Puerto Escondido: Surfing, Beaches and Regional Cuisine

Puerto Escondido offers several starting points for planning a trip: beaches with different activities, recreational fishing, regional cuisine, and shopping. If you are looking for a hotel, you can first consider which of these interests you want to shape your stay. This turns the general idea of a beach destination into a more specific selection of themes for your trip.

Distinguish between beaches and activities

Playa Zicatela is suitable for surfing; waves there occasionally reach heights of up to six meters. On June 9, 2025, Playa Carrizalillo and Playa Manzanillo were described as suitable for swimming and various water sports. Both beaches are also suitable for freediving. Recreational fishing is possible at Playa Principal, including for sailfish, dolphinfish, marlin, and roosterfish.

The beaches therefore offer different focal points: surfing is associated with Playa Zicatela, freediving with Carrizalillo and Manzanillo, and recreational fishing with Playa Principal. The description of Carrizalillo and Manzanillo as suitable for swimming and water sports is dated June 9, 2025. If you are planning your trip around a particular activity, you can take these differences into account rather than treating the coast as a single, uniform beach offering.

Market, cuisine, and shopping

The Mercado Turístico de Zicatela is located right by the sea. A description dated August 16, 2023, mentions more than 100 vendors. The offerings listed there include food, handicrafts, clothing, regional products, and organically grown fruit and vegetables. The range of vendors and offerings may change. The market thus combines culinary interests with handicrafts and everyday shopping.

Beyond any one market, Puerto Escondido offers a wide selection of seafood and regional cuisine. The tourist Andador adds a variety of shopping options; individual shops and vendors may change. Together, the cuisine, market, and Andador provide a different way to experience the destination than its beach activities. If food or shopping is important to you, you can also take these aspects into account when choosing where to stay.

Culture and nature nearby

One specific cultural event from the recent past is Guelaguetza del Mar 2025. The event took place on November 22 at Playa Zicatela beach and featured music, dance, and twelve delegations from the region, as well as invited delegations. This information refers to the 2025 edition; if a possible future edition is relevant to your travel plans, check its date separately.

Near Puerto Escondido is Laguna de Manialtepec, where bioluminescence can be observed. Alongside activities on the beaches, visitors can therefore choose to experience a natural phenomenon nearby or a cultural event with a specific date in the past.

Plan your arrival and hotel choice

As of June 9, 2025, Puerto Escondido was connected via its airport to four domestic destinations and one international destination: Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, Aeropuerto Internacional Felipe Ángeles, and Houston. Airlines operating these routes included Viva, Aeroméxico, Volaris, and United Airlines, among others. Since flight routes are subject to change, check them again before your trip.

The market, regional cuisine, and tourist Andador offer a different focus. Consider which of these aspects matters most to you before comparing hotels in Puerto Escondido. This will help tailor your search to the stay you have planned, without grouping different beaches and activities into a single focus.

Discover more destinations: La Luz, San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya, Tlalixtac De Cabrera, San Antonio De La Cal, Santa María Tonameca, Santa María Colotepec, Villa De Tamazulapam Del Progreso, Oaxaca De Juárez.

For the overview of the wider region: Oaxaca.