On Mexico’s Pacific Coast, you’ll learn that paradise comes in the form of beaches that let you see the bottom of the sea and its abundant life as if you were looking through a glass cleaned with a full bottle of Windex.
To see this with your own eyes come to the bays of Huatulco (pronounced Wah-TOOL-coh), in the state of Oaxaca: nine bays with 36 beaches, of which around 60% are virgin, some accessible only via boat or kayak.
Huatulco is a “How didn’t I come here before” place, an excellent alternative to the usual seaside destinations of Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta.
Below I list 10 beaches I visited (as in being there rather than “Look at them from a boat”), including my favourites, the not-so-favourites, the best for swimming, snorkelling, or feeling like Tom Hanks in Cast Away.
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Table of Contents
How to Get Around Huatulco
The best way to get around Huatulco is by taxi. They’re the most common way of transportation around the town and the bays, with beyond reasonable fees, especially if you ride the colectivos (shared taxis).
You’ll find them everywhere and you can even book them for an entire day.
If you stay in downtown La Crucecita (the best option to experience the local culture and hang around the lively square at night) you’ll find taxis de sitio (official taxi stands) in the main square (Parque Central or zócalo) with posted fees to all the sites.
You can also take colectivos to the beaches from Plaza El Madero (two blocks away from the main square).
Of course, you can pay more and have a taxi for yourself.
If you prefer to stay right on the beach or closer to it, there are many hotels and resorts in Huatulco to choose from, with taxi stations on-site or nearby.
Boat Tours of Huatulco Bays
Boat rides are always fun and on this one, you’ll enjoy a panoramic view of the bays and the big rock formations, and possibly visit some of the more remote beaches that may be only accessible by boat.
We went to the Terminal Marítima (the port) located in Santa Cruz Bay to board a 7-bay boat tour along Huatulco’s National Park. It included two stops to spend some time at San Agustín and Riscalillo beaches.
You can also rent a private boat to take you wherever you want and stay as long as you want, or you can book a bilingual tour online.
Riscalillo Beach
This is one of my favourite beaches in Huatulco. Its white sand, turquoise colours, barely-there waves, and gentle slope make it a paradise for swimming.
It’s also a good spot for snorkelling, with crystal clear waters and an abundance of marine life inhabiting the extensive coral reef. The surrounding forest will be a delight for birders.
This used to be a virgin beach with only a few umbrellas and chairs for rent and accessible by boat, my favourite kind. Now they have a few seafood restaurants on-site and can also be accessed via a dirt road.
I’m not thrilled about it because it brings more crowds and damage to the reef, but it’s still a good option if you don’t want to deal with hordes of beachgoers.
San Agustin Beach
A long beach with gentle waves, fine sand, blue colours, a nice view of huge rocks on the horizon, and a gazillion restaurants and vendors. Too many, I would say.
The natural conditions are great for swimming and snorkelling as you’ll see tons of fish, but it can get too crowded with boats, jet skis and banana boats speeding around. Visit in the middle of the week for a better experience.
Walk to the other end of the beach if you want a slightly less crowded environment.
I came here by boat, but you can also arrive by car or bus/taxi.
La Entrega Beach
A small beach with crystal clear water and beautiful colours where you’ll have a better experience if you visit in the morning on a weekday as it can get too crowded (less than Santa Cruz though, which is total chaos).
The best thing about La Entrega is that you can rent kayaks and explore small virgin beaches nearby with amazing snorkelling (the best in Huatulco!) and way fewer people. More on that next, keep reading.
Lover’s Beach (Playa del Amor)
Another favourite. No vendors, no facilities, no crowds. Nothing else but soft sand and I can’t believe it’s real tiny beach that you can reach only by boat or kayak (we rented one at La Entrega Beach).
It’s one of the best snorkelling spots in Huatulco, with large schools of fish and healthy corals. We saw two big turtles and a small shark feeding on another shark.
There’s a little cave nearby that is fun to explore and some fun rock formations to look at.
If you want to know where it is, look for Fandango Beach (in Santa Cruz Bay) on the map. Lover’s Beach is in the next cove, paddling south. Be aware that there’ s another Lover’s Beach in Zipolite and nearly everything you’ll find online refers to that one.
Los Compas Beach
Another virgin beach you’ll find on the next cove north of La Entrega from where we accessed it on a kayak. It’s beautiful, but not as isolated as Lover’s Beach because you can swim to it from La Entrega.
