Seven Amazing Puerto Escondido Communities Built Around Fun Activities
If you’re looking for a new hobby to obsess over, or just some new characters to add to the colorful tapestry of your Puerto life, check out some of these activities below.
The two biggest activities in Puerto Escondido are probably surfing and yoga.
However, you won’t find those two activities listed below. There are heaps of surf schools and surf breaks. There are a ton of yoga classes and yoga centers.
Note: Heaps is Australian for a lot. It can also be used as very. As in, “Oyyy, this brekkie is heaps good.”
There are certainly pockets of communities inside the big umbrellas of those two activities, but they are so big it’s hard to point at a weekly meetup or certain place and say, “You can go and meet all of the people who like surfing here.”
The activities listed below are fairly easy to break apart, describe, and even join if you’re interested. Most of them have regular places and times to meet and an Instagram or Facebook page to follow.
During my four years in Puerto Escondido, I’ve at least dipped my big toe into all of them, and I’m neck deep in a few. They’re all incredibly fun and supportive communities to be a part of.
If you’re looking for a new hobby to obsess over, or just some new characters to add to the colorful tapestry of your Puerto life, check out some of these communities below.
1. Hiking
Puerto Escondido is a wild and free place teeming with natural beauty, so it’s only logical that there would be groups organized around exploring the surrounding area. There are two primary hiking groups that I know of.
The Hikers of Puerto
The Hikers of Puerto are the original hiker group, organized by hike masters Dave and Erik. Dave started the group a year or so before I moved to Puerto in 2020, and has been leading weekly hikes ever since. There’s no set schedule for their hikes, he just uses his large Facebook Group to communicate plans for the next one based on what he feels like exploring (see example below), or what locations have been frequently requested like Cascada La Reforma.
Check out my Adventure Guide for visiting this epic waterfall, pictured above!
To get involved, you can simply join the Facebook Group and raise your hand as a response to the posted hike plan. There’s always a clear meeting spot with transportation provided. In the end, they just ask for some gas and guide money (usually around 150-200 pesos).
The Hikers of Puerto group is a really diverse mix of lovely folks who enjoy this easy way to break out of the Puerto bubble and get lost somewhere on the coast of Oaxaca. Don’t worry, you’re not actually lost, Dave and Erik know where they’re going!
Sunday Hiking
Sunday Hiking is an active WhatsApp chat that normally organizes—you guessed it—a hike on Sunday. It was started by my friend Gabriel, and the leadership has been shared by many since it started up over a year ago.
They’re also an incredibly inviting and fun group of folks to spend a Sunday with, and they’re open to anyone trying to organize the next hike. Join the WhatsApp chat with the link below, and follow along for the next planned outing!
2. Skateboarding
When I first moved to Puerto, my neighbors in the apartment below mine on the main street of La Punta built a concrete quarterpipe into their living room. I found it hilarious and charming, albeit loud. As the surf capital of Mexico, it’s no surprise there’s a skateboard scene in PXM. This community loves to rip, shred, and carve wherever they can.
Boneyard
The Boneyard is an institution in La Punta. It’s a bar and community gathering place that’s famous for having a skate bowl smack in the middle of it. They’re also famous for having a rad Halloween party every year, a great tattoo shop inside, and for being a punk rock, high vibes, counter-culture hub. Their pizza even made my best pizza in Puerto Blog. Even if you only have a weekend in Puerto Escondido, you should stop in the Boneyard for a beer, pizza, and bowl-ripping session—if you’re brave enough to drop in.
Surf Skate Society
My friends Misa and Laura started this group a couple of years ago, and it’s grown into an amazing community since its inception. Surf skating, if you’re unfamiliar, is less about doing tricks and more about riding the board like a surfboard. The group uses various slopes, parks, courts, and bowls around Puerto to practice carving on concrete.
If this sounds new and interesting to you, they’re very welcome to beginners joining their merry band. Reach out directly through their Instagram if you’re curious about joining for the next practice session. They even have a brand new brick-and-mortar location, which will be their practice and community hub moving forward! Misa’s an awesome instructor and the group always seems to have a blast riping concrete waves together.
3. Volleyball
Volleyball was a big reason I originally fell in love with Puerto Escondido. I haven’t been out to the courts as much since I moved to La Barra, but I love knowing that on any given day I can moto over to the courts and grab a few games as the sunsets.
