Things to Do in Huatulco

Huatulco is a planned resort development on the Oaxacan coast — built by the government-run FONATUR in the 1980s to the same master plan as Cancún and Los Cabos. Unlike those resorts, it never fully took off as a mass-market destination, which means it retains something quieter: nine coves and bays (bahías) strung along 36 km of coastline, a relatively intact Pacific forest in the surrounding sierra, and organic coffee plantations a short drive inland.

The nine bays

The headline geography. Nine coves ranging from the developed (Santa Cruz, Chahué, Tangolunda) to the largely untouched (Cacaluta, Chachacual). The accessible bays are:

• Bahía Santa Cruz: where the main pier is located; calm, good for swimming, has palapas.
• Bahía Chahué: beach club infrastructure, newer development, popular with Mexican tourists.
• Bahía Tangolunda: where the resort hotels are concentrated; beach is accessible to non-guests.
• Bahía Cacaluta: protected lagoon on one side, open sea on the other; only accessible by boat.

Boat tours covering 5–7 bays depart from the Santa Cruz pier daily — ~MXN 400–600 per person, including snorkelling stops.

Snorkelling at La Entrega

Within Bahía Santa Cruz, La Entrega is the best snorkelling spot: calm water, coral, good fish diversity, and reasonable visibility. You can snorkel independently from the beach (bring your own gear) or join a boat tour that stops here.

Coffee plantation tours

The sierra behind Huatulco (the Chatino highlands) produces organic shade-grown coffee at elevations of 900–1,500m. Tours depart from Huatulco town and take 3–5 hours — visiting a working finca, watching the production process (picking, washing, drying), and cupping. Operators include Café Huatulco with farms near San Marcos Tlapazola. Book through any tour desk in Santa Cruz.

Zipolite and Mazunte

West of Huatulco (30–40 minutes by bus or taxi) are two very different beach communities: Zipolite (Mexico’s only legal nude beach, long a low-budget hippy enclave, now increasingly popular with a mixed crowd) and Mazunte (small, organic-leaning town with a natural cosmetics cooperative). Both are worth a day trip for a different experience from the resort bays.

La Bocana and Copalita

La Bocana is where the Copalita River meets the sea — a sandbar, mangroves, and a beach. The Copalita Eco-Archaeological Park (near the river mouth) has small Zapotec ruins and a well-maintained boardwalk through the mangrove ecosystem.