Still good though, as you can get away from the crowds next door, and snorkelling is great.
Tangolunda Beach
Out of all the non-virgin beaches we visited, this one is my pick. It’s a scenic, gorgeous, long beach with fine sand, big rocks across the beach sticking out of the ocean, and clear water that lets you see the fish that come right to the shore.
When we went we found undertow in some areas, with strong waves that tossed us in the sand at times like bowling pins, with big loud splashes. I find it fun but you may not, so you may have a better time when the water is calmer.
The area is occupied by big chain resorts. If the occupancy is high there may not be chairs and umbrellas available for rent (this was our case). We walked until the very end and found shade under some big rocks.
You can also buy a day pass if they’re available, where food and drinks are included, as well as the use of the facilities. Or you can stay at one of the resorts in Tangolunda.
Don’t miss the east part – separated from the main beach by huge rocks- with fewer people, but stronger waves. We walked around the rocks when the tide was low but had to climb over them on the way back. You’ll have an excellent view from the top.
We got here by taking a colectivo from La Crucecita that dropped us in front of the Royal Huatulco entrance from where we walked towards the water.
Chahue Beach
This blue flag beach is great to take long walks. The bay is more open, with strong waves and rip current in several spots. Beautiful, but not the best for swimming, which also makes it less crowded.
If you come here at the right time you’ll be able to see the release of baby turtles into the sea.
It’s only a few minutes by car from downtown La Crucecita.
Santa Cruz Beach
This is one of the most popular beaches in Huatulco, especially for families with kids as the water is calm like a pool, sheltered by an enclosed bay.
You can walk to it from downtown and join the hordes of people who also come to the many restaurants and bars that set up their tables and chairs right up to the water.
It’s the one I liked the least.
If you’re looking for calm waters and easy access Santa Cruz beach is an option.
If you’re looking for relaxation and some enjoyment other than the two things I mentioned in the previous line, go somewhere else.
Cacaluta Beach
This is a virgin beach and a highlight of our visit to Huatulco Bays.
We took a taxi to the Binniguenda Hotel. We were supposed to find nearby a supposed entrance to a supposed eight-kilometre trail through the jungle of the Huatulco National Park that would take us to Cacaluta.
With an imaginary hat on my head, à la Indiana Jones, I fantasized about coming out of the jungle to land triumphantly on a stretch of sand that, according to myself and no one else, was never stepped on.
We started walking along the winding, hilly main road following a hand-drawn map we saw at our guesthouse until we found a trailhead with no sign. Some people who arrived at the site told us that the trail would lead to El Organo, another virgin beach great for snorkelling, 15 minutes away.
At this point we gave up finding the mysterious passage and, with my imaginary hat quickly fading, we decided to stay on the main road.
Although this was far less adventurous than the Indy plan in my head, seeing plenty of birds kept us entertained along the way. Bahias de Huatulco National Park is home to more than 250 species of resident and migratory birds.
One hour later we found the trailhead of the Sendero Sanate, a two-kilometre trail from the main road to Cacaluta Beach. A guard wrote down our names and gave us directions so we would end up at the beach and not at the foot of the mountain (basically, turn left at the fork).
Off we went on a 40-minute walk through the flat, beautiful, shady, wide trail where we continued to enjoy the sights of different birds. You may encounter deer, wild boars, snakes, anteaters, and jaguarundis.
Towards the end, the sound of the ocean getting louder built up my excitement. After walking past a small shack where a family sells some refreshments (open during high season only) we walked our way up on a dune and then…gasp!… my imaginary Indiana Jones hat reappeared in all its glory.
A long stretch of pristine, unspoiled beach was right in front of me. Yay!
If the landscape looks familiar but you’ve never been here you’re not having a déjà vu. You may have watched Y Tu Mamá También, a 2001 movie by Alfonso Cuarón. This was one of the filming locations.
Cacaluta has a raw feeling to it. We stayed here a few hours and, at times, we were the only two souls taking a long walk on the beach with no one else around.
Boats would come sporadically (very few would disembark) and then kept sailing away, to our delight. No loud music to muster the sound of the ocean. No vendors. Nothing.
And no shade. If bringing an umbrella isn’t an option, arrive early in the morning. Bring enough water, a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and mosquito repellant.
The beach gods may be on your side and bless you with gentle waves. This wasn’t our case as we found a strong current. I mean strong.
