Puerto Escondido is a surf town just south of the city of Oaxaca, Mexico. Comparable to a mini Bali; it’s full of tropical plants, great surf, and free spirits chasing that beach-side lifestyle. I actually didn’t know it existed until a few other travellers told me about it! Apparently, it’s one of the best surf destinations in the world.
After a week in Oaxaca, I decided to go where everyone else seemed to be going and hopped on a bus to Puerto Escondido. Here are some tips and random thoughts on this town:
How I Got There
So, I started off my journey in the city of Oaxaca. After chatting with a few of the guests at my hostel, I kept hearing of their plans to go to a place called Puerto Escondido. It was almost like a Oaxaca rite of passage, you couldn’t visit Oaxaca without visiting Puerto Escondido right after.
So I decided to follow suit and took a bus there. Buses are a great way to travel from town to town in Mexico; and busbud.com is a great site to buy last minute tickets on! The trip from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido took about 10 hours, so if you want to be asleep most of it, I would suggest taking an overnight bus.
Where to Stay
Okay, so if you want to be in the middle of everything, the best place to stay would be somewhere in La Punta. This is where the main surf beach, Playa Zicatela, is. All the serious surfers stay there and it’s said to be one of the best surf spots in Mexico!
It’s the fastest developing section of Puerto Escondido, so I was expecting to see paved roads and at least a few high-rise buildings. To my surprise, La Punta was basically a large strip of dirt road with low-rise buildings and surf-side bars. It definitely had that small surf town feel, but apparently, it has a pretty good nightlife.
Where I Stayed
I chose my hostel for the aesthetic, not the location. It was called Tower Bridge Hostel and it was in the middle of a more residential area. In fact, in order to get to the entrance, I had to walk through a big back alley near a gas station. But once you went through the doors, you entered a tropical paradise.
The hostel had a pool that wrapped around the whole outdoor area, as well as a bar and breakfast hall. There were palm trees everywhere and for 100 pesos, you could have an all-you-can-eat breakfast with actually tasty food (rare for hostel breakfasts).
And if you wanted something more authentic, there was a local woman selling homemade quesadillas in that same back alley! She had a little shack near where the hostel entrance was and they would often advertise her small business on the main board at reception!
Also, the hostel had a bunch of group activities that were posted on that main board. I personally went on the bioluminescence tour. Being out in the middle of a lagoon during a full moon was mesmerizing. The bioluminescence itself was…underwhelming (not as glowey as I expected), but a good way to get to know other people at the hostel.
Lastly, the hostel was a 20 minute walk from, what I thought, was the most beautiful beach in Puerto Escondido, Playa Carrizalillo.
The Weather
Puerto Escondido is extremely humid. It can sometimes feel a bit suffocating, but you get used to it the longer you stay.
One of the drawbacks of Tower Bridge Hostel was actually that it didn’t have proper air conditioning (I was warned about it beforehand though). There were mini-fans attached to each bed, but you really had to put your head up against them to feel any affect.
The Beaches
Lastly, onto the most popular part of this town, the beaches! Puerto Escondido is known for its beautiful beaches.
Playa Carrizalillo
I visited a few of them and my favourite one by far was Playa Carrizalillo. It is an absolutely breathtaking beach nestled within a small cove. You have to walk down a set of 160 stairs to get there, but it’s worth it. The stairs are lined with murals and you get a beautiful birds-eye-view of the beach as you walk down.
It feels as if you’re in a snow globe; a little sanctuary of flowing waves and greenery. You can easily waste away the day just relaxing and swimming in the water, going with the ebbs and flows of the waves.
Playa Zicatela
Now this is the most commercialized beach. It’s where the experienced surfers go to catch some waves. Its strong currents make it great for surfing, but not so great for swimming, so be careful! The beach is a long, walkable stretch, lined with restaurants and bars. Not as beautiful as Playa Carrizalillo, but much more active, and it’s in La Punta!
Puerto Angelito and Playa Manzanillo
I decided to put these two beaches together because they are literally a 5 minute walk from each other. All you have to do is walk across a sea-side walkway, and voila! If you are facing the water, Puerto Angelito will be on the right, and Playa Manzanillo will be on the left.
Puerto Angelito is the smaller of the two. It is lined with recreational boats and families playing in the water. You’ll see children running around the beach and their parents trying to blow up their inflatable toys. It serves as a mini port and a beach, so it can feel a bit cramped, but it’s interesting regardless.
Playa Manzanillo is a bit bigger and more chill. It has a similar vibe to Playa Carrizalillo. On the very left of it, there are some beautiful rock formations that you can climb onto. My friend and I spent half an hour just watching the waves crash against them.
Playa Bacocho
Playa Bacocho is a large, white sand beach at the northmost part of Puerto Escondido. Sadly, it’s one of the major beaches I didn’t get a chance to visit. It’s known for its famous turtle releases. Every day at 5pm, people visit the beach to release newly hatched, baby turtles into the ocean.
Fun Fact: You have to carry the baby turtles in coconut shells, because touching them might bring unwanted human micro-organisms into the ocean ecosystem.
With this, I hope you got a glimpse of life in Puerto Escondido. If you’re into tropical, beach cities, this will be a great place to visit! Just bring a fan (and some sunscreen) with you!