For sure, you have already heard of Puerto Escondido, the trendy Mexican city for digital nomads and surfers. I was there in 2017, and I loved it.
When I came back in 2022, I found a city that I’ve changed a lot. However, it is still a perfect destination for sunbathing and enjoying life. It is time to discover what to do in Puerto Escondido?
6 activities that you can’t miss in Puerto Escondido:
Puerto Escondido in a few words
Puerto Escondido is located on the Pacific coast of Mexico, around 300 km from Oaxaca City. At the beginning of the 20th century, the port of these fishermen’s village was used to export coffee. In the 30s, it became a commercial port.
Nevertheless, it is the 60s that the destiny of Puerto Escondido radically changed. Surfers and tourists start to discover its beaches. Since then, tourism never stopped increasing.
It makes sense since Puerto’s beaches are very beautiful. The weather is nice all year. Sweet life is a real thing. It is normal that travelers come to find sun and chill here.
What to do in Puerto Escondido?
Of course, enjoying life is one of the main activities for everyone visiting this destination, but let’s see concretely what to do in Puerto Escondido?
1. Discover the beaches
With no doubt, it is the main attraction in Puerto Escondido. The village has several beaches where to enjoy the sea pleasures.
Playa Manzanillo
Situated in a bay, it is protected from the heavy waves. It is one of the locals’ favorite beaches to swim.
Playa Puerto Angelito
Located next to Playa Manzanillo, it is also a very peaceful beach that local people really appreciate. It has many restaurants to eat in front of the sea.
Playa Carrizalillo
To reach this beach, you need to go down many slopping stairs. Apart from being very pretty, it is the perfect beach to take surf classes.
Playa Coral
You can access this beach in 2 different ways: from Bacocho beach, but it can be dangerous, or from the hotel Villa Mexicana which makes pay 80 pesos for access (it also includes one burger and one drink).
Bahia Principal
It is a beach where local people usually go because its calm sea makes it perfect to swim.
Playa Bacocho
Don’t go swimming or surfing on this long beach, since the sea is very agitated there. On this beach, you can release turtle babies.
Playa Zicatela
Surfers from the entire world know this beach, since it is the perfect spot for everyone who wants to practice this sport. It is also a great place to enjoy the sunset and have dinner or a drink in one of these numerous restaurants.
La Punta
Clearly, it is the most touristy beach. Travelers and digital nomads go there to surf, to see the sunset and enjoy its bars and restaurants.
ALSO READ: 8 Beautiful Puerto Escondido Beaches
2. Surf
If you have to do only one sport activity in Puerto Escondido, it is surfing. Beginner or expert, you will enjoy surfing the waves in an amazing background.
It is possible to practice this sport on many beaches, where you can find schools or teachers to teach you and to rent equipment.
3. Visit the city center
When I read blog posts about Puerto Escondido, the majority tells that the city center is not worth it. These tourists who think staying only in touristy places is enough to know a place really bother me.
Strolling by the city center, going to its bars, and buying in its shops, will allow you to meet Puerto’s inhabitants and find out more about their daily life.
Getting lost in the streets may give you the opportunity to see a small local event or to enjoy the best tacos. Clearly, it is mandatory to visit the center.
4. Eat in Benito Juárez market
Mexico is certainly one of the countries with the best food. Markets are the perfect place to taste authentic, cheap, and delicious food, surrounded by local people.
There is another market in Zicatela, but I recommend you to go to the Benito Juárez market, which is in the city center and is the biggest one.
After tasting delicious food, you can do some shopping and help the local economy. In this market, you could find many things!
5. Release turtles
I remember that in 2017, we were not enough to release all the baby turtles, so we had the opportunity to release 2 instead of 1. Nowadays, there are queues to join this activity. I understand why, it is a pretty magical moment.
In exchange for some pesos, you can release a baby whose egg has been kept safe by the volunteers of the Vive Mar association during the nesting period. You will have the chance to help them to reach the sea and start their lives!
ALSO READ: Puerto Escondido Tours You Can’t Miss
6. Enjoy the sunsets
If everyone goes to Punta or Zicatela to admire the sunsets that are really beautiful in Puerto Escondido, my favorite place for this activity is Bacocho beach.
It is way less touristy, so you enjoy so much space to live an intense meditation moment surrounded by the elements.
