We were lucky enough to stay in Puerto Escondido for four and a half weeks and with plenty of restaurants, bars and activities to try, as well as a beautiful coastline to explore, we loved every second! Here are our top things to do in the area!

Journey to Puerto Escondido

We were coming from Cancun so we had a flight from Cancun to Mexico City, a 3 hour stopover here, and then a second flight from Mexico City to Puerto Escondido. A very straightforward journey with Aeromexico and even the surfboard found its way to Puerto Escondido without an issue! The flights themselves were only about 1 and a half to 2 hours and as Mexico City airport is enormous we had plenty to occupy ourselves with during our stopover even if there was no aircon in the entire airport!

What to do:

Surfing

Probably the most popular activity in Puerto Escondido with the Zicatela surf spot known as the Mexican Pipeline being a major draw for surfers. These are the main surfing sports in the area…

Zicatela

The biggest and most powerful wave around, it isn’t known as the Mexican pipeline for no reason. This wave gives consistent barrels and is definitely one for the pros. A great spot to watch the surfers if you don’t have the level to face these monster waves! There are places to rent a board on the street parallel to the beach for about 500 pesos for 24 hours.

La Punta

At the far side of Zicatela beach there is the intermediate to advanced wave of La Punta – a point break giving consistently good left hand waves. However, as there is no real beginner beach in Puerto Escondido this is classed as the beginner beach which means it is very crowded and also a real local spot so if you are a tourist and haven’t paid for a lesson don’t expect to catch many waves. Unfortunately, this makes it quite an intimidating spot to surf and if you can avoid surfing here I would. That being said if you’re lucky and can avoid the huge amount of surf lessons that take place here it can be a great spot! To rent a board in the area there are several surf shops offering soft tops (with the amount of people surfing here a soft top is definitely the best option to avoid an accident and paying $100 USD for a ding in their board) for between 100 and 150 pesos for an hour. Don’t expect them to be friendly though.

Playa Carrizalillo

I’m not sure we can even call this a surf spot as every time we went here there were no waves but if you’ve never surfed before here you can at least practice standing on the board for the first time!

Barra de Navidad

Just outside Puerto Escondido is Barra de Navidad where there is a beach break, a great place to avoid the crowds. However, logistically it’s a bit tricky as there are no places to rent a board anywhere nearby and it’s a little far out. Also watch out for the crocodiles as there is a lagoon just next to the beach which is a protected area for them – we spotted one having a snooze on the road to the beach and had to make a quick dash past it praying it wouldn’t wake up!

Improve your Spanish

There are plenty of Spanish schools in Puerto Escondido to give you a hand with learning the language! We had 4 weeks of private lessons at Oasis Surf & Spanish School. Each lesson was an hour and a half and we paid a total of $715 USD. Being absolute beginners I definitely felt like we had at least a basic knowledge by the time we left so I would recommend the school if you’re looking to improve your Spanish skills!

Release baby turtles at Playa Bacocho

The organisation Vive Mar protects the beaches around Puerto Escondido for turtles but other animals and ecosystems too. At Playa Bacocho they have a turtle hatchery, where they put the eggs that the turtles lay on the beach in order to protect the eggs from threats like humans, domestic animals, global warming and light pollution. They then release the turtles back into the ocean when they are born. Every evening at 5pm you can go to the hatchery at Playa Bacocho and pay 150 pesos per person to release one of the baby turtles into the ocean. Before releasing a turtle they give you some information about the turtles, the different species, what Vive Mar does and a bit about the current threats the turtles are facing. You are then given a baby turtle in a coconut shell to release into the ocean! I thought it was going to be a very touristy experience, which it was, but it was also super informative and I really enjoyed the whole thing from learning about the turtles to seeing them up close!

Visit the markets

Mercado Zicatela and Mercado Benito Juarez are two of the markets in Puerto Escondido and definitely worth a visit. As well as selling an array of items from fresh fruit and vegetables to shoes to wicker baskets and spices they also have some great little restaurants with cheap local food. Mercado Zicatela is a great place for breakfast as there are restaurants on the terrace overlooking the sea. There is also a night market at Bahia Principal which is worth checking out too!

Watch the sunset

There are plenty of places to watch one of the famous Oaxaca sunsets, from La Punta to Carrizalillo the whole stretch of coastline offers beautiful sunset views!

Snorkelling at Playa Carrizalillo

A great beach to see some wildlife! By the rocks you can see many types of fish and also if you’re lucky some turtles!

Take a walk at Andador Turistico

Just next to the Bahia Principal you will find a walkway which goes along the coastline. It’s a great place to spot crabs, birds and fish. The walk itself has lots of steps and bridges to cross, and ends rather abruptly as part of the walkway has fallen into the ocean now! If it is fixed any time soon it looks like you can keep going along the coast until another beach!

Take a day trip to some nearby beach towns

We rented a car for 1100 pesos a day and drove down the coast to Barra de la Cruz, which is maybe 2 hours south of Puerto Escondido. It is primarily a surf spot so don’t expect lots of other activities but if you’re looking for a nice right hand wave this is normally a very consistent wave. It costs 100 pesos a person to go to the beach here though! Along the way we also stopped to visit Huatulco and Manzunte which have more tourists than Barra de la Cruz and are both laid back beach towns, Manzunte is definitely quieter and smaller than Huatulco but if you’re looking for a beach town without the big surf of Puerto this is the perfect place to stay! The restaurants and bars looked great with lots of choice and we paid a visit to a bakery called La Baguette which had the best bakery selection we’ve seen so far in Mexico.

