Chacahua Lagoons, Oaxaca | A Travel Guide

A small, sleepy coastal village tucked away in a protected national park, surrounded by lagoons and mangroves. It's known as a great surf spot and hasn't yet been overrun by mass tourism. Life moves at a slower pace here, and you can feel it as you wander around. The sunrises are magical, and there are no real highlights or must-see attractions — and that's exactly what makes this place so beautiful. Welcome to Chacahua, Oaxaca!

How to get to Chacahua, Oaxaca?

The journey starts in Puerto Escondido, which is about 60 km along the coast. We drove to El Zapotalito.

Public transport

If you don't have a car, take a colectivo (small public bus) from Terminal TUR in Puerto Escondido to El Zapotalito. Tell the driver that you're going to Chacahua so they know where to drop you off. You'll get off at a crossroads (search for “Colectivos para Zapotalito” on Maps), from where you can take a taxi to El Zapotalito.

Once you arrive in El Zapotalito, you transfer to a boat. There are two options: boat + colectivo or boat only. We chose the boat + colectivo option. The boat takes you to Muelle Chacahua Zapotalito in a short amount of time. From there, the colectivo takes you along an unpaved road for about 45 minutes.

The other option is to make the entire journey by boat. This takes about 45 minutes and takes you through the mangrove forests to your final destination. You can choose between a private boat and a colectivo boat, which leaves once there are enough passengers.

Camping and Accommodation in Chacahua

We camped right on the sandy beach at Terra Tipi, a place run by a local family. They have rooms, plus a covered area on the beach where you can pitch your tent. There’s also a restaurant on site serving (good!) breakfast, lunch and dinner. Terra Tipi isn’t the only option, of course. Chacahua is small, but there’s a good range of accommodation, from tents on the sand to cabañas with a sea view.

Camping is the cheapest way to stay. Several places along the beach let you pitch a tent, and some offer a covered spot, which is handy if it rains or the sun is strong.

Cabañas are the most common type of accommodation. Most are simple: a bed with a mosquito net, a fan and a hammock on the porch. A few are more comfortable, with private bathrooms and better furnishings.

Hotels/hostels: Chacahua doesn’t really have hotels in the usual sense, but a few places come close. They’re more modern and design-minded, often right on the beach. For backpackers, there’s a small but growing hostel scene with dorm beds and sometimes private rooms.

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What to do in Chacahua?

Chacahua quickly became one of our favourite spots in Mexico. It still feels quiet and largely untouched by tourism, and life moves at a slow pace here, very different from Puerto Escondido or anywhere else, for that matter.

There are plenty of activities on offer, but in our experience you don’t need to do much. Walk around the village, watch the kids playing football in the sandy streets, and stop for a drink or a meal at one of the beachfront restaurants with your toes in the sand. When the day gets hot, a hammock in the shade is hard to beat.

You can also watch the surfers who paddle out from Mirador Laguna, or rent a board and give it a try yourself. Be careful, though: the waves are powerful and break frequently, so beginners should be cautious and check conditions with locals first.

The combination of the beach and the lagoon makes Chacahua an interesting place: it's surrounded by water and somewhat secluded. On one side, you have the open sea and the waves; on the other, the calm, still water of the lagoon. Moving between the two takes only a few minutes.

Climb to the lighthouse (El Faro de Chacahua) and enjoy the view over Chacahua. To get there, you first take a small boat and, a minute later, step off on the other side. It’s a short crossing, but it makes the trip feel like a little adventure. From the top, you can see how the village, the lagoon, the mangroves and the long stretch of beach all fit together.

Back on the main side, the beach stretches out far, so it’s worth taking a long walk along the coast. There’s plenty of space and it never feels crowded.

Or simply read a book on the beach and do nothing at all. In the evening, you can watch the sun set over the lagoon, when the light turns soft and the water goes quiet. Good to know  Be aware of the mosquitos, especially around sunset. Around that time they come out in big numbers, so put on repellent before the sun goes. Long sleeves and trousers help too.

An absolute must-do is to get up early and watch the sunrise. The sun rises from behind the mountains, over the sea. It’s worth setting an alarm for, even if you’re normally not a morning person. Most mornings, the dogs are playing on the beach, which adds to the local feel. It’s a peaceful start to the day, and the village is still waking up while you’re already there.

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Another special thing about Chacahua is the bioluminescence in the lagoon. The glow comes from tiny plankton in the water, which light up when disturbed. When you move your hand through the water or a boat glides across the lagoon, you leave a trail of blue-green sparks behind you. It’s best on a dark night with little or no moon.

Some places in the village organise evening boat trips, and swimming in the lagoon at night is another way to see it up close. It doesn’t happen every night, though. How strong the glow is depends on the season and the conditions, so it’s worth asking locals whether it’s been visible lately.

Our stay in Chacahua was one of the highlights of our time in Mexico. Of course, not everything was perfect. We woke up in the middle of the night in our tent because a mosquito had found its way in. Nobody had warned us about the mosquitoes, so bringing long sleeves and trousers would have been a smart idea. In April, it also got very hot, so we spent the hottest hours of the afternoon in the shade, out of the sun. But none of that took away from what made this place special. We will never forget the peaceful moments at sunrise, with the sky turning purple and orange, and we loved seeing everyday life in this small community. Chacahua is a place to slow down and take it all in, and we’d go back in a heartbeat.