Playa Zipolite

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Zipolite Beach, west end   More Aerial Photos

The origin of the name Zipolite, which is sometimes spelled Sipolite orCipolite, is uncertain but may have come from the Nahuatl word sipolitlan orzipotli, which means bumpy place or place of continuous bumps or hills. This certainly described the topography of the region (and some of the roads as well). Another source reports that the meaning of Zipolite in the Nahuatl language is the beach of the dead or playa de los muertos because of the dangerous ocean currents. Archaeological work done on the east end of the beach tells us that Zipolite has a long history. But for the period up until 1955, only one family lived here.

A shortage of small change can be a problem in Zipolite. It is suggested that you spend your larger bills at establishments that can make change so that you will have small change for street vendors, the ice cream man, etc. Zipolite does not have a bank but I believe there is a money exchange. Nearest bank and ATM machines are now in nearby Puerto Angel. See the note on Currency.

WARNING: There have been a few armed robberies in Zipolite and on the road between Zipolite and Puerto Angel. Visitors should take precautions. A serious incident occurred some time ago at the Piña Palmera rehabilitation center which is described in their March 1996 Newsletter. I have not received incident reports in recent years but I cannot guarantee that dangers have been eradicated.

Tourists hiking north along the coast from Zipolite beach have been robbed. Robbers target tourists carrying backpacks that may contain valuables. Locals set a trap and caught some of these individuals, but caution is suggested. It is recommended that when hiking on remote beaches in Mexico that you do not carry valuables or appear to have valuables. This is old news as well, but the recommendation still applies.

Past Events:   Zipolite was hard hit on October 7, 1997 by Pauline, a category 4 hurricane. Pauline made landfall here with 180 mph gusts and 10-meter waves. There were no deaths in Zipolite. See Damage Reports and photos. Most of the heavily damaged hotels and restaurants were rebuilt and are back in service. NearbyPiña Palmera was also heavily damaged. Then on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 21, 2001, there was a huge fire at the Zipolite beach. There has been rebuilding since this event also.

See More Photos.

See Aerial Photos of Zipolite.

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Beaches • Playas

The large Zipolite beach is located a couple of miles west of Puerto Angel. The sand is composed of medium sized grains. There are numerous small restaurants and places to stay on and near the beach. It is geared more toward the younger set on a budget. The strong undertow in this area can make itdangerous for swimming--too much wave action for snorkeling, too. The main section of the beach in Zipolite is called Roca Blanca, named for the bird-poop covered rock just offshore.Playa los Amores is a small beach at the east end of Zipolite that is popular as a clothing-optional beach. Playa Camarón is a rocky cove at the west end of Zipolite behind Shambala.
Nudity is accepted (though not legal) on Zipolite beach but is not welcomed in the restaurants. Nudity is more common on Playa los Amores, just west of Zipolite.



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Hotels and Restaurants • Hoteles y Restaurantes

Additional accommodations are available in San Agustinillo to the west and Puerto Angel to the east.There are numerous places to eat and stay and the prices are low. Accommodations tend to be small and basic. Following is a list of mostly restaurant establishments. Many also have rooms for rent. For years, Zipolite did not have telephones and it is still customary for visitors to arrive without reservations. Now there are telephones and internet service. Christmas/New Year's and Easter week are the only times when it may be difficult to find a room. If you have telephone numbers or email addresses that are not listed here, please send them to metom@tomzap.com.


