10 day trips from Puerto Escondido

1. La Reforma Waterfall

Our day trip to La Reforma Waterfall is one of our most favourite travel memories of all time, though not the most successful story to be sharing with readers on a travel blog. If you want hard facts about planning a day trip, skip this bit.

We hired a scooter from one of the bike rental places in town (note, scooter, not dirt bike), and made the 1.5 hour ish drive through the mountains towards the waterfall. Once we got off the main road and into the mountains, we didn't see anyone else for miles. Just us, the dirt roads, and the trees.

We arrived at the waterfall dirty, sore, and a bit tired, being one of the only people there, along with a Russian guy who'd ridden up the mountain on a huge dirt bike and who told us he was surprised we made it on our little scooter (the roads are very rocky). We chatted for a bit, and then he went on ahead whilst we grabbed a drink. After paying our way into the waterfall we had a little look around thinking it was all a bit underwhelming (more on that in a minute).

We decided to start the journey back and about 15 minutes after leaving the waterfall, our bike cut out.

We tried to restart it several times but no luck. At this point, I started to freak out a little, being stuck in the mountains with a bike that didn't work and no Spanish skills was not my idea of fun. Just as I was thinking that, a collectivo full of machete-laden men came round the corner.

They stopped, asked us if we were ok, we said no, the bike is broken. They had a little look and established that we'd cracked the oil tag. Oops. But after driving off, one of the guys actually came running back down and offered to help us push the bike up the next bit of mountain so we could then coast downhill to the nearest town. Lifesaver.

After arriving in San Pedro Mixtepec and chatting to the locals, we found out the only way back would be on a collectivo. Whilst waiting for the collectivo the Russian guy came back past and asked us why he didn't see us at the waterfall, it turned out we'd only gone as far as the entrance (where there's a smaller waterfall) and so we had missed the main waterfall. Calamity.

Eventually the collectivo arrived, we hauled the moped onto the back and made the uncomfortable 1 hour journey back to Puerto Escondido, with the back tyre of the moped pretty much hanging off the flat bed truck the whole way.

Not the most successful day trip, but one for the memory books.

2. Manialtepec Lagoon

The Laguna de Manialtepec is a 6km long stretch of wildlife, plant life, and more species of birds than you can count.

It's only about 14km west from Puerto Escondido, and it's an essential day trip for anyone who loves nature. If you're lucky, you'll see birds like: Ibises, roseate, spoonbills, parrots, pelicons, falcons, ospreys, and kingfishers, as well as iguanas and maybe crocs.

The best (/only) way to explore the laguna is via a boat tour, which leaves early morning. The boat tours include English-speaking guides, binoculars, and round-trip transportation from your accommodation in Puerto Escondido. You can also see the natural phenomenon of the bioluminescence in the lagoon, though you'll have to do an evening tour to be treated to this magical experience.

3. Whale watching

Whale watching is probably one of the most popular day trips from Puerto Escondido.

Seeing a whale had been on my bucket list for a long time, so I'm extremely pleased we got treated to not one but three whales when we did our whale watching tour. The high season for whales is between November to March, with a peak in January and February. We went in December and still saw plenty (you can also do dolphin watching tours all year round).

We left at the crack of dawn from the north end of Zicatela beach from Playa Principal, a small boat with only around 10 passengers. After an hour or so of bobbing up and down the coast, we saw humpback whales, killer whales, and dolphins. It was an unforgettable experience and definitely one of the top day trips from Puerto Escondido.

Best of all, it only takes around half a day so you'll still have plenty of time for another activity afterwards. Baby turtle release anyone?

4. El Origen Ocean Club

El Origien Ocean Club is a spa, hotel, and beach club about 15km up the coast from Puerto Escondido. The beach club has an infinity pool with views to the Pacific Ocean, a volleyball court, ping pong and giant Jenga, so as far as day trips from Puerto Escondido go, there's something for the 'sit on the sun lounger all day' people and something else for the 'I'm bored already people'.

You'll need to get a taxi here as it's a 20 minute drive away from Puerto Escondido itself. But once you arrive, you can spend the whole day soaking up the sun, sipping in the beach bars, and dipping in and out of the pool. As far as beach clubs go, it's pretty affordable. It's 700 MXN for a day pass but 500 worth of this is refundable towards food and drinks. The club is open 12-8pm, and pre-booking is required.

More on the various day passes in Puerto Escondido here.

5. Atotonilco Aguas Termales

The Atontonilco Aguas Termales are hot springs around 30km north west of Puerto Escondido, next door to La Laguna Manialtepec. The hot springs are one of the lesser known day trips from Puerto Escondido, and it's definitely best to visit them as part of a guided tour.

You can book tours through websites like this Puerto Escondido travel guide. They'll pick you up in the morning and drive you to San José Manialtepec where you'll start the 1.5 hour hike to the thermal baths themselves. There's a great river crossing en route, where you can cool off before arriving at the hot springs. The guides are also super knowledgeable telling you all about the local fauna and flora along the way.

There are other tours that involve horseback riding to the hot springs, if you're feeling brave!

