Puerto Escondido: a place for everyone
Puerto Escondido is attractive for those looking for a yoga retreat, connecting with nature, doing surf... but also for those who prefer party, social life and a lively nightlife.
In this guide you can expect to find general recommendations of places, activities, and personal opinions about Puerto Escondido and its surroundings after having been there for 1 month volunteering with Worldpackers, which was an incredible experience while travelling cheap around the area and enjoying the amazing vibes of this place!
Check the link below to see the different volunteering experiences that Worldpackers offers in Puerto Escondido. If you register through this link you'll get my code discount applied: EVARIOS
You can also search for other destinations, you'll find thousands of volunteering opportunities in more than 140 countries with Worldpackers!
Before getting into the guide, below I share some pictures that could perfectly describe how's life's vibes in Puerto Escondido:
How to move around Puerto Escondido -
It will mainly depend on the area you are staying in, if you stay in the local area, you might need to move more (depends on what you are looking for) to visit the beaches, hanging out, etc. In case you stay in the hub area, Zicatela, where all the social life takes place, perhaps you'll need to move less.
By motorbike 🛵
Anyhow, the best option to move around Puerto is by motorbike - most people rent a motorbike for a while and move around like that. In my case, I didn't do it and I still could move around thanks to colectivos.
Colectivos 🚐
Colectivos / vans are the main public transportation inside and outside the town and also a very cheap option. The only problem is that they stop running at 8.30pm so then the only option you have unless you have your own motorbike is to take a taxi
Taxis 🚕
Taxis are, of course, the most expensive option, but they are an option specially for drives late at night. A drive from Zicatela to Puerto Centro (the local area) shouldn't cost more than $150/200mxn.
Beaches in Puerto Escondido -
Before starting with the beaches, I want to comment that beaches around Puerto Escondido are not the best ones, and some of them were just normal beaches to me, with nothing special, and they didn't make me feel like staying because of the crowds.
EVA'S TIP❗: But the location of the end was my favorite one and I highly recommend spending some days there!
Playa Zicatela
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This is the most touristic and busy beach, but its huge lenght can make possible that you find a quiet place if you prefer so.
It is located in the party area of Puerto Escondido.
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WHAT TO DO IN PLAYA ZICATELA -
Surf
EVA'S TIP ❗: in my opinion, Puerto Escondido in general is not the best location to do surf, unless you are intermediate-pro, so you can go to more isolated beaches. The thing in Puerto is that there is a lot of surf companies and all of them are gathered together in the same spot. In the case of Playa Zicatela, in La Punta, I think it can be dangerous as it is reef and you don't have much space to surf as it is crowded in general.
Later I'll recommend you a better place (an amazing one actually) nearby Puerto where you can enjoy doing surf!
Volleyball and drinks
Palapita Bar
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EVA'S TIP❗: I recommend this beach club because of their refill of piñas coladas at ontly $25mxn so it is worth it! And they are fresh and tasty.
But also because you can play volleyball just in front of the bar, and that's what people usually come to do in this part of the beach.
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Yoga
Doing yoga during sunset in Zicatela's beach is my highlight! You should try it if you want relaxation and self-connection.
EVA'S TIP❗: I would recommend exploring beyond Punta Zicatela and crossing the rocks where the lighthouse is, I didn't do it and I regret it, because the beach on the other side is usually isolated and people told me that it is beautiful.
All along Zicatela you can spot whales from a far distance, specially in this area!
Playa Carrizalillo
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This beach is in downtown area, and it is surrounded by rocks and vegetation.
EVA'S TIP❗ It is also a beach to do surf for beginners, although too crowded. So better to choose somewhere else (from my experience).
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Playa Bacocho
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EVA'S TIP❗: This beach is a bit difficult to reach by foot - I know it because I did it, so it is not impossible, but it's not the best way to do it.
The beach is huge and the rocky part is beautiful, though in my opinion, it has nothing special.
In case you want to release a sea turtle, you can do that in Playa Bacocho ($paying).
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Playa Coral
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EVA'S TIP❗: I didn't like the beach, though it is smaller and cute. But it is very crowded, and you won't have much space (unless you go there in uncommon times avoiding sunset for instance).
The beach is located right in front of a hotel, people told me you need to pay to enter to the beach if you go through the hotel, but I didn't pay because there is an alternative way - you can reach Playa Coral from Bacocho by foot crossing the rocks.
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Playa Manzanillo
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A small beach, crowded but cute.
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Puerto Angelito
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The beach itself is beautiful, but it is massively touristic, it is full of restaurants, and infrastructure, I didn't feel like staying or laying in the sand.
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The best place to do surf and stay for some days to disconnect ⬇
Laguna de Chacahua
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The best place to chill, do surf and meet amazing people nearby Puerto Escondido.
The way to Chacahua is an experience by itself, as you'll need to take several colectivos and boat taxi.