Go horseriding at sunset

Lots of tour companies in Puerto Escondido offer a similar tour with horse riding at the Manialtepec Lagoon. We used Paraiso Huatulco and had a great experience. We were picked up from Zicatela at 3:30pm and it was about a 25 minute drive to the ranch (more like just a track) where the horses were waiting tacked up and ready for us. We rode through farmland with cows, horses, banana trees and lots of birds, crossing multiple rivers along the way until we reached the lagoon. Here they took off the horses saddles and the horses swam across the lagoon to the other side which was incredible to watch! We were taken across in a kayak and then we continued our ride along the beach until we reached a little restaurant. We stopped here until the sun began to set and we remounted and set off back the way we came with a wonderful view of the sunset! However, things got a little chaotic here as one of the horses got loose and the horses tried to follow suit which ended in everyone looking a bit confused, lots of hats lost as the pace picked up and one horse taking off down the beach until he was stopped by some other horse riders. This all made the ride even more of an adventure!

Where to stay:

We stayed in a great airbnb as we were there for over a month so wanted somewhere we could make our own meals and have our own space! Mary, our airbnb host was absolutely lovely and gave us plenty of fresh mangoes from the mango tree in the garden every day and even gave us a pot of homemade mango jam which was delicious! We did have a couple of scorpions pay our kitchen a visit but otherwise it was a great place to stay. There are plenty of hotel options in Puerto Escondido for a reasonable price and if you’re looking for a more luxurious option there are several of those too!

Where to eat/drink:

Disfruta Juice Bar (Carrizalillo)

Next to our Spanish school was Disfruta Juice Bar, they have plenty of juices and smoothies to choose from but also yoghurt bowls, burritos and other things to try too! The mango juice was amazing and their vegetarian burrito was incredible and a steal at only 65 pesos!

La Palapita Bar (Zicatela)

Right on the beach the perfect place to have a drink and watch the sunset. They are famous for their pina coladas served in a pineapple, and at certain times you can get unlimited refills for only 25 pesos. It is a little more expensive for the cocktails but it doesn’t get much better than pina coladas in a pineapple watching the sunset on the beach really.

Oaxaca Grill (Carrizalillo)

Quite a touristy spot and therefore quite a pricey place to eat. They serve huge hamburgers and it’s a great setting with fairy lights all around. However, the vegetarian option wasn’t amazing plus at between 145 to 180 pesos for a burger without any chips it’s definitely western prices.

Las Margaritas (Centro)

A great breakfast find! Don’t expect any tourists here, this is definitely a local spot but serves up an amazing traditional Mexican breakfast. Their breakfast options include a coffee or tea, a juice, a fruit platter plus your choice of main dish (such as chilaquiles or an omelette) for only 125 pesos. We were so full afterwards we had to have a wander around the nearby market to walk off our breakfast.

El Cafecito (Zicatela & Carrizalillo)

No matter when you try and go to El Cafecito both restaurants always seem to be busy although you’re normally seated quite quickly despite the queues! It’s easy to see why this is a favourite in Puerto Escondido as the portions are big, tasty and cheap! Not the best food we tasted but definitely worth trying if you’re looking for good value. It also has a separate bakery section attached – the apple tart is the best thing we tried from there by a long way. Avoid anything with puff pastry it just tastes strange!

Casa Fe Restaurant (Zicatela)

A bit more fancy this restaurant is part of the Casa Fe Hotel in Zicatela. It is still quite reasonably priced but definitely on the more expensive side for Puerto Escondido. Very decent food though and plenty of vegetarian options which was a plus!

Los diosa de los rios (Barra de la Cruz)

Not located in Puerto Escondido but if you go to Barra de la Cruz this was the best place. Serves amazing fruit bowls and for such a decent price! As well as fruit bowls there are incredible waffles, hot cakes, protein smoothies, juices and more. There was also a very cute puppy here which made it all the more memorable.

Selma (La Punta)

Right in the centre of La Punta this bar is next to the beach and a great place to sit and enjoy the sunset with a drink. The drinks were great if a bit pricey but it had a nice relaxed atmosphere and swings to sit on making the drinks price a bit more worth it.

Fish Shack (La Punta)

The Fish Shack has the reputation for the best tacos in Puerto Escondido (especially the fish ones which is maybe obvious from their name!) We had one chicken taco, one cauliflower and one mushroom and I think the cauliflower was our favourite. I think these were probably the best tacos we tried so worth the hype, however they’re quite small and 50 pesos per taco, I think I would need at least 3 or 4 to myself for a main meal.

Mama Malu (Zicatela)

Just off the main street in Zicatela next to the Oxxo is a little restaurant serving great Mexican food. It’s not fancy but that’s part of the charm and the burritos were delicious. We also had a litre of ‘the agua del dia’ we have no clue what it was but it was absolutely amazing and tasted exactly like the Nesquik strawberry flavoured milk.

Colombian Street Food (La Punta)

A great find in La Punta. Like the Oaxaca Grill there were several different street food restaurants in this one area, we tried the arepas and empanadas from a Colombian place and they were incredible!

Summary: We absolutely loved our stay in Puerto Escondido! Our Airbnb was great, the surf was incredible, the food was amazing. 9/10 (only downside was the unfriendly surfing vibe at La Punta which stops it from getting a 10/10!)