Puerto

Puerto
Escondido isn’t
Mexico‘s best-kept secret. Surfers have washed up on Zicatela
Beach for years, drawn by the barreling Mexican pipeline. And yet
it’s far enough off the beaten track – accessible only by domestic
flights or a six-hour drive from Oaxaca
City – that crowds are few and travellers, often from within
Mexico,
come with the intention of getting away from it all.

The town of Puerto (as the locals say) was only established in
the 30s. At the turn of the 20th century, it was just a small
village intermittently used to ship coffee. And it would be six
decades before Highway 200 joined the dots between Oaxaca’s coastal
towns, causing the population to creep above a few hundred.

Today, free-spirited types are drawn by bohemian vibes and
unspoiled bays lined with palapas serving cool Corona with crunchy
chapulines. But there’s also a flourishing creative scene and
socially conscious, eco-friendly hotels that are making waves far
bigger than those Pacific breaks.

Set off on day trips to coffee plantations and chi-chi Huatulco.
Visit Manialtepec for horseback rides through the jungle or
easy-going Mazunte – all yoga retreats, whitewater rafting and
stripping off at Playa Zipolite, Mexico’s most famous nudist beach.
Return for impromptu beach parties and night markets fuelled by
mole, mezcal and fish tacos dripping with salsa. This is living.