When we arrived Andre got in the water and it wasn’t that bad. I tried to do so later (I feel very comfortable in the ocean, even in strong waves) but the current was so bad that I didn’t go beyond the shore. If your main goal is to get in the water, be aware that you may not be able to do so. You also have to deal with a steep slope.
We retraced our steps through the trail, went back to the main road and walked to Maguey Bay.
In short, this is the beach to get away from it all. Ask a taxi to drop you at the gated entrance and either arrange for a pickup at a specific time or walk from there to Maguey, from where you have more chances to find another taxi.
Maguey Bay
Maguey is a scenic spot thanks to the mountain’s long arms stretching into the sea forming a deep cove that shelters the bay from strong waves.
Combine this with crystal clear water and you’ll have an excellent spot for a pleasant swim and good snorkelling.
You’ll find restaurants and equipment rental and a lot of people, especially during weekends and holidays. Walk to the opposite end of the restaurants to find a quieter spot.
We got here walking on the main road from Cacaluta Beach but you can take a taxi from town. To go back, there are colectivos (shared taxis) from the taxi stand on site.
Cancun vs. Huatulco
Which one is better? Cancun? Huatulco?
It depends on what you’re looking for.
The Huatulco Bays area is not nearly as commercialized as Cancun (yet). You can find some resorts, but they haven’t taken over the place (and hopefully never will). It’s smaller, there are no mega malls, and it still has that town-ish vibe that lets you savour the local culture. It’s more relaxed and it feels more like a beach town.
Huatulco is great for nature lovers. The beaches are as beautiful as in Cancun, and more scenic as you have the mountains in the background and the big rocks sticking out of the ocean everywhere. You can find tiny virgin beaches created by the coves in the bays.
Cancun, on the other hand, offers you more options regarding day trips that involve visits to amazing archaeological sites, the cenotes (sinkholes where you can swim), fancy bars and restaurants, nightlife, music shows and water parks. It has more “touristy” things.
And of course, you’ll find a myriad of all-inclusive resorts where you spend your entire vacation in a bubble.
From Huatulco, you can visit Oaxaca City and all its wonders, but it’s a long bus ride so it can’t be done in a day trip.
There you have it. You decide which ones are pros and which ones are cons.
How to Get to Huatulco
The best option is to fly to the Bahías de Huatulco International Airport (HUX) from Mexico City, a one-hour flight. You may find seasonal direct flights from major cities in Canada and the United States.
If you’re coming from Oaxaca City you can take the ADO bus to the Bahías de Huatulco terminal in La Crucecita. The trip is around eight hours.
You could also take ADO from Mexico City (the Platino buses are super comfortable), but we’re talking about a bus trip longer than 12 hours. That’s too long for me, but you may be fine with it.
For schedules and costs check www.ado.com.mx.
Next time you dream of laying down on a virgin beach, or seeing multicolour fish on a snorkelling trip while frolicking on turquoise waters, put Huatulco on your destination list. With 36 beaches to choose from and a relaxed vibe, you’ll find your version of paradise. Share this post with beach lovers who are planning to dip their toes in the sand. They’ll thank you for it!
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BOOKING FLIGHTS AND ACCOMMODATIONS
Book your flight without losing your shirt
We check Momondo to find great deals to book our flights. Also, check Great Escape: it combines the listings from Expedia, Kiwi, Kayak, (and Skyscanner on the premium service) to find the best airfares.
To find a place to stay for less
Booking.com: you’ll find any type of property you can think of in their massive listing, with one of the most comprehensive filters. We’ve found great deals on boutique hotels, apartments, and private rooms in hostels.
Hotwire: the first site I check when we plan to stay at a hotel for a few nights. You can save anything from 20% to 60%. Use the search filter to find what you want and you’ll end up with three listings that match your criteria. You’ll know which one you’ll get after you book. If you can handle a little bit of uncertainty you can score big savings.
House Sitting: you take care of people’s pets and house for free while staying for free. It’s the closest thing to experiencing a place “like a local”. But it comes with responsibilities… Are you an animal lover? It may become your new way to travel.
To get travel insurance
SafetyWing: travel medical insurance that gives us peace of mind knowing that we’re covered in case of emergency. It’s convenient, affordable, and suitable for digital nomads who spend a long time outside their home country.
Check the full list of travel resources on my Resource Page for more options and savings
These pictures are beautiful. I’m sure that it should be the same or better visiting them. I just put them on my bucket list. Thanks!
You’re welcome! Enjoy Huatulco.