Surfing in Puerto Escondido – Good vibes & great surf

I am writing this post while flying to Oaxaca via Mexico City. After leaving the Pacific coast we are now heading onwards into the mountains. Here we will see some, I guess, great colonial towns and impressive landscapes. All that’s great but I honestly miss Puerto Escondido already. The article surfing in Puerto Escondido will give you some tips in order to make the best of your trip.

Puerto Escondido is a charming coastal town on Mexico’s Pacific coast, in the state of Oaxaca. Originally a quiet fishing village, it has developed into one of the world’s top surf hotspots.

The town itself is situated on a hill. As you drive down, you can see the long stretch of coastline where Mother Nature has created some perfect surf spots.

Surf Spots in Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido is known for a variety of surf spots suitable for both beginners and pros. The waves on the Pacific coast are powerful and challenging, but with the right knowledge, everyone can find their perfect wave here.

Zicatela – The Mexican Pipeline

Everybody who follows surfing knows the Mexican Pipeline. This spot produces one of the biggest and fastest waves in the world. The beach has the same name as the surf spot, Zicatela.

This surf spot is just for experienced surfers and partially they even struggle with it. Broken boards and even bones are pretty normal at this beast of a wave.

So, if there are waves at Zicatela, just go out when you are really confident. I personally surfed a couple of times already but would consider myself far from being ready to surf a spot like Zicatela.

Note: You also need to be a bit suicidal when you go swimming at Zicatela. Don’t underestimate the spot, where the Pacific hits the coast with all its power.

• Difficulty Level: Advanced+ to Professional
• Type of Break: Beach break with hollow, fast waves, perfect for barrels
• Best Season: Spring to autumn
• Important Information: This spot is extremely powerful and can become dangerous quickly, so you should only venture here if you are truly experienced and feel prepared for it. Between May and October, the conditions are at their most intense, often with waves over 10 meters. Additionally, there are strong currents and riptides, making Zicatela an incredibly challenging spot.

“La Punta” – Point Break with a nice left

While surfing in Puerto Escondido you have more than one option. “La Punta” is one of them. The point break “La Punta” refers to the southernmost section of Playa Zicatela.

We have been in Puerto Escondido in the beginning of February, which is not the time for big waves. Prior to our trip I struggled to find information about the conditions in Puerto Escondido and for whom exactly the spots are suitable.

Before our trip, I found it difficult to find information on how surfing in Puerto Escondido works for different skill levels: Which spots are suitable for whom, and which spots are too challenging? Is it even worth going to Puerto Escondido if you don’t feel confident enough to surf Zicatela? A definite ‘Yes!’ to that.

At the surf spot “La Punta”, which is located directly beside Zicatela is a significantly softer point break and was great fun to surf. The swell wasn’t too big but it was great to get back into it again in preparations for surfing in Nicaragua.

More? ➳ Surfing in San Juan del Sur – 365 days offshore wind

At “La Punta” I saw many surf schools, even though I would say it’s not the classical beginner’s spot with a wide sandy beach, such as Weligama in Sri Lanka, for example.

To surf “La Punta” you need to be located close to the rocks as the long soft waves break there. After you paddled the wave you take off to the left and you will leave the section with the big rocks. When you finished riding the wave, remember there are still some rocks, so do not nose-dive into the ocean.

La Punta is a great spot for advanced beginners and intermediate surfers who made their first experience already. Even though the swell didn’t come in our week in Puerto Escondido I couldn’t get enough of the spot. You will find yourself sitting behind the lineup in between of pelicans nose-diving for fishes.

Just beside you, especially in the late afternoon, you will find fishermen with boats and also fishing with nets.

Tip: Are you planning a surf trip at the moment? Then our brand new surf preparation workout might be helpful! No more rusty shoulders – stay longer in the water! 

Note: Get up early and try to be in the water at 7 am. It will be less crowded, fewer surf instructors pushing their pupils into waves you were waiting for. Fancy a second surf in Puerto Escondido? Then after 5 pm! Beautiful scenery while the sun sets above the Pacific Ocean.

Tip: Mostly the water is nice and warm. Depending on the currents beneath the surface the temperature can be more chilly at some days. That’s why a surf rash is highly recommended.

• Difficulty Level: Advanced beginners to intermediates
• Type of Break: Point break with slower, longer waves, ideal for practicing turns and maneuvers
• Beste Season: March to October
• Important Information: La Punta is very popular with the local surf community, which means it can get quite crowded, especially on weekends and in the early mornings. The best conditions are during the dry season (November to April).

Carrizalillo – Perfect spot for beginners

Carrizalillo is the ideal spot for beginners and those looking to improve their surfing skills.

The beach is located in a sheltered cove lined with palm trees. Gentle right and left-hand waves break along the steep cliffs to the north and south of the cove.

