A Guide to Zipolite, Mexico: Naturism, Cuisine, and Relaxation

Intro

I had been traveling around Latin America, and visited a few cities so far in this Jump Traveling kind of itinerary. Medellin and Bogota in Colombia, and Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, had been my destinations so far, but I had already visited them, even multiple times in the past. Puerto Escondido, Zipolite and Mazunte, located in the Pacific coast of Oaxaca in Mexico, were all first time destinations that I was excited to get to know, and get a glimpse of their culture, and how different they were from other parts of this beautiful country.

Arriving to Puerto Escondido

I took my Viva Aerobus flight from Mexico City to Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, and it was we were able to debark from front and back of the plane. The weather was so great!

My main destination for this part of the trip was Zipolite. I was staying there for 3 nights, but the transportation from Puerto Escondido could be a little tricky.

To get to Zipolite you’ll need to fly to either Huatulco (HUX) or Puerto Escondido (PXM) and then take a taxi or bus to Zipolite. 

• Fly to Huatulco (HUX) or Puerto Escondido (PXM):
  • You’ll need to fly to one of the two nearest airports: Huatulco (HUX) or Puerto Escondido (PXM). 
• Getting from the airport to Zipolite:
  • Huatulco (HUX): Once you arrive at Huatulco airport, you can take a taxi or bus to Zipolite, which is about an hour away. 
  • Puerto Escondido (PXM): From Puerto Escondido airport, you can also take a taxi or bus to Zipolite, which is about an hour away. 

I would recommend particularly to go for Puerto Escondido airport, since this town is more develop than Huatulco, and the transportation offerings are better.

At the airport, I met this couple that I heard were going to Zipolite, so I joined them and agreed to take a taxi to that town. But first, they wanted to have lunch, since the flight had been so early and we had not had the chance to eat properly today. We went on a taxi into the Puerto Escondido center, and into a nice local restaurant, where I got fish, rice and salad.

After lunch, we grabbed a taxi not too far from the restaurant, and the price was $70 approximately, like 1,500 Mexican pesos. The ride was long, almost an hour an a half. If you take a bus the duration might even double. Zipolite is a very isolated town, but you will see why it is so famous, and even though it is far, a lot of people choose it for their vacation.

First impressions of Zipolite

We finally arrived. The taxi driver was amazing, he told us stories of this area, and how it has grown significantly in the last few years, even after the pandemic. The couple were going to stay in a nudist hotel, and I was just going to stay in Hotel Playa Zipolite which is not nudist. I was dropped off first, and immediately got to do the check in process. Went into my room and it looked really nice.

After showering again, due to the high humidity and temperature of the area, and refreshing a little bit. I took a first glimpse of the Zipolite beach. I was in shock about the rough and choppy sea with high waves. Definitely not a place to go for a swim, but maybe it was just today.

Zipolite is known for its relaxed hippie vibe, nude-friendly beaches, surfing opportunities, and a range of activities, including turtle watching and exploring nearby natural attractions. 

Beaches and Relaxed Vibe:

Playa del Amor: A gay-friendly beach, known for its relaxed atmosphere and beautiful scenery. 

Playa Zipolite: The main beach, known for its laid-back atmosphere, rustic charm, and the opportunity to experience the town’s unique culture. 

Nude-Friendly Beaches: Zipolite is famous for being Mexico’s first and only legal public nude beach, attracting a diverse crowd of travelers. 

Yes, there were naked people on the beach, but it is clothing optional, meaning you can also wearing clothing if you are not comfortable, but do not expect others to do so.

I finally went out to explore, and the town was a little bit ghostly. I went at the end of October, and I was told high season was December to February, but this was very empty so far. Maybe, most people were just escaping from the sun or on the many beaches and made the illusion of an empty place. The Calle del Adoquin is the main street full of restaurants and stores, and it is really cute. Although, this day with the sun, and the sandy wind made it look a little bit rough lol.

Zipolite Nudist Beach

On this blog I have shown other nudist or naturist beaches like:

• Gunnison Beach in New Jersey, USA
• Haulover Beach in Miami, USA
• Boy Beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts
• Cap d’Agde in Agde, France

So nudist beaches were not a surprise to me, but I do not think I had been to one in Latin America. The beach itself was beautiful, with easy access to bars and restaurants next to it, and places to hide from the sun. The water, well, like I said, it was not Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point in The Bahamas lol.

But it was definitely relaxing. I bought a lot of water and Gatorade from a convenience store, and walk all the way East to the end of the beach.

There, I spotted the famous Playa del Amor, very secluded at this time of the day, but right before sunset it gets full of people. To the left you can see the 2 spots where you can buy drinks and some snacks.

I went back to my hotel and rested again. Today, I appreciated the sunset from the beach in front of the my hotel. And every day, I would pick a different spot for this.

More people would get on the beach, next to the very choppy water, to take a glimpse of the beautiful sunset over Zipolite. It felt magical. This kind of scenarios always remind me to the time I was in Bali with my friends, and everyone would get together to see the sun set and disappear in the distance, and then applaud and rejoice over the beautiful spectacle.

