Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean. A little bit about my favorite little get-away on this small world of ours.
Zipolite, a sweaty 30-minute walk west from Puerto Angel, brings you to Playa Zipolite and another world. The feeling here is 1970's - Led Zep, Marley, and scruffy gringos.
A long, long time ago, Zipolite beach was usually visited by the Zapotecans...who made it a magical place. They came to visit Zipolite to meditate, or just to rest.
Recently, this beach has begun to receive day-trippers from Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido, giving it a more TOURISTY feel than before.
Most people come here for the novelty of the nude beach, yoga, turtles, seafood, surf, meditation, vegetarians, discos, party, to get burnt by the sun, or to see how long they can stretch their skinny budget.
I post WWW Oaxaca, Mexico, Zipolite and areas nearby information. Also general budget, backpacker, surfer, off the beaten path, Mexico and beyond, information.
REMEMBER: Everyone is welcome at Zipolite.
ivan
Mazunte is a small beach town on the Pacific coast in Oaxaca, Mexico. It is home to an impressive turtle museum, the National Mexican Turtle Center (Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga). The museum was opened in September 1991 to help the local economy since the turtle and turtle egg trade, which the area had previously relied on was made illegal 30 or 40 years ago. There is also a turtle research center and turtle nursery here. There are two beautiful golden-sand beaches -- the main beach and one smaller cove called Rinconcito -- surrounded by rocky outcrops. Rinconcito is the beach that the locals use for recreation and for launching their fishing boats. The water is azure blue, occasionally with big waves, but usually swimmable.
ReplyDeleteAll but one of the marine turtles come here to lay their eggs, as well as a few land and freshwater turtle species. Mazunte's gorgeous beach and the green-travel allure of its sea turtle museum and nesting grounds have contributed to Mazunte's reputation as a mellow travel stop among backpackers. This has encouraged the growth of restaurants, bars and rustic accommodations, some of which line the beach. For budget travelers; there are only few luxury accommodations or resorts. Mazunte is also within a short drive's distance from nude beaches and nightlife of long-time hippie destination Zipolite.
Mazunte and Punta Cometa:
The sunset is best seen at Punta Cometa, the most southern point of Oaxaca, that can be reached on foot from Mazunte. Another great place for sunsets is Playa Mermejita, just on the other side of Punta Cometa, until recently a virgin beach.
Mazunte was minimally populated until the early 1970s, mostly by indigenous Zapotec people, when a Texan known to locals as 'James', who still winters at Mazunte, built the road to the beach. Access to Mazunte was an unpaved footpath until the late 1980s. The town now has a population of around 700, few of whom are European expats. Decisions are made in lively town meetings, which are scheduled four times annually, but can be called in case of emergency.
Cosméticos Naturales de Mazunte (Natural Cosmetics of Mazunte) is a community enterprise dedicated to making high quality make-up that is 100% environmentally friendly. This began a decade ago with the sponsorship of British company The Body Shop. They produce shampoo, conditioner, bath gels, soap and other natural items.