Punta Vida
Punta Vida is the main home of the volleyball community in Puerto Escondido. It’s an amazing spot right on the beach in La Punta. The bar alone made my top ten bars in Puerto list, and just beyond the charming concrete art house are three volleyball nets.
There’s a game for you somewhere on those three courts, which range from beginners to advanced doubles. Normally, the far net is used for fun games of 4 v 4, where anyone is welcome to come learn the game. The two nets closer to Punta Vida are generally used for competitive doubles, which there’s often a wait for in busier months.
There are tournaments organized some weekends as well, but no matter the day, you can just go to Punta Vida around 5 pm to meet other players, to get a game, or to just watch the beautiful, sweaty, sandy people.
Paradise Gym
Paradise Gym in Zicatela is also a great community space for volleyball. They have pick-up games most days of the week, normally 4 v 4. There’s only one net, so it’s generally less competitive and at a less high level than the 2 v 2 courts of Punta Vida. It’s a great place to go play some casual, fun volleyball, and eventually to make plans for the night with whoever is at the net that day.
Note: Beyond its court, Paradise Gym is a unique place to work out, and serves as a really strong community hub for its members.
4. Rock Climbing
When I first arrived in 2020, there wasn’t really any rock climbing to speak of. Now, there are two established locations with active communities, bouldering competitions, and occasional trips to climb in nature.
Cubo
A few of my mates built and opened this space toward the end of 2023. It’s a huge bouldering wall in a U-shape, with a restaurant, lounge, gym, garden, and stage area filling in the rest of the property. They built the climbing walls and every other charming detail of Cubo with their own hands, and the energy they put in has resulted in a really unique space and activated community of climbers.
They often have events in the evenings and climbing competitions throughout the week during high season. The three main owners and organizers are all legends, so you’re in good company the moment you step into their yellow and black boho space. They’ll provide the shoes and chalk, you just need to show up!
Punta Alta
Punta Alta is a climbing gym and cafe that opened near the main basketball court (aka cancha) of La Punta. They opened around the same time as Cubo, so Puerto went from having zero home bases for climbers to having two!
The main difference from Cubo in the design of their space is that, as their name hints, the walls are ALTA. They have the ability to put people on belay, so you can safely climb in a harness up to 7 or 8 meters.
They also have spaces for bouldering without a rope, and a cute cafe area right near the entrance. Go for a climb and a coffee, and you’re likely to meet some great folks to scale the walls with. They’re open for group bookings and events as well!
5. Live Music Scene
For those who know me, you were likely waiting for this addition to the list. This is one of the communities that I’m very involved with. If you play music—or just love music—check out these ways to get involved.
Open Mic Night Every Thursday
The easiest way to get involved in the scene is to show up on Thursday at Espacio Cometa for Open Mic Night, and if you’re a performer—to put your name on the list! The show happens every Thursday and in high season it’s known to draw 15+ musicians and over 200 people in attendance. It’s been running since December 2020, and become a well-known weekly party for the entire community.
There’s a super-talented house band that supports all the musicians who get up on stage—and I should probably mention that I’m the host and band leader!
As the host of this show, I always say, Whether you know one song or you have music on Spotify, please get up and play for us. We made this stage for you! It’s a rad live music show in multiple languages and a huge weekly party that you really should check out, whether you’re a musician or not! Also, as I always say into the mic—you never know what’s going to happen at Open Mic, and that’s why we love it!
Find more Open Mic info and other live shows shared in this Facebook Group.
Artistas en Puerto
Another way to get connected to the community of musicians in Puerto is to join the Artistas en Puerto WhatsApp chat, and to see what opportunities you might find there outside of Open Mic. Depending on if you’re a jazz saxophone player, folk singer, or hand drummer, that will drastically influence how and where you can get involved, but most connections and opportunities can be found in that chat, or the Facebook group for Open Mics and live shows linked above.
Casa Babylon
Babylon on the main strip of Zicatela is a live music bar with an epic stage that serves as a consistent gathering place for musicians and lovers of live music. During high season, you can find live music at Casa Babylon every night they’re open. Read more about why I love this institution in My Ten Favorite Bars in Puerto blog.
6. Environmental Volunteer Work
Along with the live music scene, the environmental volunteer scene is something I’m deeply involved with. I helped start Sostenible PXM three years ago, after the success of our first big Earth Day party and volunteer activation. It’s something I’m very proud of, and that you’re very invited to get involved with if you want to make a positive impact on the future of PXM.
