Best Things To Do in Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido is a beachtown paradise and has been my absolute happy place during my time in Mexico. For me, it has the perfect state of touristic development right now with lots of nice options to eat, drink and party while the town is not overcrowded with tourists as accommodation options are not abundant, unlike tourist hotspots like Quintana Roo or Puerto Vallarta.

My by far favorite part of the town has been La Punta in the south with laidback sand roads, more hip cafes and restaurants than you can possibly try and nice shops that sell lots of nice beachwear and other clothes and accessories. The main part of Zicatela beach is a bit more crowded and busy at the newly asphalted main road at the beach while the downtown lacks the feeling of being directly at the beach.

What to do in Puerto Escondido?

#1 Explore the beautiful beaches in Puerto Escondido

My favorite activity in Puerto Escondido was quite simple: doing absolutely nothing. Grab a sunbed with an umbrella at one of the many beach bars and let yourself serve some cold drinks and delicious food. Make sure to choose a vendor that offers the sunbeds with minimum consumption instead of paying for rent and food extra.

Depending on the waves and currents, swimming can be a little challenging in the sea. The flags will be red almost every day so check if other people are swimming in the water and be aware of potential undercurrents and make sure you can always stand in the water to be safe. Also, staying until the end of daylight is a must to experience one of the most beautiful sunsets you have ever seen.

My favorite beaches have been: La Punta, Playa Bacocho (less busy and without beach bars, however also no sunbeds/umbrellas for shadow easily available) and Playa Carrizalillo (better for swimming but gets very crowded at the beach and in the water). Also, we enjoyed spending one beach day at El Origin beach club (about a 30 minute ride from the main town), which is located at an absolutely stunning beach.

#2 Ride some waves

Puerto Escondido is a great place for surfing and also has professional surf competition (which tells you a lot about the kind of waves you will find there). If you are more on the beginner side, a good place is La Punta in the south as the waves are a little bit calmer there.

#3 Swim in bioluminescent waters

This natural phenomenon creates a mesmerizing glow as you navigate through the Laguna de Manialtepec. You go in the evening after sunset at night, we booked a tour with a tour provider (directly located next to Cafecito in the main part of Zicatela beach). The phenomenon is less visible during full moon so check the moon before you book)

#4 Release baby turtles into the ocean

Playa Bacocho has a turtle sanctuary where you can release a baby turtle into the wild sea, which is an absolutely beautiful experience. You can just go without booking or registering beforehand and you will need to pay 200MXN as a support donation. You can do it every day before sunset (plus point: you will get to see another picture perfect sunset with a turtle making its way to the sea)

#5 Work remotely from Puerto Escondido

If you (like many others) plan to work remotely from Puerto Escondido and you are looking for a coworking space, I can recommend the following places for good wifi:

Sabina in La Punta (with Starlink wifi and no fixed price for the coworking, they just ask you for a minimum consumption of 200MXN)
Selina hostel
Pauline Creative hub

How to get to Puerto Escondido?

By bus from Oaxaca City

If you are coming from Oaxaca City, one very common option (that we took as well) is an overnight bus that leaves from Oaxaca Bus Terminal in the evening and arrives in Puerto Escondido in the morning. Total journey time is about 11.5 hours and costs about 40USD. There is also a bus leaving in the morning and arriving at 7pm in the evening, but we did not want to waste a full day in the bus on the road. It is recommended to book tickets in advance (Check busbud for prices and availability) as the bus is usually very full.

However, I would personally not recommend it due to curvy roads that will slam you from left to right and back in your seat for almost the entire night. If I were to do it again, I would take a colectivo that departs in the afternoon from Oaxaca and that takes the direct route so you make it to Puerto Escondido around 11-midnight. Also, there is a new highway in construction that directly connects Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido (in about 3 hours), so this might become a faster and more convenient option in the future.

By plane from Mexico City or other cities

Mexico’s low-cost airlines VivaAerobus and Volaris have direct flights from and to Mexico City and other major cities in Mexico (e.g. Guadalajara, Monterrey, Cancun). Make sure to use Skyscanner or Kayak to find the best and cheapest connections.

The airport is well located close to the city and a taxi will get you to the town in about 20 minutes. Pro Tip at the airport: Do not take a taxi from the official taxi services waiting outside but walk out of the airport entrance where you will find local taxis that wait for tourists and offer cheaper prices (around 350 to La Punta vs. 450-500 from official airport taxis). Another option if flights are expensive and you plan to visit Mazunte as well and to have a rental car is flying into and from Huatulco airport.

Recommended places near Puerto Escondido

Mazunte and Zipolite: The Best Things To Do in Mazunte

Oaxaca City: The 6 Best Things To Do In Oaxaca City – A Comprehensive Guide

Where to stay in Puerto Escondido?

Finding a nice, affordable and well-located accommodation in Puerto Escondido can be quite tricky, especially in high season. The town is rising in popularity but not super well developed yet with regards to hotels and holiday apartments (which on the flipside contributes positively to its vibe!). In any case I would advise to not leave planning and booking to the last minute but book something a few weeks in advance.

One recommendation is Casa Beu which is well located in a quiet street in La Punta with 5 minutes walking to the main area with cafes and restaurants as well as the beach. In Zicatela, I can recommend Hotel Bigu.

If you are looking for a hostel, check out Hostelworld as I did not find many options on booking.com for hostels. Selina hostel is quite popular in many cities in Mexico but the location in Puerto Escondido is not my favorite.

Where to eat in Puerto Escondido

Breakfast

My favorite place to start the day with a nice breakfast and good coffee has been Cafe Ole, they offer a wide range of options from fruit bowls to sandwiches and pancakes in a super chill environment. There is usually a small line but I never had to wait more than 10-15 minutes. Also, Piyoli is a nice option if you are looking for vegan options.

Lunch

If you are looking to escape the sun for a lunch snack, I would recommend Fish Shack for some awesome fish tacos and a cold beer, especially the coconut-fried shrimp taco is delicious!

Dinner

For dinner, my favorite place has been Chicama for Peruvian food. One highlight was the “corazon de vaca” which is super tasty and tender and also the many ceviche options with fish are amazing, together with a Pisco Sour and the nice music and vibe in the place you will have a great time there. They do not take reservations and it is one of the most popular places in Puerto Escondido so expect to wait a bit in line (but they serve drinks already for the people in the queue).

One other place that is rather new and is rather a secret tip is Attaraya for mexican cuisine. The shrimp tacos and tacos with huitlacoche (a fungus that grows on corn) are amazing for starters with many great options for mains too, especially the octopus.

If you feel like Italian food, I can recommend Alivo which is also located in La Punta.

In Zicatela beach, I really liked El Coste where you can enjoy amazing fish (tuna and red snapper are recommended) directly at the beach with your feet in the sand. Also the grill in an old van is a really unique feature of this place.

My view on other popular places that you will likely get recommended when you are in Puerto Escondido:

Alaburger: Burger is good but not a wow, Pizza is not great at all
Lychee: Nice location and vibe and the food is ok, but not outrageously good