Puerto escondido, Oaxaca: A surfer's paradise in Mexico.

We flew from Madrid to Mexico City, which was the official starting point of our route. We rented a van and began our surfing, tourism and leisure trip along the coast of Oaxaca, which had as its final destination the paradise of Mexican surfing. After spending a few days visiting the monuments, the churches and cathedrals, the art galleries, the impressive Ethnobotanical garden and other wonders that we found in the city of Oaxaca, located relatively close to Mexico City, we took our van and started our way. driving on the Mexican coastal roads in the direction of one of the most mythical meccas of Surf : Puerto Escondido.

Puerto Escondido, which is located in the south of Mexico and bathed by the waters of the Pacific, has gained a lot of popularity since the 90s. The tourism that most welcomes this city is made up mainly of Mexican tourists, but in recent years, the city is also receiving a lot of foreign tourism, which is not surprising; as soon as we got there we were impressed to see such a wild landscape and vegetation in such a populated environment.

A few years ago, the quality of the rights and lefts that the waters of this coastal town in Mexico contained began to be discovered, but it was difficult to turn the place into a regular surf destination, since the terrain was still extremely virgin and surfers they had to deal with countless numbers of insects, snakes, and sharks. Due to the boom of globalization, digitization and complete access to everything, Puerto Escondido has stopped being so much, and is now a much more frequented place and the sea, the home of many local and foreign surfers . The famous waves on the beaches of Puerto Escondido have turned this town, initially known only to a few, into a sacred home to which surfers from all over the world come.

When we arrived, we found a beach with fine and soft sand, and emerald waters, almost transparent that stretched along 25 kilometers of sand, and it was found in a relaxed atmosphere in which everyone The world seemed to be in a good mood. It's hard not to be when the sun is caressing you, it's hot, you're not in a hurry and you're in front of one of the most famous surfing spots in history.

We found the night life, food, restaurants and people to be spectacular. We tried the whiting, a dish that pleasantly surprised us, because far from the association that we had with this fish, we found ourselves before a fried empanada stuffed with fish. We also tasted the octopus tacos, the sailfish and we drank the typical drink of the area - in addition to the well-known mezcal - which is called Cocol and is made with rum, milk and coconut water: too sweet for our taste, but yummy!

Our goal was to ride the waves of La Zicaleta, a mythical beach three kilometers long. Its sandy bottom, the wave that is generated is monumental, fast and perfect for us.

The waves of La Zicaleta have seen surfing riding them, and they have hosted some of the most important events of the Big Wave Tour. We spent several days on the Zicaleta beach, as this is where the most impressive waves are found, which sometimes reach 6 meters in height. Our daily routine was mainly based on getting up early, running into the water, spending the whole morning catching waves and going out to eat, every day at one, at the restaurants in the area. In the afternoons we would surf until the sun began to go down and then we would get out of the water again, and we would sit on the sand, watching the sunsets on the Pacific shore, which, for us, are the most beautiful.

In addition to Zicaleta, we decided to visit some more beaches to get to know the area better. We toured Carrizalillo beach, which we consider perfect for learning to surf, as the waves are slow and long, and this allows you to better manage your route. In addition, this beach is tiny and cozy, it goes practically unnoticed. We had to work hard to get access to it.

It has a closed semicircle shape and fine sand. Here, in addition to surfing, we dedicate ourselves to doing another of the activities that we are most passionate about: diving!

THINGS TO DO IN PUERTO ESCONDIDO BESIDES SURFING:

In addition to eating, resting and doing a lot of surfing, we discovered that in Puerto Escondido there are plenty of very interesting and fun activities to do.

• Escobilla Beach:

We had never seen a turtle hatch out of its shell and go instinctively towards the sea. At Playa Escobilla we saw, along the entire sandy terrain, hundreds of turtles hatch and go to take their first bath in the sea. We loved surfing, but seeing this spectacle of nature in first person and live we cannot change it for anything.

• Manzanillo Beach:

Although it is quite busy, this beach is ideal for diving due to its calm and crystalline waters, and a shallow bottom with good visibility that allows you to see the marine biodiversity that this place has to offer.

WHERE TO STAY IN PUERTO ESCONDIDO

A good thing about Puerto Escondido is that there are several types of accommodation; from hotels, to hostels, houses for groups and even rooms and shared houses.

We stayed at the hotel Santa Fe, very nice, near Zicaleta, with views of the sea and beautiful facilities, although we also considered staying at the Hotel Selina Puerto Escondido, which is also located on Zicaleta Beach and has very complete facilities.

We also found

Vivo Resorts and Villas Carizalillo very good options, but they were a bit far from the area where we wanted to spend most of our time.

On the other hand, if you are on a tight budget and want to spend your days near Zicaleta, we recommend the Hotel Zanzibar. The facilities are humble but cozy and offer the basic and necessary services to be comfortable and not miss anything.

If you prefer to stay in small houses or bungalows, a good recommendation is the “hotel” Bungalows Zicaleta. The complex has a swimming pool and a restaurant inside, and acquaintances of ours who have visited it affirm that the service is charming and that the experience there was excellent.

WHERE TO EAT IN PUERTO ESCONDIDO?

Costeñito Cevichería:

In this restaurant they have a spectacular ceviche offer in terms of quality and presentation. They usually accompany it with thin roasted and slightly dehydrated potatoes, which are not crunchy, but they are not very soft either, with spices and a special flavor, even more so when you have just returned from surfing. The amounts of food they serve are generous, but it's impossible not to eat it all!

The Little Cafe:

We had breakfast several days in this cafeteria where the fruit was always fresh and there was a lot of variety, and the dishes they served were, once again, quite copious: they offered "Huevos Oaxaqueños" which was a combination of eggs with sauce tomato and cheese to which could be added, as an accompaniment, beans, tortillas or "tortilla" potatoes. A good way to start the day: with a good breakfast.

Coco Fish Zicaleta:

In this restaurant, the dish we liked the most was the octopus, accompanied with rice, salad and fruit: simply delicious, and very close to our surf spot and hotel.

Espadin Restaurant:

The day we were diving at Playa de Carrizalillo, we were very lucky to find this site. We found it perfect to have a drink as night fell. The restaurant was beautiful, and the views were even more so.

WHEN IS THE BEST DATE TO GO

Although the temperature is good throughout the year, since the minimum temperatures are around 26 degrees and the maximum temperatures are 30. But the months of June, August and September are usually quite rainy, so we recommend going to the beach between November and April, since the sun shines practically every day and the conditions for surfing are ideal.

Once again, our trip left a very good taste in our mouths and, once again, the desire to repeat it. We keep a little piece of Puerto Escondido, of Oaxaca, of Mexico, in our hearts, and we will dream of surfing the Pacific again until we return. We recommend that you also embark on this trip, whether it be for surfing, diving, for the cultural and artistic offer, or simply for resting and having a Cocol by the sea.