Sostenible PXM
Sostenible PXM—before it was even called Sostenible PXM—started after I met with the delegado of La Punta back in 2021. At the time, Misa was finishing up his year as the delegate of the neighborhood, and he had some unfinished business. I asked him if there was anything he wanted help with, and that is how our first project—the plastic bottle recycling program—was born!
That program led us to organize monthly beach and neighborhood clean-ups. Finally, after a visit to Guatemala, I returned with the idea of putting EcoFilters throughout Puerto (like you’ll find in Antigua), so folks don’t have to spend money to fuck the planet by buying plastic water bottles every single day.
After working on that vision for over two years, we now have around 90 locations throughout Puerto where you can go fill up your water bottle with safe, fresh drinking water totally for free!
You can find a map of those locations, along with our recycling locations, on our Instagram page. If you have a business or manage a space that the public can enter, we’d love for you to join the network—we’re pushing to get to 100 locations, and then eventually 500! (Note: You can also find these free refill locations by spotting the “Agua Gratis” water drops around town, like those in the photo above.)
You can also get involved with our initiatives and get to know our community of volunteers by joining the next clean-up! Everyone is invited, and every pair of hands helps! These are always shared on our Instagram page as well.
Salvemos Puerto Coalition
The Salvemos Puerto coalition is made up of several community organizations doing incredible work to protect Puerto. Those groups are S.O.S Puerto, Salvemos Colorado, and Costa Unida. They all have specific projects they’re working on to ensure the government does its part, to ensure folks with power and money can’t just do whatever they want, and to protect the natural beauty of Puerto.
If you want to learn more about their initiatives and how you can help, don’t be shy to reach out to any of the groups via their social media. All of the community organizations working to help Puerto can always use more support whether that’s with money, signatures, or sweat equity. Reach out to find out how you can get involved.
7. Group Fitness Programs
SHRED
To be fully transparent, I can’t believe I didn’t think to include Shred in the first version of this post. I’ve been a Shredder and Shred supporter (often on hand drums during live events) since my first year living in Puerto Escondido. Shred, which is led by my friend Mike, has been hosting fun and sweaty group workout classes in various locations around Puerto for over five years.
From the very first ten minutes of a Shred Class, you’ll know it’s more than just a workout. The entire program is based on the idea “Get Fit. Have Fun,” and they pride themselves on being a strong and connected community. That community vibe is evident before you do your first burpee or star jump.
Check out their schedule, and go to a class. You’re certain to get a great workout, and you’re also certain to meet some great people. I’ve made many new friends and connections at Shred events. Finally, Shred does an amazing job giving back to the community, so by signing up for a class, you’re allowing them to continue supporting numerous important causes around PXM.
Escondido Thai Camp
I met the Muay Thai guys through the Karaoke night I host every Tuesday at Juana Mezcala (come join, it’s very fun). From the very first time they showed up on a Tuesday, I knew they were a strong community. When Baracuda got up to sign a song, the entire crew was recording, supporting, and singing along. When Queso got up to rap Gangsters Paradise, the group went crazy cheering for him. (Also, I think they all just have cool names. Those are two real examples.)
Another week, they got one of their fighters who was leaving town to come up a do the song “Tequila.” He was very shy and had never sung karaoke, and the Muay Thai camp almost broke the stage with their support for this dude. TEQUILA!
If you’re interested in Muay Thai training during your time in Puerto, reach out to them and join for a session. Not only does it look like a great workout and a useful skill set to acquire, but it’s also a close-knit group of beautiful tattooed people who have a great time together and seem to really care about each other.
Puerto Escondido is growing, and with that comes a huge mix of things—some amazing, some worrisome. We have new types of restaurants, but there’s more litter. There are better healthcare options, but there’s more traffic.
These seven fun and thriving communities are one of the best parts of this growing coastal town, which is calling people from all over the world to either visit or become long-term residents.
I traveled for almost 10 years before moving to Puerto, and it’s felt really good to put down roots for the past four years—to commit to a place, to be a part of the deeply connected community, and to do what I can to be a positive part of the future of this growing city on the Oaxacan coast that I love.
If you know of an active community that fits this description, but that wasn’t included here, please let me know! If there are enough, this blog might deserve a Part 2!
¡Menos plástica, más vida!