The 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.
Clickable City Map
Clickable Regional Map
Puerto Escondido Centro
Marinero and Zicatela north
Zicatela south and the PointToday, Puerto Escondido is a home for fishermen, surfers, vacationers, and an ecletic expatriot community. 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, where you will find 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.
Follow this link to www.mexico-condo.com for some nice aerial photos that show the layout of the area.
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 Best Western 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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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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Laguna Manialtepec is located 10 miles west of Puerto Escondido. It is deeper and fresher than Chacagua. During the rainy season, the Río Manialtepec breaks through its sandbar and the lagoon becomes a tidal estuary. There are 100's of species of birds--cormorant, anhinga, herons (including great blue, little blue, black-crowned night heron), ibis, parrots, egrets, ducks, jacanas (lily walkers). Many tours are available; Hidden Voyages Ecotours is recommended. La Alejandria, located near the Km 125 marker 10 miles west of Puerto Escondido, has an idyllic, shady beach, palms, RV spaces, rustic cabins with shower and toilet, camping, and restaurant
The hot springs of Atotonilco (Aguas Termales Atotonilco) are located near the village of San José Manialtepec, about 15 miles west of Puerto Escondido. See map (90K). It's a two-mile hike or horseback ride up the Río Manialtepec canyon. A guide from the village is recommended.
The Lagunas de Chacagua National Park is located 41 miles west of Puerto Escondido or 51 miles east of Pinotepa Nacional at coastal highway marker km 82. It is 54.8 square miles (14,187 hectares) in size and encompasses 20 miles of open-ocean shoreline and jungle lagoons. [liga a más información] Fishing is strictly licensed. There are numerous species of fish and wildlife. Crocodiles are being restored to the area by a hatchery at Chacagua village on Laguna Chacagua. Bird life includes pelicans, herons and cormorants. Excursions by boat are available from Zapotalito, which is the only easy access point to the Lagunas de Chacagua. There are a number of islands in the lagoons that are suitable for camping and wildlife viewing during the dry months. You can have a boatman drop you off and pick you up later. Playa Hermosa is a good place for snorkeling. The 18-mile dirt road from San José del Progreso to Chacagua is very rough and usable in the dry season only. Check the road conditions before attempting this trip. Hotel Siete Mares, on the west side of the village, has rustic bamboo cabañas, cabins, a small restaurant, showers, and is close to a beach. Playa Chacagua is a 10-mile long beach, suitable for snorkeling and fishing, and surfing on the west end.
A Mixtec Ceremonial Center was discovered in early 2000 just east of Puerto Escondido and is considered a major discovery. Walking tours are conducted by Gina, the Information Goddess.
The village of Rio Grande, with a population of 5000, is the service community for the Lagunas de Chacagua area. There you will find grocery stores, a bank, pharmacy, doctor, telephone office (954-32450), and a hotel. The Hotel Santa Monica, telephone 954-124, Avenida Puebla, Rio Grande, Oaxaca 71830, has ceiling fans, toilet, hot water, $13 U.S. for a double. There's a restaurant across the street.
An article on Tiltepec, a poverty-stricken town with an epileptic and deaf population of 40%, located 15 miles northwest of Puerto Escondido (straight-line distance).
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
The village of Barra de Navidad Colotepec is 4 miles southeast of Puerto Escondido on the banks of the Río Colotepec.
The village of Cacalotepec is approx. 30 km west of Puerto Escondido. It has a big broad beach that sometimes has a good surf break but is better for boogie boards. Puerto Escondido sports fishermen often bring clients here to fish yellow fin tuna and gallos. It has some great palapa restaurants on the mainland beach, frequented by Puerto locals looking for beaches quieter and more remote than those in Puerto. Roca Blanca is a big rocky island in the middle of this broad bay plastered white from the many seabirds that roost here.
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Miscellaneous • Misceláneo
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