6. Mezcal experience

If you have plenty of time, it might be better to do a Mezcal distillery tour from Oaxaca City instead. That being said, there are still places to do it in Puerto Escondido.

Puerto Mezcal tours is run by a French and Mexican couple who aim to promote Mexican culture through their shared love of Mezcal

The 2.5 hour tour will take you to an authentic Mezcal distillery where you'll learn all about the history of Mezcal, how it's made, and most importantly, how it tastes. You'll sample five authentic and rare Mezcals, all made in this Mezcal-mad part of Mexico. Transport for the day is also included.

7. Casa Wabi

Casa Wabi is a popular hit with travellers looking for Puerto Escondido day trips.

Casa Wabi is a foundation, a meeting place, a non-profit organisation, an arts centre, and a a stage for world-renowned contemporary artists and architects to engage with the local community. Through residencies, exhibitions, clay, film, and a mobile library, Casa Wabi is dedicated to social development through the arts. The building itself is directly on the Pacific Ocean, sharing 550 meters of coastline with only the stunning beach.

You need to make a reservation to visit, as well as a 600 MXN donation. Tours are three times a day.

From Puerto Escondido there are three bus lines you can take, which all follow roughly the same route:

• "Corporate" going to Pinotepa

• "TUR", which also goes to Pinotepa

• "United lines or the blue ones" that go to Rio Grande or Charquito.

All options go from Highway 200, also known as "La Costera," near the city center. If you're in La Punta, you'll need to take another form of transportation to get closer to where the buses stop. The fare is approximately $35 MXN, and they run every 10 minutes, the bus journey is around 40 minutes.

On the road you will find a sign indicating the entrance to the property where Casa Wabi is located; from there you need to walk about 15 minutes to get to Casa Wabi.

8. Mazunte/Zipolite as a day trip

We've got a whole blog post about Puerto Escondido vs Mazunte, but the cliff notes are that you should try to see both.

Mazunte is one of Mexico's "Pueblo Magicos", part of an initiative led by Mexico's Secretariat of Tourism, to promote a series of towns around the country that offer visitors "cultural richness, historical relevance, cuisine, art crafts, and great hospitality".

It's like Puerto Escondido's quieter, hippier cousin. There's not so much to do, but if you're looking for a spiritual break from Puerto Escondido, Mazunte is one of the best places to visit. It's only an hour drive along the Oaxacan Coast, with some incredible views along the way.

Once you get there, there are beautiful beaches like Playa Zipolite (which is another 15 minutes onwards, you'll know you're in the right place if people are naked) and Playa Mermejita. These beaches are different to the Puerto Escondido beaches. They're raw, wild, and not so busy. Swimming might not be a good idea.

Mazunte also has some great spots to watch the sunset (like Punta Cometa), and a range of workshops and activities for you to try out. More on the best things to do in Mazunte, where to stay, and the best restaurants in our Mazunte blog post.

Puerto Escondido day trips: Further afield

If you don't mind waking up at the crack of dawn and getting home late at night, you can dedicate one very long day to see Chacahua National Park or Oaxaca City.

9. Chacahua National Park

Chacahua National Park is about 40 miles west of Puerto Escondido, still in the state of Oaxaca, along the Pacific Coast. The national park was established almost 100 years ago, and is made up of three main lagoons. The middle lagoon is where the community of Chacahua sits.

Chacahua is on our 'further afield' list because it requires hopping a few modes of transport to get there. Not hard, but a little bit of a faff. The total travel time takes around 3 hours, and involves a collectivo from Puerto Escondido to just past Rio Grande, another collectivo from there to Zapotalito, and then a boat ride to either Banco de Piedra or the centre of Chacahua. Again, we'd reccomend leaving at the crack of dawn to make the most of your day.

When you get there, it's the perfect place to just sit back and relax. Even more so than Puerto Escondido. The waves are consistent and beginner friendly and there are plenty of places to arrange surf lessons, the sunsets are beautiful, and there are the usual bioluminescent, marine life, and lagoon guided tours.

10. Oaxaca City

When we first visited Puerto Escondido the journey from Oaxaca took over 8 hours, and it was usually spend in a small minibus with no AC. Now that there's a new road, it can be done in about 3 (depending on traffic), and, there are ADO buses so you can travel in relative comfort.

If you want to explore Oaxaca City in a day, it's best to wake up early so you can arrive there for 9ish and get a whole day there. Below are a few places to check out once you get to the city.

• Jardin Etnobotánico: A beautiful botanical gardens near the main church, a small sample of Oaxaca's rich and diverse plant life is on display here. You can't prebook the tour so you need to check what times they are running and whether the slot will be in English or Spanish.

• Zócalo de la Ciudad de Oaxaca: To experience any Mexican town in all it's glory, you need to head to the Zócalo. The main hub of the town, the Zócalo is full of locals and tourist, surrounded by vendors selling all kinds of things you didn't know you needed. You can also expect shoe shining, dancing in the streets, and various muscians.

• Mercado 20 de Noviembre: A great place to try the incredibly street food of Oaxaca. Make sure you find some Oaxaca cheese and a tlayuda.

A special dinner mention to Los Danzantes restaurant for Mexican food like you've never see it before.