Parks and the outdoors in Puerto Escondido

Parks and the outdoors in Puerto Escondido

1. Do

   Playa Carrizalillo

   The most scenic and safest beach for swimming is Playa Carrizalillo. Take a taxi unless you want a half-hour walk. Carrizalillo is small, gorgeous, and not too crowded, 167 steps from street level down to the beach (then back up again). There are some surfers and some boats, but mainly swimmers enjoying the waves. This is a good beach for swimming or learning surfing with few restaurants.

2. Do

   Playa Manzanillo

   A good, pleasant beach for swimming, with a few beachside restaurants with loungers. Visitors can use the loungers for free provided they purchase a drink or food from the restaurant. The rocky area between this beach and neighboring Playa Puerto Angelito is probably the best place in town for snorkeling - sea turtles and stingrays can often be seen here.

3. Do

   Playa Principal

   This beach is good for swimming and boogie boarding, and very popular with locals.

4. Do

   Playa Zicatela

   This is the location of the famous Mexican Pipeline, with several international surfing competitions being held here annually. This beach is only for expert surfers and very strong swimmers; even experienced surfers have been injured here, and many people have drowned. The southern end of the beach near Punta Zicatela has consistently good waves. If you don't surf, you should at least make it over to the beach restaurant Los Tios and have a beer on the beach while you watch people surfing in the sunset. This is also a good place from which to watch over breakfast when there's a surf competition on.

5. Do Not mapped

   Cascada de la reforma

   Cool down from the heat in Puerto Escondido in a waterfall located about one hour outside Puerto Escondido. There are tours which will take you all the way but it's a bit inaccessible due to quality of the road. The waterfall offers basins in which it's possible to swim and a simple restaurant which serves local food.

6. Do Not mapped

   Lagunas de Chacahua National Park

   Coastal area with 5 lagoons, sandy Pacific beaches, dense mangrove swamps, a Mixteco archaeological site, a crocodile nursery, and more. Small hotels and waterfront restaurants are in the area. To get there from Puerto Escondido, use a colectivo going toward Rio Grande. Tell the driver you going to Chacahua National Park and need to exit at El Zapotalito.

7. Do Not mapped

   Skydiving

   During the high seasons you can do a sky dive at the Zicatela beach for M$2600. It's one of the nicest places in the world to do this. They're just left of Café Babylon.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Puerto Escondido (CC BY-SA 4.0).