Huatulco

Nine bays and 36 beaches on Oaxaca's Pacific coast: an eco-planned resort area with snorkelling in national park bays and coffee plantations.

Huatulco lies on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. In the 1980s, Mexico's National Tourism Fund (FONATUR) planned it as an eco-resort: nine bays and more than 30 beaches line some 35 km of coast, and the five western bays belong to Huatulco National Park. Development is low-key overall, with clear water and abundant coral reefs. Visitor activity centres on three areas: the service town of La Crucecita (restaurants, a market and budget lodging), Santa Cruz Bay with its tour-boat marina, and Tangolunda Bay, where the all-inclusive resorts are concentrated. The classic outing is a boat tour of the nine bays, snorkelling at bays such as Maguey, La Entrega and San Agustín and eating grilled fish at palapa restaurants. Inland, you can visit the coffee plantations of Pluma Hidalgo and the Copalitilla waterfalls, raft the Copalita River, or tour the Copalita Eco-Archaeological Park. Nov–Apr is the dry season, with clear skies and the best sea conditions, and whales can be seen Dec–Mar; Jun–Oct is the rainy season, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms and a hurricane risk in Sep–Oct. Huatulco International Airport has direct flights to Mexico City (about 1 hour) and North America; by car it's about 5–6 hours from Oaxaca City. About 50 km west along the coast, villages such as Mazunte and Zipolite are on the way to Puerto Escondido. Allow 4–6 days.

Top sights

• Huatulco National Park – A marine and terrestrial national park established in 1998, covering five pristine bays and dry tropical forest. It is the core area for bo…
• Playa La Entrega – A coral reef shallows beside Santa Cruz Bay, where you can snorkel just a few meters from shore. It is named after 1831, when independence…
• Bahía Santa Cruz – Huatulco's tour boat dock and town beach, where bay tours, fishing trips, and cruises depart. Seaside chapel and restaurants nearby.
• Bahía Tangolunda – Huatulco's largest bay and upscale resort zone, with all-inclusive hotels and a golf course stretched along a long beach.
• Bahía Maguey – A bay inside the national park that can be reached by car, with palapa seafood restaurants behind the beach. A top choice for snorkeling an…
• La Crucecita – Huatulco's everyday town center, where a plaza is lined with shade trees, a church has a giant ceiling mural, and the evening food stalls a…
• Bufadora de Huatulco – A natural blowhole where waves surge into rock crevices and shoot up plumes of water with a booming roar. Tour boats often stop to watch.
• Pluma Hidalgo Coffee Farms – A coffee town in the Sierra Madre del Sur at about 1,300 meters, with century-old estates where you can see the full process from coffee ch…
• Bahía El Órgano – A pristine, undeveloped little bay beside Bahía Maguey with clear, calm water, reachable only by boat or a forest trail on foot.
• Bahía Cacaluta – A heart-shaped, unspoiled bay in the national park, backed by mangroves and dunes, with snorkeling around the islet at its mouth.
• Bahía Chachacual – A pristine bay in the national park reachable only by boat, with two small beaches separated by headlands. The quietest stop on any bay tou…
• Bahía San Agustín – A fishing-village bay at the westernmost end of the Nine Bays, with extensive reefs and calm water. Locals consider it the best snorkeling…
• Bahía Chahué – The bay closest to town, within walking distance of La Crucecita, with a yacht marina and beach clubs. Its wide sand is ideal for strolls a…
• Copalita Eco-Archaeological Park – A pre-Hispanic archaeological park near the Copalita River mouth, with forest trails linking temples, a ballcourt, and a seaside lookout.
• Bahía Conejos – A quiet bay east of Tangolunda, made up of small beaches separated by headlands, ideal for visitors who want to escape the hotel crowds.
• Playa La Bocana – A long beach at the mouth of the Copalita River, with strong surf that makes it Huatulco's surfing spot. Seafood palapas line the sand.
• Copalita River Rafting – Rubber-raft trips down the Copalita River through the canyon. Rapids are thrilling in the rainy season and gentle enough for families in th…
• Cascadas Mágicas de Copalitilla – A cluster of more than ten waterfalls and pools in the mountain forest, with swimming, horseback riding, and suspension bridges. A popular…
• Hagia Sofia Agro-Ecological Park – A private tropical garden and orchard at the foot of the mountains, with guided walks among orchids, butterflies, and birds, swimming in th…

Where to eat

• Terra Cotta Restaurant – The most-reviewed restaurant in La Crucecita, on the ground floor of the Misión de los Arcos boutique hotel; the breakf…
• El Sabor de Oaxaca – A family-run Oaxacan restaurant opened in 1994 beside the central square, where you can sample several moles, tlayudas…
• Rocoto Restaurant – La Crucecita's best-reviewed dinner spot, run by chef Claudia Jordán. The seafood fusion menu is served in a small room…
• El Grillo Marinero – Long-running seafood spot founded in 1991 by the couple known as 'Mrs. Pola'. It serves only seafood, with squid ink oc…

Itineraries

• Oaxaca City to the Pacific Coast – Cross the mountains from Oaxaca City to the ocean, connecting Puerto Escondido, Mazunte, and Huatulco.