Right after the sunset, I went to the restaurant located next to my hotel, Xhuba, which is kinda famous in this town. Ever since I tried the mole years and years ago in Queretaro, I have been trying to replicate that magnificent experience. Unfortunately, they did not have the chicken with mole, so I got the closest thing they had: enmoladas oaxaquenas. Let’s say I could not eat this plate in full, it was extremely spicy, even though I asked them many times.

Mazunte

The next morning I slept in, and with the friend I had met the day before, we went to Mazunte, which is the town you pass on the way from Puerto Escondido to Zipolite.

Mazunte is known for its laid-back vibe, beautiful beaches, and opportunities for nature and wildlife encounters, including turtle conservation efforts and yoga retreats. 

Beaches and Nature:

• Playa Mazunte: A quiet stretch of sand popular with surfers and beach bums. 
• Playa Rinconcito: A popular beach in Mazunte. 
• Punta Cometa: A rocky outcrop offering stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, especially at sunset. 
• Laguna Ventanilla: A lagoon known for its birdwatching opportunities and eco-tourism activities. 
• Playa Mermejita: A beach known for its fine sand and opportunities to observe wildlife. 

To get there we took a “pasajera” which is basically a truck, and paid around 20 pesos. It takes around 20 min.

The beaches are non nudist, so I think this would be a better option if you don’t want to see people’s parts around.

But we were not here to enjoy the beach, but the famous sunset spot of Punta Cometa. To get there we had to go up some stairs and pay around 10 pesos to some random people (I do not think they are legit but whatever), and walk a bit more to the end of the trail, next to the cliffs.

The view from up there was amazing. I think we could also spot Zipolite as well.

Talk about how big the Pacific Ocean is, this trail reminded me a lot of the one in Jeju Island in Korea.

And the views were amazing. We sat down on some logs, and people started swarming. We were some of the first ones to arrive, since it was still some time for sunset.

The sun started setting and the magic started happening.

More and more people would come to this spot or one a little bit further to contemplate the sunset.

And it finally happened.

We took the pasajera back to Zipolite, and after refreshing ourselves after a long day that included a hike, we went to Alessandro in Calle del Adoquin, and got some pasta. It was good.

A Beach Day at Zipolite

The third day was my last full day in this town, and I had to enjoy it the most. First, I basically hiked to Orale Café, located to the very west side of the beach up the hills, and had a great breakfast.

The west side of Zipolite Beach is a vibe. There’s plenty of nude hotels and the views from the little hills are amazing.

In the afternoon, I met my new friends again, and we had a long time at the beach but under the umbrellas of Che Beach Club, with chairs included with buying drinks. I got a couple of pina coladas, and they were so good.

Playa del Amor

It was the last night, and I had not properly seen Playa del Amor, or “Love Beach”, and now I was going to experience seeing the sunset from here.

We got a couple of chairs brought by the 2 spots were you can buy alcohol, and sat down waiting for the sunset to happen, while we had some beers.

Everyone was excited for the show. Nothing really beats a beautiful sunset. And when the sun kissed the ocean everyone applauded.

Now that the sun set, it was time for the party. People from all over the world was gathering here to see the fire show from some performers, having drinks, and just have a little more freedom than in any other nudist beach.

The water was choppy but people would still go and take a bath, until it got very very dark.

Candles were brought to the tables next to the chairs, dancers were perfuming, and more stuff were happening on the back of the beach as it got very dark 👀.

We finished the night returning to the hotel, and resting. A day at the beach is really tiring, and I needed to get up early to go back to Puerto Escondido to take my flight.

My return to Puerto Escondido

This time around I did not have a nice couple to share with my taxi to Puerto Escondido. $70 is a lot of money, so my new friend gave me instructions to go back to Puerto Escondido for the cheapest option. First, you have to walk to the pasajeras station located on the opposite street of Calle del Adoquin.

You pay around 30 pesos to get you to the main highway, like 30 min away and past Mazunte. They would drop you off since it is the last stop, and you’ll know you are in the right spot because there is an Oxxo store in this random isolated area lol. Cross the highway carefully, and wait for the many many buses that go to Puerto Escondido. The smaller they are, the less stops and faster they would go. This is the part that could determine how long it would take you to get to the airport. The ride is around 60 pesos and would drop you off somewhere close to the airport if asked for it.

I chose to be drop off close to the Mercado Benito Juarez. I wanted to get a last glimpse of the local culture and food.

The market was cute. Not many people around this time, but I was hungry and I had been craving fried fish for a while, which I finally got and it was delicious.

From there, I took a taxi, and that reminded me why I never take them. A super expensive ride for just 10 min of driving, but made it on time to the small airport, and passed security really quickly. Now I was on my way back to Mexico City, where I would have my last leg of this Latin America trip. And you do not have to wait for it, you can see it right now on this link.