Landing at Puerto Escondido International Airport in Puerto Escondido keeps everything close, with nearby cities and attractions within easy reach. Puerto Escondido is a surf town on the Oaxaca coast, where the Mexican Pipeline at Zicatela throws some of the biggest beach-break waves in the world and the neighborhoods behind it stay sandy, laid-back, and low-rise. Fishermen still bring their pangas onto the main beach at dawn, and the evenings run on cold beer, fresh fish, and a fiery sunset.

Standout experiences around Puerto Escondido: - Watch the pros ride Zicatela, or learn on the gentler waves at La Punta - Swim in the calm cove of Carrizalillo, reached by a long staircase - Buy fish straight off the boats on Playa Principal in the morning - Take a night boat on Laguna de Manialtepec to see the water glow with bioluminescence - Release baby sea turtles on the beach with a local conservation group - Walk the Adoquin pedestrian street for mezcal bars and tlayudas - Take an early boat to spot dolphins and, in season, humpback whales

Puerto Escondido is also the jumping-off point for the quieter beaches of the Oaxacan coast. Mazunte, with its turtle center and cliffside sunset point, and the clothing-optional beach of Zipolite are about an hour east, and the lagoons and mangroves of Chacahua National Park are a boat-and-dirt-road adventure to the west. Fish tacos, caldo de camaron, and the smoky mezcal of the Oaxacan highlands are the staples. Come in winter for sunny days, or in late summer to see the big swells roll in.