Mazunte travel Oaxaca coast | What to do in Mazunte
Mazunte travel Oaxaca coast was for us the highlight of the Mexican coast. It is stunning and undiscovered, with a lot of laid back beach towns stretching along the Pacific coast. It’s off the beaten track and it’s not packed with tourists like some other beach areas in Mexico.
You asking yourself what to do in Mazunte? Don’t worry, you won’t get bored! Oaxaca coast is known for its golden sandy beaches, mysterious lagoons, and waves that can hypnotize.
Which area to choose?
Oaxaca coast has 3 main areas to choose from: very popular surf town Puerto Escondido, laid back beach villages Mazunte (hippie yoga town), San Agustinillo (very small and chill village), Zipolite (nude friendly beach town) and the resort zone of Huatulco. We were a bit confused about which beach town to visit, in the end, we decided that we travel to Mazunte on the Oaxaca coast.
Mazunte is a hippie laid back paradise, here, you will find an authentic Mexican beach town experience, that’s for sure! Imagine a golden sand beach with green hills in the back, local ladies selling homemade fish tacos, surf lovers, locals selling roasted peanuts, dogs chilling with you on the beach and the waves smashing on the rocks nearby. All of this is Mazunte.
There are plenty of things you can do in Mazunte, you also have some good local food and nice places to stay.
*Read also: Bacalar Lagoon Mexico
What to do – Mazunte travel Oaxaca coast
Chill on the beach
This is the number one activity to do here, relax on the beach and forget the outside world. You have 2 main beaches in Mazunte town – Playa Mazunte and Playa Rinconcito, both of them are nice but we preferred Playa Rincocito. Just keep in mind that the currents can be strong in this area, watch the flags that locals put, green will tell you that its safe to swim. Still, be aware and careful.
Take a walk to San Agustinillo
San Agustinillo is only a 10-minute walk away from Mazunte, its a small fishing village, even smaller and more chilled than Mazunte. We walked there one day, it was super hot but the walk was nice and easy, you cant get lost.
We spend one afternoon there and we loved it! It was only us and another group of people on the beach, the waves were more manageable than in Mazunte. I think that next time we will stay in San Agustinillo for a while.
Watch the sunset at La Punta Cometa
La Punta Cometa is a very popular place to watch the sunset from, actually, I don’t think you will find a better place to watch it in Mazunte area. From the main beach, you will have to walk approx. 20 minutes uphill, it will be hot but its all worth it! Don’t forget to bring water and mosquito spray. We were using Sawyer product insect repellent.
Do some yoga
If you love yoga we have good news for you: yoga is quite big in Mazunte. You will find yoga retreats, yoga classes or silent yoga and meditation retreats. You also have events like an ecstatic dance.
Visit the turtle museum
Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga (Mexican turtle center) opened its door back in 1994. There you can learn about the history of the turtle’s industry you can also see the work and dedication from the locals, trying to save them. You will also see a lot of turtles of many varieties. The entrance fee is MXN 35 (1,6€;1,8$) per person.
Where to stay – Mazunte travel Oaxaca coast
You have a lot of hotels and hostels in Mazunte area, all the way from Playa Rinconcito down to San Agustillino. We did our booking in advance on the internet, we were staying just next to Playa Mazunte, in a place called La Luciernaga Hostal. We had a private hut with a shared bathroom and a simple breakfast included – we paid MXN 210 (9,7€:10,7$)each.
Where we ate – Mazunte travel Oaxaca coast
You have a lot of restaurants to choose from and you can find good quality, fresh seafood – we ate a delicious shrimp burger for MXN 100 (4,6€;5$). If you are on a budget like us, we recommend checking the prices in restaurants before you enter.
Mostly, we were eating in the center of Mazunte but we soon realized that the food there was quite expensive, we were used to cheaper prices in other parts of Mexico. After two days we found out that local ladies cook their homemade food and they sell it every day, along the main road. So since then, we ate out dinners there, it was fresh and delicious.
How to move around – Mazunte travel Oaxaca coast
The cheapest way is with a local collectivo or pasajero (a shared van). It’s actually a pickup truck, covered at the back with benches inside. They run all over the main road that connects all the beach cities in the area. You will notice them during the day, they pass by quite frequently, usually every 30 minutes or so.
Just wait on the side of the road, wave, jump in the back, and pay when you get off. You will sit in the back with other passengers, more the passengers, more stops.
If you are not in this kind of transportation you can still go with the taxi, it is more expensive but much more comfortable. Maybe you even find other travelers going in the same way and you can share it!
Was travel to Oaxaca coast really the highlight of our Mexican coast?
Yes, Oaxaca was for us the highlight of the Mexican coast. It s clean, not packed with tourists and most importantly authentic. We loved how the locals take care of the area, they are the reason everything is so clean and nice.
We only regret that we didn’t stay there longer, we saved the last weeks of our travel for the praised and famous Yucatan area, with high expectations of course. Anyway, the Pacific coast is a paradise, compared with the overcrowded Yucatan area and we will come back for sure.