I'd recommend staying there at least 3 nights, so you can enjoy the vibes there.
For accommodation, there are some options in rooms, but also there's the chance to sleep in hamacs, which is the most affordable way. However, it can be pretty cold at night so bear in mind this if you want to try sleeping in a hammac.
Other than that, I'd just recommend renting a surfboard and go to the sea, relax and meet people there, the vibes are really friendly. When I was there I felt like in an isolated place with only good vibes.
Oh, and don't miss Friday Night Pizza! Ask to locals about that.
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COFFEES & RESTAURANTS IN PUERTO ESCONDIDO -
You'll find a lot of options to eat in Puerto Escondido, specially in the center, as it is quite well adapted to tourists. So you'll find restaurants for everybody.
Pepe's Fish Tacos
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The best tacos in Mexico!!!
They were big and delicious. 100% recommendable.
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The Boneyard
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A nice atmosphere and good vibes. Inside you can do skate or see others doing this sport, is this kind of vibes.
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Malagua café - Café, Desayunos y Brunch en Punta Zicatela, Puerto Escondido
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Good food and place
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Punta Vida
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A nice place where every Sunday there is DJ after the barbecue. If you're looking for party vibes after your dinner, in front of the beach, this is for you!
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YAAB | Vegan Kitchen & Café
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Relaxing space to chill, it is a vegan restaurant perfect for healthy breakfasts!
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Café Botánico Pto. Escondido
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Located on the other side of Puerto Escondido, you'll find this coffee place ideal for breakfasts, it was really good!
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YOGA -
Satsanga
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A very nice and cozy space to practice yoga.
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Marea Yoga Studio
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I did aerial yoga here, if you're into it, you should try it! I recommend going early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the high temperatures.
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PARTY -
Xcaanda
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It's a restaurant and it turns into a night club, sometimes they do Reggaeton events, and it is nice. But you need to pay a cover and the drinks are expensive.
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Punta Vida
@evarios
A nice place where every Sunday there is DJ after the barbecue. If you're looking for party vibes after your dinner, in front of the beach, this is for you!
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The hostels usually host nice parties too, you'll get to know more about these events when you're there!
Don't forget to visit the capital, Oaxaca as you'll be nearby!
Oaxaca
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A very colourful city worth a visit, there are good restaurants and accommodations.
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Another popular destination to visit from Puerto Escondido is San José del Pacífico.
I hope these recommendations are useful when you travel to Puerto Escondido and you have a great time over there!
Perhaps the guides below are also of your interest ⬇
Costa Rica is among the most well known countries in Central America, because of its lush and wild vegetation as well as beaches and wildlife.
In this guide, I share with you my opinion of each of the places I've been to in Costa Rica, which can be considered controversial but these will be the most honest thoughts you'll find. Although Costa Rica was a beautiful place to see, my honest opinion is that it's overrated and super expensive. Along the guide, you'll read my opinion about each of the locations I visited in Costa Rica, and the best recommendations together with some tips so you don't make the same mistakes I made, and you can enjoy to the fullest of each place you visit during your trip to Costa Rica. And I am also revealing some hidden and lesser known places for the most adventurous ones!
The guide is divided by regions and subdivided by specific locations. For each location I mention, I'll be sharing how to get there, and my honest opinion about the place ("❗EVA'S TIP")
This guide is for those who want to explore beyond the touristic areas, as well as for those who love adventure, nature and travelling more into the wild! This guide will help you avoid some mistakes I made and that didn’t let me fully enjoy Costa Rica in the way I like.
Now, let’s travel to Costa Rica, PURA VIDA! 🏝
Backpacker • Car-free • Digital Nomads • Couples • Family • Groups • Female Solo • Adventure • Budget • Outdoors • People & Culture • Road Trip • Sustainable/Eco • Slow Travel
You can also read about “My Story” if you are interested in knowing more about living abroad, being nomad, or other destinations, and to get to know more about me and how I started moving around!
I’ve been living nomad for the last years, and here I’ll show how I’ve done it without spending money, earning it, instead!
Since I started living abroad, I received comments claiming that I'm rich or lucky. So I decided to write about my story with the aim to show how living this lifestyle can be aittanable for everybody and to show a bit more about me!
Don't expect to read about being a digital nomad, that's not the only way to live like that. There are many other possibilities to have a nomad lifestyle.
Hopefully, I get to inspire somebody to start pursuing their dreams, no matter how big they are, they can happen (I can tell), to get out from the auto-pilot we all live in, and to dare oneself to step out of the comfort zone! 💭✈️
I will talk about:
• How did I start living abroad?
• Places I have lived in so far
• How I keep having this lifestyle
• My best tip to live nomad
• The people I met along the journey
• What's next?
Adventure • Budget • Nature
Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to reach me out on Instagram @evarios14 if you have any question, feedback or just want to connect!
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