• Difficulty Level: Beginner
• Type of Waves: Beach break with gentle and slow waves, perfect for beginners and longboarders, especially during smaller swells
• Best Time to Surf: March to October
• Important Information: To reach the beach, you need to descend a long staircase. The beach is calm and relaxed, making it an ideal spot for a laid-back surfing experience. It’s best to surf here early in the morning before the wind picks up to enjoy the optimal conditions.

Where to stay while surfing in Puerto Escondido?

The town of Puerto Escondido is busy and not that nice as we have expected. That’s why you should not spend your time there if you ask me.

Rather stay at the end of of the beach, with the surf spot “La Punta” just at your doorstep. If you wish to stay closer to the surf spot Zicatela while traveling through México, you will also find a little town with a lot of hostels as well. By the way: Here you can find also some ATMs.

Staying in “La Punta”

We just loved it here. Like a little village “La Punta” has everything you need. Two supermarkets, many restaurants, surf shops, surfboard rentals and great bars to zip some Mezcal, Corona or Victoria.

All this is located on small sandy roads, which gives the whole village a unique vibe I have never seen in my life before. Even people who are not surfing can relax here with freshly made smoothies, organic food and a vibe you will miss from the moment you sit in the bus or plane for your onward journey. But for great surfing in Puerto Escondido, you need a place to stay where you feel comfortable.

Frutas y Verduras

We stayed seven nights in Frutas y Verduras* while Surfing in Puerto Escondido and loved it.

Our room was painted with surf pictures and had a comfortable bed and a fan. Good vibes during the night as well as during the day! Normally we prefer to go swimming in the ocean and would always prefer that over a pool.

As swimming in Puerto Escondido is really dangerous and not really relaxing due to partially strong currents and powerful waves a pool is great to have. Nobody I talked to, who did not stay in Frutas y Verduras had a pool and have been kind of jealous. They just got a beer with us and chilled with us at the pool after catching some waves.

Very important to feel home is how clean a place is. Punta Paradiso, which we stayed two nights before was not clean and our first nights haven’t been too enjoyable. Frutas y Verduras is really clean and you feel that this is of great importance for the owners.

Café Ole, which belongs to Frutas y Verduras had, for us, the best breakfast in town. As well as that everything you order is delicious. My favorite: Fresh bread with peanut butter and banana. Ani’s favorite: Sweet and savory Crêpes.

💵 Prices vary depending on the room, but you can expect to pay around €80 per night. If you come with a bigger group, you can also rent the pretty badass Pool-apartment. If you stay seven nights, one’s for free! (if they haven’t changed that)

Buena Onda

In Spanish you can say “Buena Onda” for “Good Vibes”. This is what you will encounter in the hostel at “La Punta”, too. We have heard just positive things about this hostel.

Great thing here: The Cabañas where you stay in are located at the beach and you can hang out in hammocks with sand beneath your feet. We’ve met several people who stay in Buena Onda over and over again. This speaks for itself. Downside: It does not have a pool.

💵 Buena Onda is cheaper than Frutas y Verduras with roughly MX$300 (15 USD).

Punta Paradiso

As Frutas y Verduras was occupied in the first two nights we were asked to stay at the neighbors. The room was pretty much fine but just a wooden hut without a window. The fan and people here were pretty loud during the night and the facilities were quite dirty.

We did not feel very comfortable here and started enjoying Puerto Escondido as soon as we moved over to Frutas y Verduras. Other people we met and hang out with loved the “hippie” vibe there, so it always depends on what you want.

We mainly book our accommodations for our travels through Booking and have already reached Genius Level 3. This allows us to get up to 20% off participating accommodations and enjoy free room upgrades or complimentary breakfast since reaching Level 2. We can highly recommend using this platform. 🫰🏼

Are you still looking for accommodation for your Surf Trip to Puerto Escondido? Then find your favorite one here.*

Best food in La Punta, Puerto Escondido

When we look back to La Punta we see a beautiful sunset and a Corona in our hand, a surfboard and great food. To find the right places, we will share some the best we have been in.

Best breakfast – Café Ole

Café Ole belongs to the hostel Frutas y Verduras and will be found almost at the end of the street in La Punta on the left. Everything on the menu is delicious. Especially their egg variations and smoothies are a great snack after surfing or the perfect desayuno (breakfast).

Best Burritos in Puerto Escondido – Amoki

You will find the tiny restaurant just beside La Punta’s small police station. Amoki offers Hamburgers, Tacos, Pizzas and Burrito for a good price. Especially the burrito is incredible!

We have been here several times and always had a nice time. The owners are really nice, too, where you are happy to give some Pesos as a tip afterwards.

Thai food in La Punta – Lychée

The only Thai restaurant in La Punta! The location is awesome and the food good. It doesn’t taste very Thai to be honest (at least in our case) but it was really good, even though a bit more expensive than Amoki por ejemplo.

The secret Taco place – Pepe‘s Fish Tacos

Pepe does not have any signs or a menu. However, the best Tacos in the area, as a lot of locals said. Especially the fish Tacos and the vegetarian Tacos were unbelievably good.

