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Puerto Escondido Rinconada
Puerto Escondido Centro
Marinero and Zicatela north
Zicatela south and the PointThe town of Puerto Escondido was established in 1928 as a port for shipping coffee, although the area has been inhabited by indigenous populations for centuries. In the 1960's it was connected to other coastal towns by Highway 200. Tourists began to discover the town and surfers found its beaches. Its importance as a port diminished as coffee shipments began going by truck instead of boat. The port does continue to support commercial fishing activity.
Community Calendar September 15: 8:00 am, the army and port authorities will have a ceremony for the Grito de Dolores at City Hall. At 8:00 pm, is a cultural event celebrating the Independence of Mexico at City Hall. At 11:30 pm, the Specila Grito de Independencia fireworks show at City Hall.
September 16: At 8:30 am a parade starts on Av. Oaxaca and ends at City Hall.
September 17: 5:00 pm, a boat race at Bahía Principal.
November 25, 26, 27, 28: Fiestas de Noviembre Fishing Tournament.
As with any changing web content, you may need to use your Reload for Refresh button to see the most recent version of this calendar. For further information on many of these events, try Gina, the Information Goddess, at the tourist information booth.
Add your event to the Calendar, email tom@tomzap.com
Today, Puerto Escondido is a home for fishermen, surfers, vacationers, and an ecletic expatriot community. On 10/29/09 Agencia Puerto Escondido was upgraded to Ciudad Puerto Escondido, reflecting its rapid growth and importance to the state of Oaxaca. The large waves of Zicatela beach put it into the top ten surfing destinations. It does not cater to the high end tourist as much as Huatulco to the east. Its sprawling beaches host numerous small to mid-size hotels and restaurants.
There are three main beaches, Playa Principal, Playa Marinero, and Zicatela, close to the main part of town, as well as several other smaller beaches. Avenida Perez Gasga is a pedestrian only street known as the Adoquín that parallels Playa Principal. Presiding in the tourist kiosk at the west end of the Adoquín is the legendary Gina the Information Goddess. The Andador Escénico Sea Walk begins at Playa Principal and winds along rocky oceanside cliffs. Up the hill from the Adoquín is the coastal highway 200 and on the other side of that is the downtown business district where you can find banks, the mercado, etc. Playa Zicatela is a long straight beach on the east side of the bay and can be seen from Playa Principal. Zicatela is where the strong waves are that make Puerto Escondido a world class surfing destination.
A Tale of Two Cities An interesting aspect of the area known as Puerto Escondido is that it actually is divided between two counties or municipios so that it is politically two separate cities. This division puts the Zicatela side of town into el Municipio de Santa Maria Colotepec, Pochutla, and the eastern portion of the city into el Municipio de San Pedro Mixtepec, Juquila. To make matters worse, there is disagreement as to the boundaries and legalities of this division that leaves many businesses caught in the middle with the burden of paying taxes to both. For years, there has been talk of making Puerto Escondido a city. The proposed limits of the new city would extend from Punta Zicatela on the east to just beyond the Puerto Escondido airport on the west. The president elect of San Pedro Mixtepec, Abraham Ramírez Silva, ran on a platform pledged to achieve the goal of making Puerto Escondido independent of both counties which currently control the area. Let's see if he can do it. (11/07)
Another manifestation occurs during the annual Fiestas de Noviembre, a complex stream of events that extends through the month of November and into December. Fiesta events are held in both halves of the community with little or no coordination between the two political entities. It all turns into a bit of competition but for festival attendees it just means there are more choices.
See the area beaches from the air with tomzap's Aerial Photos of the Playas. Follow this link to www.mexico-condo.com for some nice aerial photos that show the layout of the area.
See Italian Restaurants in Puerto Escondido, an article by Linda Green and company.
Beaches • Playas
Playa Principal is the main beach in town and runs parallel with the adoquín or pedestrian area of town. Restaurants, boating, swimming, snorkeling.
West of the lighthouse is a small cove with beaches Playa Manzanillo and Puerto Angelito. Very calm for swimming and snorkeling but watch out for boats that come and go. There is a restaurant with restrooms at Puerto Angelito. You can get there from Playa Principal by boat or go northwest on highway 200 for 1/2 mile and turn left on Calle Miguel Hidalgo at the old airport. At the billboard turn left again and go down the dirt road to the beach.
Also northwest of town is a pair of small beaches called Playa Carrizalillo. A small stream enters the ocean at the smaller beach and locals wash their clothes here. Good swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving, lots of coral and fish. To get to these beaches, take highway 200 northwest for 1/2 mile, turn left at Avenida Miguel Hidalgo. The area is under development, so it would be best to stop at one of the shops or restaurants and ask directions from here. There are now steps (167 of them) leading down the cliff to the beach.
Playa Bacocho is northwest of town past Playa Carrizalillo. Take highway 200 northwest toward the airport and follow the signs to the Posada Real. This is one of the longest beaches in the area. There is a restaurant. Swimming may be dangerous due to heavy surf and undertow.
Just past the lagoon at the southeast end of Playa Principal is Playa Marinero. Restaurants, swimming, boogie-boarding, and snorkeling, but watch out for currents at the southern end of the beach. To get there, walk down Playa Principal to the southeast or walk down past the end of Avenida Alfonso Pérez Gasga.
One of the world's best surfing beaches is Playa Zicatela, especially during the months of July, August, and September. The 2-mile long beach has several restaurants and hotels. Not good for swimming, extremely dangerous. To get there, walk southeast along Playa Principal or take highway 200 southeast and turn right at Bungalows Villa Marinero onto a paved road which leads to Hotel Santa Fé and continues south along the beach.
Past Zicatela to the east is Playa Barra de Colotepec extending 1-1/4 mile to Río Colotepec. Heavy surf, dangerous for swimmers. Turtles lay their eggs at this long beach and volunteers from the Campamento Tortugas aid in their survival. Turtles, which had been fished to the brink of extinction, are making a comeback.
More beach information and photos on Dennis Miller's web page.
See also, Southern Mexico's Hidden Port, an article by Geri Anderson.
Tidal variation is usually no more than three feet. As far as I can see it is not really a factor for those enjoying the beaches, but in case you are interested, here is a link to tide information for Puerto Angel (42 miles or 67 km east) by David Flater. Fog is extremely rare on the coast of Oaxaca.
A note of caution: There have been reports of incidents of crime taking place on the beaches at night. Avoid remote beach areas at night. Beach lighting has been added.
Hotels • Hoteles
Puerto Escondido offers a wide range of hotels and other accommodations. See List of Hotels.
Restaurants • Restaurantes
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Real Estate • Bienes Raíces
Real estate for rent is listed with the hotels above.
Surfing • Acuaplano
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Puerto Escondido is considered one of the top 10 surfing locations in the world with Zicatela the primary beach. The main surfing season is April to October when ground swells in the 6-15 foot range break into hollow tubes. Wipeouts can be punishing for surfers and their boards. This is for experts only. International competitions are held in August and November. Read about surfing Escondido in an article by Christian D. Lyman.
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One Surfing Competition is held in November during the Fiesta de Noviembre. For 2006, the dates are November 17, 18, 19. The Mexpipe surfing competition is held in August.
The World Masters Championship surfing competition is held in Puerto Escondido normally around the second week in August. Read about the 1998 World Masters Championship surfing competition.
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Fishing, Tours • Pesca, Excursiones
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Celebrations • Fiestas
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Transportation • Transportación
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Medical • Médico
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Libraries • Las Bibleotecas
Nearby Points of Interest •
Puntos Interesantes Cercanos
Laguna Chacahua area
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Miscellaneous • Misceláneo
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