How to get to Puerto Escondido?
Obviously, you can get to Puerto Escondido by car or bus. The city also has an airport.
How to get to Puerto Escondido from Oaxaca?
The bus appears to be the most logical option. The road is tortuous. Be careful with the nauseous!
You can also get to Puerto Escondido by colectivo. A colectivo is a minibus. However, is you need some comfort or if you are sick on the road, it is not the best option.
It is also possible to fly from Oaxaca, but it is really expensive and not eco-friendly at all.
How to get to Puerto Escondido from San Cristóbal de las Casas?
You can take the bus from San Cristóbal de las Casas to get to Puerto Escondido. Like the ride is very long, you should travel by night. If you feel sick in the car, it is better to take some pills before your trip.
How to get to Puerto Escondido from Ciudad de México?
In Mexico, it doesn’t matter where you want to go, there is always a bus to take you there. So, of course, it is possible to travel by bus to Puerto Escondido from the country’s capital, but the ride lasts forever.
If you are short of time, you can take the plane. The flight lasts approximately 2 hours.
How to move in Puerto Escondido?
Puerto Escondido city is very extensive. So, it is quite complicated to do everything by walking. Hopefully, there are taxis and colectivo to move. The city center is really compact, so you can walk easily.
By colectivo
It is a minivan that takes you everywhere in exchange for a few pesos. To know where the stops are, it is better to ask a local.
By taxi
You can move very easily by taxi. But, read carefully! The drivers prefer to get tourists than local people to make more money. As the majority of the tourists are from the US or Europe, the price seems pretty fair to them, so they accept to pay it. And because of that, taxi drivers prefer to take them over locals, that know the real prices.
Then, do not forget to ethically travel and do not accept the fees they say. A ride costs around 35 pesos. If it is really longer (20-30 min), don’t pay more than 50 pesos.
When to go to Puerto Escondido?
Basically, you can go to Puerto Escondido anytime to enjoy all the city has to offer you, but the best time is from October to May.
During the summer months, it rains a lot.
ALSO READ: Best Hotels Puerto Escondido
Is Puerto Escondido safe?
Honestly, I never felt unsafe in Puerto Escondido. My hosts let the door house open if we were inside, but also when we were out. Something clearly impossible in many European places.
Nevertheless, like in any other place in the world, you shouldn’t be in the street too late and not show off valuable items.
Being a digital nomad in Puerto Escondido
Puerto Escondido is clearly a place where many digital nomads travel. Most stay in La Punta or Zicatela, where everything is made for tourists. They find there a real community.
There are several colivings, including a Selina, and a few coworkings to work in good conditions, but far away from the Mexican and Mexican life.
I travel to really know the place, the culture, and the local people, instead of staying with people like me, so I was not in La Punta or Zicatela. As a result, my experience as a digital nomad was pretty different.
The warm weather and the high humidity were real obstacles to my productivity. Moreover, it is important to understand that Wi-Fi is not very good in all the city. And electricity and water cuts are quite common.
If you work 7-8 hours a day, from Monday to Friday, Puerto is not the right place. I recommend you to go there during a proper holiday.
Travel responsibly in Puerto Escondido
One of the most important tourist problems is that we all go to the same places, It has an impact on the prices, the local living conditions, the access to different resources, the environment state… It is a real issue in Puerto, where tourism has grown a lot since the pandemic. Moreover, most of the travelers are staying in the same neighborhood, making the situation worst.
If you decide to visit Puerto Escondido, you can take several measures to travel sustainably:
- enjoy an authentic experience, staying in not touristy neighborhoods;
- refuse to pay more expensive when you use a taxi:
- move using colectivos or by walk:
- do not leave any trash on the beach;
- responsibly use water;
- go to local-owned restaurants and bars.
Actually, you can do many things, but this list is already a good start.
Bonus: A urban getaway to Oaxaca
After several days or weeks of chill by the sea, you may want to come back to urban life. Oaxaca is by far the best option for that.
Architecture, gastronomy, culture, etc. Oaxaca has something for everyone. Click here to read about my favorite Mexican city.
I hope I answer the question What to do in Puerto Escondido with this blog post and that it will help you to prepare for your next trip. If you have any questions, you can write them in the comments.
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