Puerto Escondido Things to Do

Playa Zicatela is the surfers beach.
It´s also a very long beach with lot´s of space if you like to be alone and sun tan.
It´s wider and longer than the other beaches around Puerto Escondido and many people love it because of that.
I personally prefer the smaller and more curvy beaches, but that is just me mabye.

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Bahia Principal is the "city beach" of Puerto Escondido.
This is where you have most of the social life, the restaurants and the football games.
Some people might say it´s a little cramped, but i think it´s the nicest beach in Puerto Escondido cause i like when there is life on the beach and there certainly is there.
It´s also the beach where most of the locals hang out.

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take a cab ($3) to the other beaches...manzanillo is the one that pops into mind. it´s an oasis of clear water and you can lounge on the chairs and order drinks pretty cheaply. it gets crowded but you don´t feel like there are tons of gringo tourists. from here, there are boats that will take you out to fish or see wildlife. (see my off the beaten path tip).

You pay about $50 pesos (about $5 USD) and will be taken out on a boat far out into the water to see sea turtles. This experience was fun, although not at all what I was expecting. Once they spot a sea turtle, they will dive into the water and catch it. You then have the option to either jump out of the boat with them to see the turtle, or stay in the boat in watch. In our case, they also brought the poor thing into the boat with us and we had our pictures taken with it. Don't worry, they do let them go afterwards. :) The whole trip lasted about 30 minutes in total.

Very nice small beach - but a bit crowded during the day. I came here during the Samana Santa (spring break) and there were quite a few people which didn't make it as nice. I'm sure its more empty at different times of the year though. If you come early in the day say at 8am, its especially wonderful as its almost empty. The water is so clear and the waves were just right. You can sit wherever you want and order drinks/food like at any other beach.

Be careful if you decide to try surfing here, especially if you've never done it before - this is a a very small lagoon type beach with rocks on the sides, and one of the guys traveling with me got injured because the wave current here sent him crashing into the rocks. (This was largely due to the fact that he was new to surfing and was un-supervised though.) So just be careful!

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You can cruise through the laguna spotting the various birdlife, and for an hour or so, even for non-bird watchers it can be interesting. But then you hit the beach for the sunset you'll never forget.

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An organised tour is the only way to see the lagoon: there are 2 options - daytime (every day except Wednesdays) and the twice weekly sunset trip. If you are into bird watching, then the daytime is the one for you. If you want to see the lagoon as dusk settles in and then on to the beach (inaccessible except through the lagoon) for glorious sunsets - take this one.
You are collected from your hotel, and the trip is three hours (approx) - two spent in motorised boat going through the mangrove channels and open flood plains. You arrive at the beach with time to spare to walk along sands that seem to go on forever and watch the most stunning sunset. Speedy return to the jetty before the mossies come out to play and car or mini van (dependent on numbers) back to PE.

US$30 pp

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The beaches in PE themselves are not that exciting with the exception of Zicatela and its incredible surfing opportunities (and thus providing pretty dangerous rip tides - I saw one man swept out 300 metres in seconds - luckily the lifeguards are VERY alert on this beach as are many of the surfers themselves).

As a working beach for local fishing, the Playa Municipal is dirty and crowded although the stretch between this and Zicatela (Playa Marinero) is the most tourist frequented part. The smaller bays immediately to the west of 'downtown PE' are the most picturesque and safest for swimming but can be a bit of a drag to get to if you are staying in the eastern part.