What to do in Puerto Escondido Oaxaca

On the coast of Oaxaca is one of the most popular tourist destinations for national and international travelers. Here I am going to tell you what to do in Puerto Escondido and give you a guide to make the most of your visit.

Puerto Escondido Oaxaca was for us a place that surprised us with its beaches, it is a perfect destination for both party goers and those looking to relax. It is one of the places that has earned our respect and has positioned itself as one of the best destinations in Mexico for us.

Danny and I are left with incredible memories of this place, so far we have it listed as the place that has our favorite beach.

Here I will tell you about the best things to do in Puerto Escondido. Let’s start from the back to the front, leaving the unmissable activities in the first places.

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9 Things To Do In Puerto Escondido Oaxaca

These are the best places to visit in Puerto Escondido and the things you should consider doing when traveling to this Oaxacan destination:

9. Take a water sport class

In this destination you can do all kinds of water activities: sport fishing, skinboarding (surfing the waves on the shore), paddle boarding (paddling standing on a wide board), diving or snorkeling.

Being a beach destination, consider trying one or more of the water activities available.

If you are interested, I recommend that you look for schools or tourist services near the beach or on the tourist walkway.

If you are interested in taking a surf lesson we recommend you to check here

8. Walking on the cobblestone

Another activity in Puerto Escondido that may be of interest to you is to walk or ride for a while on the Adoquín.

El Adoquín is a tourist walkway where you can buy souvenirs and mementos of the destination. It is also the right place to buy any product you forgot to bring on your trip, such as a bathing suit, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, etc.

Here you will find different stores, restaurants, bars, tourist services and even a store to rent or buy surfing equipment.

To get to know Puerto Escondido we recommend using the Puerto Escondido Guided Tour.

7. Enjoying the nightlife in Zicatela

If you are a traveler who enjoys nightlife and are looking for what to do in Puerto Escondido at night, I have good news for you.

If there is one thing travelers enjoy about visiting Puerto Escondido, it is the nightlife. Zicatela beach has plenty of restaurants and bars to drink, make friends, dance and party.

Which one to go to? You won’t be short of options, go to the one you like the most, most have a good reputation and offer a good experience so you should have no problem having a good night.

6. Visit the variety of beaches

If we talk about places to visit in Puerto Escondido, we definitely have to consider its variety of beaches. Visiting them and getting to know each one of them offers a different experience.

Where to go in Puerto Escondido?

Among the beaches you can visit are: Puerto Escondido beach, Zicatela beach, Carrizalillo beach, Puerto Angelito, Manzanillo beach, and many others.

We hope that, if you go, you will enjoy them as much or more than we did, as each of the beaches offers a different experience and atmosphere.

5. Go to Lagunas de Chacahua National Park.

Another place you must visit in Puerto Escondido is the Chacahua Lagoon.

In this place you will find 137 square kilometers of protected area where you can take a boat tour and go through its mangroves, go bird watching, rest for a while on the beach and get ready for the night show.

As evening falls and the sun begins to set, the boats begin to prepare and approach the place where the magic is made.

Because of the plankton in the lagoon, the lagoon begins to glow when you move it with your hands – or feet! Because if they let you, you can go swimming.

To visit the Lagunas de Chacahua we suggest

• Review this guide: Lagunas de Chacahua | Complete Guide
• Use this tour: Excursion to the Chacahua Lagoons

4. Observing Bioluminescence in the Manialtepec Lagoon

The Manialtepec Lagoon is one of the most outstanding tourist attractions in Puerto Escondido.

This is another lagoon where the bioluminescence phenomenon takes place and is located 20 minutes from downtown Puerto Escondido.

Manialtepec is more visited than chacahua and it is presumed that the bioluminescence effect can be better observed here.

If you want to see how a lagoon shines, this place should be on your bucket list.

To see the effect of the bioluminescence we recommend

• Use this tour: Manialtepec Lagoon night tour

EYEThe bioluminescence effect is one of the main things to see or do in Puerto Escondido BUT it does not happen every day or all year round. Much depends on weather conditions. It is better in rainy season and without moon.

3. Release Turtles

You can also go to Playa Bacocho (not the egg brand).

On this beach you will find a beach club and a restaurant of another hotel that you can access by paying for the whole day. Apart from that there are no other stores or shadows (there are no trees here).

We went to this beach because of Vida Mar, a place where you can go to release turtles in the afternoon (5.15pm). This is another of the must-see things to do in Puerto Escondido.

Participating in the talk is free; however if you want to release a turtle it costs $100 per person (2019 price).

To release turtles you might be interested in this activity

• Turtle release at Colotepec beach

2. Visit Coral Beach

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A post shared by Viajero M (@viajeromoficial) on Nov 1, 2019 at 5:22 PDT

If there is one place in Puerto Escondido that we loved it was Coral Beach.

We arrived at this beach by pure chance by following some people who took a trail. And how grateful we are to have done so as it became our favorite beach!

Here you will find a beach without stores. This means that there is no food or palapas, so be prepared with something to sit on (we used a long sarong) and food if you want to stay for a long time.

The sea has almost no swell, so you can slip quietly into the fresh water, which is so salty that you will float effortlessly.

Definitely one of the things to do in Puerto Escondido.

If you want to visit this beach here we tell you how: Coral Beach and how to get there

1. Learn to Surf

Zicatela is known as the surfer beach of Puerto Escondido where year after year surfers from all over the world gather.

If you are interested in this sport and want to try your luck, you can do it with a surf school, most of which go early in the morning to Punta Zicatela, where the waves are smaller and lend themselves to learning.

We took our two-hour class with Vida Surf. Toño (the teacher) was very patient, very clear and above all very careful with everything he explained to us. He did so well, we were both able to stand on the board.

Puerto Escondido is simply the best place in Mexico to learn to surf. Here we leave you more information: Learn to surf in Zicatela Beach

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Places to visit in Puerto Escondido

The places you must visit if you visit Puerto Escondido are:

1. The beaches of Puerto Escondido, especially Coral Beach
2. Zicatela (tourist walkway and nightlife)
3. The Manialtepec lagoon or Chacahua lagoon

These 3 places are, in my view, what should be a priority

Activities in Puerto Escondido

Here are some other activities that can be done in Puerto Escondido and that may be of great interest to you

Where to Sleep

For sleeping we recommend these 3 options:

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What to eat in Puerto Escondido Oaxaca

Here is the list of foods you should try if you come across them on these beaches of Oaxaca:

• Las Tlayudas
• Chapulines Tacos
• The Tichinda Tamale
• Fish to size
• Mezcal

How Much It Costs to Travel to Puerto Escondido

Budget in Mexican Pesos	Backpacker	Tourist	Luxury Traveler
Hosting	$340	$950	$2500
Food	$200	$360	$480
Transportation	$50	$120	$270
Souvenirs or Extras	$0	$100	$250
Budget per Person per day	$590	$1530	$3500
+Activity/Tour/Experience to be booked	–	–	–

Tips for your trip

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