Puerto Escondido Adventure Guide #2: Southeast to El Puertecito and Tierra Blanca
A monthly guide to give you fresh ideas for adventures just outside of PXM
Preface: I’ve lived in Puerto Escondido for over three years, and at this point have been to most of the small towns, beaches, and points of interest in the area. I used to help lead trips for the Hikers of Puerto group, led by my friend David (you can find them on Facebook), which certainly helped to that end.
Every month I’ll be sharing a weekend adventure idea here on my newsletter, in hopes that it inspires you and your loved ones to pack the car, jump on the moto, or flag down a collectivo with the goal of making new memories. Listo por una aventura amigos!?
Southeast to El Puertecito and Tierra Blanca
El Puertecito is my favorite little beach town on the Oaxacan coast (read on for a surprise ending that will confirm this as truth). Generally, I visit El Puertecito twice a month—to climb on its rocks, splash in its ocean, collect its shells and driftwood, and feel a deep connection with nature.
On my first visit to El Puertecito toward the end of 2020, I vividly remember thinking on a loop Nature is in charge here. It’s rare to find a piece of this spinning space rock that doesn’t feel fucked up by humans. But in El Puertecito, nature rules. You see it in the pelicans hunting, the lizards crossing your path, and the huge flocks of birds cutting patterns in the sky at sunset.
Whenever I end up in El Puertecito, time slows down and the voice in my head (who is always pushing me to be productive) finds a hammock to chill in. If you want to tap into the universe’s stardust and find yourself on an epic uncrowded beach with a few locals shucking oysters and kids jumping off rocks—if you want to get a bit lost on the Oaxacan coast in a small fishing town—go visit El Puertecito.
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How to get to El Puertecito:
Load the car or hop on the moto, and make your way east about 30 minutes past La Barra towards Mazunte. You’ll pass Ventanilla, Tomotal, Rosedale, Plataforma, and Tierra Blanca, before finally ending up at the right turn into El Puertecito. More on a few of those stops later.
I always describe El Puertecito’s location by saying It’s halfway to Mazunte.
When you reach the turn, you’ll find a small settlement of houses, along with a few restaurants, and tiendas right at the turnoff. About three kilometers or six minutes down a dirt road you’ll find the rest of El Puertecito, the main part of the town, tucked up to the ocean.
That bumpy road that connects the two parts of El Puertecito is much improved from when I first drove it, and towards the end, you’ll enter an archway of young trees that leads you into the beautiful little town center. It’s going to keep getting more charming every year.
Note: You’ll find one restaurant and a small tienda right when you get to the main part of town. I generally stop at the first red tienda on the carretera to stock up on beers and snacks before making the last seven minutes of the beautiful drive toward the sea. That main tienda on the carratera is more consistently open and well stocked. The Google Maps screen shot above is the drive connecting the two tiendas mentioned.
What to do:
If I was ten, my answer would be “play pirates” or “build forts.” I suppose I do participate in some adult versions of those things—I collect unique driftwood and have been working on a pretty cool fort (foreshadowing).
What I normally do with a new group of friends joining me in El Puertecito is to take a little tour around town, about an hour before sunset. After slowly walking the dirt streets for 15 minutes, we’ll make our way down to the beach to climb the huge rocks and find a place to watch the sun fall into the ocean. We’ll sit barefoot as the sea mist and fading light paint the horizon. El Puertecito looks like it has a permanent filter.
If you snorkel or spearfish, it’s a playground.
There are two beaches in El Puertecito. Both are great for different reasons.
The main beach, the longest one, will make you whisper “epic” to yourself when you first arrive. It’s the best word to describe it. There are huge rocks to climb on, waves crashing against them, and usually large schools of pelicans and other ocean birds hunting in packs or painting the rocks white.
The other beach is better for snorkeling, spearfishing, or kayaking if you have one. It’s a smaller wine glass-shaped bay, which has a section in the middle that allows you to easily swim out at high tide. Immediately you’ll find tropical fish, and there’s a chance you could find rays, turtles, squid, and other life forms of the enormous Pacific Ocean.
Ultimately, my advice for “what to do in El Puertecito” is to not overthink it. Slow down, dig your toes into the sand, and take a long look at a colorful seashell. Find the gratitude and abundance of the universe.
Count the sand.
Other fun stops to make:
The entire coastal highway that runs the length of Oaxaca is full of inroads that lead to magic beaches and perfect breaks. In this 30-minute drive from Puerto Escondido to El Puertecito, there are several stops worth checking out.
Here are my top 3.
Ventanilla is just past the intersection of the new major highway that connects Oaxaca City to the coast. When you get to this town, instead of turning right towards the ocean, you’ll turn left into the mountains. Feel free to get lost driving inland, but the reason I stop in Ventanilla is to play at their little water park. It’s got a few big pools, a few slides, and a snack bar. It’s the perfect (read: unpretentious) rural Oaxacan water park, and it only costs 50 pesos to enter. Especially If you have kids, go splash around in the little water park the next chance you get.
Plataforma is one of the most consistent surf breaks in the area. It’s a great wave, but since it’s a bit outside of town, it’s not usually very crowded. Stop in for a few waves, just be sure to check the forecast first. During a big swell day, the wave is rather intimidating. Also, there are no restaurants in Plataforma, but one very close that I love (which is shared below in Insider Info.)
Tierra Blanca Is another little pueblo magico that’s about the same size as El Puertecito. There are probably between 50-100 permanent residents who call it home, living a simple life; waking up in the morning to check the waves and water their gardens. There’s one restaurant and a new little tienda selling beers and basics. Go for a surf, or to wander a beautiful Oaxacan beach free from the Puerto crowds.
Surprise Ending:
If you’re a friend, you already know this. If you used your detective skills, then you might have already guessed it—but, in 2020, a group of 14 friends and I bought some land. We’re essentially making our own little fraccionamiento (suburb) on a 2000 square meter lot, about 50 meters from the concha (court) in the town center. If you do visit, and you notice a little fenced-in area with one building and a welcome palapa right when you get to the one cement road in town, that’s us!
Our little project, called El Campo 167, is largely made up of close friends and former coworkers who I used to work with at Remote Year, a travel company for digital nomads. We always said, “We should start a commune.” Now we have.
So far the common area has been built out (our fort!) with a kitchen, lounge, palapa, swimming pool, bathroom, outdoor shower, and gardens. We even put in two 8-meter tall palm trees that I sometimes forget weren’t always there. In the end, the idea is to have a circle of little cabanas or tiny houses surrounding the common area.
I’ve loved El Puertecito from my first trip there, and when we found this piece of land for sale (and on sale) it felt like an easy decision to try and make it happen. Luckily, my friends are dreamers and travelers as well.
It’s an incredibly charming town, and I’m so curious to see how it’s going to grow and evolve in the next few decades. We hope to be a positive part of that growth and the community of El Puertecito.
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