It is located above the bar behind the fruit store and across the street from Buena Onda. At some day the restaurant is closed, so try if it’s open when you are in Puerto Escondido.

Pizza and Pasta in La Punta – Mundaka

After surfing in Puerto Escondido you are hungry, for sure. Sometimes you might just have enough Tacos, so some Pasta might be a good alternative. At Mundaka we had pasta and pizza.

The pasta was a lot better and highly recommended if you crave for something else than Tacos. Also nice is their “fruit aqua” which was refreshing and not too sweet.

The bar we don’t know the name of

At the very end of the sandy street of La Punta two guys built a great place to hang out. The music is always amazing, they offer a great variation of Mezcal and cocktails. We spent several hours here chatting with people from all over the world and philosophized about mezcal.

Things to do in Puerto Escondido (beside surfing)

If you ever need a little break from surfing, this charming town has plenty to offer besides its beautiful, tranquil beaches like Playa Carrizalillo. You can enjoy boat tours to see dolphins and turtles, take cooking classes to learn how to make Mexican specialties like mole, or explore the magical bioluminescent lagoon of Manialtepec. A yoga session might also do wonders for your sore muscles between surf sessions! 🙂

Tickets for Activities in Puerto Escondido

Important Things for Surfing in Puerto Escondido

Best Time for Surfing in Puerto Escondido

The best time for surfing in Puerto Escondido depends on your skill level.

If you’re a beginner or intermediate surfer, or if you prefer calmer conditions, the months from November to April are ideal when the waves are smaller and gentler.

For advanced surfers and professionals seeking big waves, the summer months (May to October) are perfect. During this time, the southwest swell hits the coast, creating massive waves, especially at Zicatela.

Getting to Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido has a small airport with direct flights from several cities in Mexico, including Mexico City and Oaxaca. We arrived in Puerto Escondido by plane from Mexico City.

Alternatively, you can take a bus or shuttle from Oaxaca City, which takes about 7 to 10 hours. The journey goes through the mountains and offers spectacular views, though the road can be quite winding.

Flights to Puerto Escondido

Safety in Puerto Escondido

In general, Puerto Escondido is not considered any less safe than Mexico overall.

However, you should take the usual precautions when traveling in a Central or South American country: keep your valuables secure—even at the beach—and avoid walking alone in secluded areas or on the beach at night.

Getting Around in Puerto Escondido

Getting around Puerto Escondido is straightforward.

Most travelers use taxis or “Colectivos” (shared taxis), which are affordable and quickly take you to various (surf) spots.

A small tip for taxis: always agree on the price beforehand (in Spanish: “¿Cuánto cuesta?”) to avoid any misunderstandings. 🙂

If you prefer more independence, you can rent a scooter (available daily, weekly, or monthly) or a car. Just note that the road conditions are not always the best.

Public buses are another affordable option for getting around town and exploring the surroundings.

Costs in Puerto Escondido

• Accommodation:
  • Basic hostels: 15-30 USD
  • Airbnb / hotels: 30-90 USD
    
    
• Transport:
  • Colectivo: from 0.50 USD for short trips
  • Taxi: from 3 USD for a 10-minute ride (slightly more expensive at night)
  • Scooter: from 8 USD per day
    
    
• Activities:
  • Surfboard rental: 10-15 USD per day
  • Surf session: 30-45 USD for 2 hours
  • Yoga: 6-9 USD
    
    
• Food:
  • Local food: from 3 USD
  • Western food: from 8 USD
    
    
• SIM Card:
  • Local: from 10 USD for 3 GB (e.g., with Telcel, Movistar, or AT&T)
  • eSIM: from 10 USD (e.g., Airalo)

All this should have shown that surfing in Puerto Escondido is insane. It’s a great spot on our earth you should add to your bucket list. Even if you are not into surfing you will be able to relax and enjoy yourself. La Punta, we definitely come again!

You are planning your trip to Mexico already? Then our post Preparations for backpacking in Central America will give you some great tips! You are not into waves and you read until here? Brave soul! But then better have a look at our guide on traveling through Mexico or our article about traveling Isla Holbox 🙂

_____________
Some links in this blog posts are affiliate links. This means that we receive a small commission if you book through one of the links. Of course, there are no additional costs for you.

A lot of heart and soul went into this blog. We would be incredibly grateful if, with your help, we can continue to passionately provide detailed travel information for you. Thank you <3<3<3
_____________

More salt water?

➳ You are looking for some more infos for your Mexico trip or still searching the perfect travel route through Mexico?
➳ Or are you planning to visit the surf mecca in Nicaragua – San Juan del Sur?
➳ Sri Lanka is calling? Then head over to our article about Surfing in Sri Lanka!
➳ Surfing in Northern Sumatra offers impressive waves and pristine nature. Beautiful Indonesia!
➳ If you are planning a surf trip to Europe, have a look at our article Surfing in North Spain!