Puerto Escondido
	MedToGo Related Articles: Making Phone Calls Driving in Mexico Traveler’s Diarrhea Knowing the Law Mexico Beach Water Advisory Underwater Currents Sunburn & Sun Safety

Located 190 miles south of Oaxaca City, the journey to Puerto Escondido will take travelers through mountains into a tropical descent to some of the best beaches in Mexico. What 30 years ago was only a row of thatched huts and deserted beaches has grown into one of Mexico’s hottest destinations. Puerto Escondido is a vacation spot for younger travelers; the beaches are filled with a diverse crowd of surfers and backpackers who come to take on some fairly rough and large waves. The mood here is mellow and the pace slow and characterized by vegetarian restaurants and surfing championships.

As a surfing mecca with wave peaks comparable to those in Hawaii, Puerto Escondido and nearby Zipolite (famed also for nude sunbathing) are also dangerous for swimmers. People die here every year, and Zicatela Beach, with its shifting sandbars, is especially hazardous. Exclusively for surfing, Zicatela is the only beach with lifeguards. Red flags are used to warn of bad weather and other dangers and should be respected. Prime surf season is during the rains, from May to October, when hurricanes are also more common.

Puerto Escondido’s popularity with young revelers and surfers has spurred unchecked development, as well as—on a positive note—an international airport and better, cleaner restaurants. The large presence of drugs in Zipolite and Mazunte (well known for its sea turtle sanctuary) may make the atmosphere unappealing to families and older travelers.