Mazunte is a small beach village on the Pacific Coast in Oaxaca.
Mazunte is a quiet town located next to a small but wonderful beach. Mazunte is a common stop on the Pacific Coast Backpacker Trail. The town remains fairly typical and only has a small collection of hostels, hotels and restaurants to service tourists. Most accommodation in town is quite basic, however there are a couple of luxury places available in the hills. There are a number of restaurants near the beach serving good quality (albeit expensive) food. Mazunte has a number of small but worthy attractions including the National Mexican Turtle Centre and Natural Cosmetics Centre. The main beach is not known for surfing however skim boarding and snorkelling are common activities on the beach.
- Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga. See all varieties of sea turtle that live in Mexico and some other kinds.
- Punta Cometa. The rocks stretching into the ocean on the west side of town. From the tip of Punta Cometa you can watch both the sunrise and the sunset. There is a path up the hill along side the Alta Mira bungalows that is well signed.
- Alligators. At nearby Playa Ventanilla villagers will take you alligator watching in canoes.
- Beaches. There are a few other beaches west and east of Mazunte. You can easily reach them by foot or colectivo (M$5).
- Centro Cultural Luna Nueva. Live music and other performances.
Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga. See all varieties of sea turtle that live in Mexico and some other kinds.
Punta Cometa. The rocks stretching into the ocean on the west side of town. From the tip of Punta Cometa you can watch both the sunrise and the sunset. There is a path up the hill along side the Alta Mira bungalows that is well signed.
Alligators. At nearby Playa Ventanilla villagers will take you alligator watching in canoes.
Beaches. There are a few other beaches west and east of Mazunte. You can easily reach them by foot or colectivo (M$5).
Centro Cultural Luna Nueva. Live music and other performances.
- Solstice Yoga Center. 9 AM every day. Hatha yoga. These walk-in classes are very well explained in both Spanish and English and easy to follow for people in different levels. The room has a nice breeze and the only sound is the waves of the ocean. M$90.
- Arcades. Several arcades outside. Arcades are hacked Xboxes that play Game Boy Advanced games and other emulators and games. M$1 per 8 minutes.
- Agama Yoga Mexico. 8:30AM and 4PM. Daily drop in classes, monthly courses, meditation retreats, workshops, etc. Classes are followed by an evening talk.
- Paseo en lancha. Fishermen offer guided boat travels around the beach. You can get close to the turtles, dolphins or whales if you're lucky. M$140-180 pp.
- Swim in rock pools at Punta Cometa. There is a really nice rock pool (Jacuzzi) on the eastern side of Punta Cometa. To get there from from Playa Rinconcito, walk to the lifeguard tower and look for some stone steps heading up the hill. Walk up the steps until you reach the main path heading to the point. Turn left at the intersection and continue along the main path for about 500m until you reach a cliff edge with a path heading down to a rock pool. Head down the path and climb down the rocks to the pool. Note: there is no signposting for path down to the pool so will need to keep an eye out for it.
Solstice Yoga Center. 9 AM every day. Hatha yoga. These walk-in classes are very well explained in both Spanish and English and easy to follow for people in different levels. The room has a nice breeze and the only sound is the waves of the ocean. M$90.
Arcades. Several arcades outside. Arcades are hacked Xboxes that play Game Boy Advanced games and other emulators and games. M$1 per 8 minutes.
Agama Yoga Mexico. 8:30AM and 4PM. Daily drop in classes, monthly courses, meditation retreats, workshops, etc. Classes are followed by an evening talk.
Paseo en lancha. Fishermen offer guided boat travels around the beach. You can get close to the turtles, dolphins or whales if you're lucky. M$140-180 pp.
Swim in rock pools at Punta Cometa. There is a really nice rock pool (Jacuzzi) on the eastern side of Punta Cometa. To get there from from Playa Rinconcito, walk to the lifeguard tower and look for some stone steps heading up the hill. Walk up the steps until you reach the main path heading to the point. Turn left at the intersection and continue along the main path for about 500m until you reach a cliff edge with a path heading down to a rock pool. Head down the path and climb down the rocks to the pool. Note: there is no signposting for path down to the pool so will need to keep an eye out for it.
Cosmeticos Naturales de Mazunte operates a small storefront on the main road, just North of the first dirt road. They sell shampoo, conditioner, soaps, lotions, and natural bug repellent made from citronella oil.
Beach front palapas all have similar menus with similar prices. A good bet is to head to the one with the most people taking in the slow pace of life in Mazunte. Particularly recommended are the tlayudas, typical Oaxacan fare that cost M$25-50 and are big enough for two people. Also, try an agua fresca M$5-10, you may have to wait a while but the combination of watermelon, lemon, and water on a hot day is well worth it. Tacos are in abundance and price M$20-30 at most restaurants and less from vendors passing on the beach.
If it is just too hard to get off the beach, there are plenty of vendors that come along with homemade tamales and deep fried tacos. If you have a sensitive stomach practice caution in your choices. The boho residents also sell homemade bread and cookies and these treats are highly recommended.
- Tania, Paseo del Mazunte (at the west entrance of town. Good choice of vegetarian, meat and fish dishes.
- La dolce vita, Paseo del Mazunte. A great Italian restaurant. Their pizzas are particularly delicious.
- Sahuaro. These people really like what they do and make very good food served in a pleasant way.
If you are looking to do some cooking, there is a big vegetable shop at the edge of town on the main road just after the turtle conservation center.
Tania, Paseo del Mazunte (at the west entrance of town. Good choice of vegetarian, meat and fish dishes.
La dolce vita, Paseo del Mazunte. A great Italian restaurant. Their pizzas are particularly delicious.
Sahuaro. These people really like what they do and make very good food served in a pleasant way.
Night life is quite calm. There's some restaurants spread through town and a few places at Playa El Rinconcito sometimes have live music. It's the only part of town that can be a bit noisy some nights. There's a single club named Coco Bamboo with offers different games and musical genres. No cover charge.
Estrella Fugaz and Siddhartha, both at Playa El Rinconcito, have an espresso machine for good coffee drinks, liquados, beers, liquors, juices and sometimes live music.
The sea off the Mazunte coast is notoriously dangerous, and great care should be taken when swimming. There is a lifeguard station but it's not always manned. Undercurrents can pull unsuspecting swimmers out to sea even when the surface of the water appears calm. Drownings are not uncommon.
Mazunte is known to be safer and more calm than neighboring Zipolite but walking at night on the dark beach might still be a bad idea as muggings and rapes have happened in the past.
There are at least two internet cafés in Mazunte. Some restaurants and posadas have wifi. Connection speed is < 1MB so it can get quite slow when congested.
There is an ATM in one shop on the main road of Mazunte. If it doesn't deliver, use the ATM in Puerto Angel or an ATM or bank office in Pochutla. Cash is king. Hardly any place accepts credit cards.
If heading south, you can go to either San Augustinillo, a small village with a nice beach only five minutes walk away or Zipolite, a town famous for its nudist beach and heavy surf. If heading north, be sure to stop at Puerto Escondido, the surfing mecca of Mexico.