3 Congo Bar, Av Perez Gasca 605 (On the Adoquin, 20m from Playa Principal), bar.congo@yahoo.com. Tu 18:30-02:00, W 20:00-04:30, Th-Su 18:30-02:00. Live music, cheap drinks amazing environment. 4 La Piedra de la Iguana, Calle del Morro s/n (Playa Zicatela). Good after-hours bar.
Due to assaults and knife-point robberies, the beaches should be avoided from dusk until dawn; this especially applies to Playa Principal and Playa Bachoco. If you do not have a companion with you, it is best to not carry valuables on some of the more isolated stretches of beach even during the daytime. As of 2024, police are also known to stop tourists on the beach late at night and "confiscate" valuables. And of course, be aware of water safety if swimming at the beaches. The surf can be pretty rough (hence the good surfing), and currents have been reported from some areas.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Puerto Escondido typically sees ~31°C daytime highs and 19 rainy days.
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