• 3 de Diciembre (958) 584-3157. Pizzeria with vegetarian dishes, pozole, and confections. Recommended. (9/09)
• El Alquimista (958) 587-8961. Located near Shambhala. Restaurant and cabañas. Continental cuisine. Recommended. Email: info@el-alquimista.com (9/08)
• El Arcoiris Calle del Amor. (958) 584-3383. 3 rooms with double beds, 1 room with two double beds (shared bathroom). 1 suite with Sky, kitchen, bathroom and a balcony. Restaurant with wireless internet. (8/07) looking over the ocean
• Arcoveis - Artesanias Bazaar
• Cabañas Aris US$11/person. Restrooms are so-so.
• Buen Vento Restaurant, large bar, wood pizza oven, pastas, salad, large screen TV, movies on Sunday nights, palm trees. Recommended, but one report of tiny portions. (2/09)
• Las Casitas Located between Lo Cosmico and Shambhala at the far west end, a couple of blocks back from the beach. Bungalows with private baths (though not necessarily connected to the room), comfortable beds, kitchenettes, solar-powered, in a wooded setting. Restaurant. US$18 and up low season, $23 and up high season. Bring a flashlight. US$33. info@lascasitas.net. (12/08)
• La Calenda (958) 107-6547. Located at the center of the beach. Hotel and restaurant. 5 rooms from US$10. Shared bathroom. French and Mexican food. hostallacalenda@hotmail.fr. (11/08)
• Castillo Oasis (958) 106-1763. Calle del Amor #97. English, Spanish and German spoken. Attractive, comfortable accommodations, reasonably priced. castillooasis@web.de. (10/07)
• La Choza (958) 584-3190. Av. Principal s/n, Col Roca Blanca. Excellent restaurant but not as inexpensive as in the past. Hammock $3, room with bath US$15. menu (3/05)
• Lo Cosmico Lo Cósmico, Aptdo. postal 36, 70900 Pochutla, Oaxaca, Mexico. admin@locosmico.com - restaurant and cabañas. US$13 double. The restaurant serves crepes and is recommended. (1/11)
• El Eclipse Rooms and restaurant. Not very popular. (1/11)
• Emmanuel - nice rooms, where the pretty European girls stay
• Estrellita de Mar 3-story white hotel on beach.
• Cabañas la Habana US$25 for a cabaña for up to 5 people. Restrooms are so-so.
• Lola's (958) 584-3162. Room with private bath US$18 (8/07)
• Loma Linda located in Zipolite centro, on a hill. Spacious bungalows overlooking the beach, Feldenkrais classes and a retreat center for rent. Recommended. info@lalomalinda.com. (5/08)
• Lyoban (958) 584-3177. Hammocks and rooms. Email: lyoban@prodigy.net.mx. US$37 with bath. (3/05)
• Hotel Neptuno (958) 584-3219. Located near the center of Zipolite beach. 22 rooms, 3 suites with balcony, ocean view and A.C. Bar and restaurant service contacto@hotelneptunozipolite.mx (5/10)
• Pacha Mama Restaurant. Located away from the beach. One report that the fish was dry and overcooked. (2/09)
• El Pacifico - volleyball net
• Pacífico del Sur - cabañas
• Pachamama (formerly El Hongo) - restaurant with rooms, located on the beach. Excellent food.
• Hotel Paraiso (958) 584-3215.
• Piedra de Fuego Restaurant. Big fish dinner for $5. Recommended. (12/08)
• Pellicano Rooms and restaurant. Nice.
• Hotel Zipolite Plaza (297) 956-0002. Bright yellow building on the beach. Restaurant. US$38 for a double during high season.zipoliteplaza@chefulrich.com (3/11)
• Posada Brisas Marina (958) 584-3193. Bathrooms, balconies with hammocks. Owner, Daniel, is American and speaks English. US$15-30/night.brisamarina@Prodigy.net.mx (10/11)
• Posada Buena Onda West end near Shambhala. Rooms and restaurant.
• Posada El Jardín (958) 106-0511. near restaurant Los Chacales. 3 rooms with private baths, 100 mt from the beach, US$20 (7/11)
• Posada Kiko (958) 584-3176. Hammocks and rooms. Simple. (2/09)
• Posada Mexico (958) 584-3194. Middle of the beach. Clean, in suite bathrooms, futons, mosquito nets. Restaurant, happy hour. One of the nicest on the beach. US$28. Recommended. info@posadamexico.com (12/08)
• Posada San Cristobal Calle Roca Blanca. (958) 584-3020. - Okay rooms. US$20 for a double (3/08). Okay restaurant with nice view, popular for breakfast and lunch. (1/11)
• La Providencia (formerly Casa Mixtli). Located on a back street in the Roca Blanca area. Serving contemporary food. laprovidencia@zipolite.com(8/08)
• Roca Blanca
• Taqueria El Delfín On the main street. 3 for 20 pesos. Recommended. Photo. (2/09)
• A Nice Place on the Beach Bar-Restaurant located on the beach. (01/11).
• El Tiburon estebanzipol@hotmail.com One report mentions theft activity by owner's daughter, Gloria (a different Gloria than Shambhala). (8/03)

  Cazulita de Mariscos at La Choza   menu

• Posada Itzama Have one report of theft in the rooms.
• Teponaztli Rooms and restaurant. Simple.
• Bar la Puesta - a favorite night spot, behind Tepozue
• Hotel Paraiso very clean, tile floors, 12 oceanview rooms, two queen beds in each room, bathroom with shower and hot water. US$20/night.
• Shambhala Fax: (958) 584-3151 or (958) 584-3153. shambhalavision@lycos.com A Zipolite fixture since 1972, located on the west end past the rocks. Hammocks, rooms, and cabañas, communal bathrooms. Vegetarian food. Casa De Gloria, Playa Zipolite, Puerto Angel, Apto. Postal 68, Pochutla, Oaxaca, Mexico 70900. photo
• Solstice Mexico at Loma Linda. Mail: Apdo #18, Puerto Angel, Pochutla, Oax. 70902 Mexico.info@solstice-mexico.com Bungalows, Yoga classes and workshops, gated, safety boxes in rooms.Recommended. (10/02)
• Villa Escondida Located in the hills of Zipolite near the beach. Hostal, communal kitchen, laundry, bungalows with private kitchen.info@villaescondida2002.com. High speed internet and WiFi. Recommended. (3/05)
• La Volantina Cabanas and restaurant. Email: sergioviaje@hotmail.com Double US$15 low season, US$25 high. (01/03)



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Transportation • Transportación

• Puerto Angel Taxi is $30 pesos, colectivo is $10 pesos per person. Used to be a small bus running in the daytime; not sure if that is still active. (12/08)
• Pochutla Colectivo costs $10 pesos per person and depart frequently. Goes the long way through San Antonio and takes 1 hour. Taxi takes 30 minutes. Pochutla has the nearest ATM machine. (12/08)
• Ventanilla Colectivo is available until 6 pm. Taxi is $120 pesos and will wait to bring you back. (12/08)
  see Regional Map [120K], see Local Map [40K]
  
  

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Tour Operators, Outfitters • Operadores Turísticos, Proveedores

• Ola Verde Expediciones Adventure company specializing in rafting and kayaking. Coffee plantation tours, kayak lessons, custom trips.olaverdeinfo@gmail.com. (2/11)

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Miscellaneous • Misceláneo

• Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga is located a few miles west of Zipolite on Carretera a Zipolite at Bahía Mazunte. Numerous varieties of live turtles and fish are on display, as well as photos and other exhibits. Efforts are being made to reestablish the once plentiful area turtle population. Guided tours. Nominal admission fee. Recommended.
• Of Turtles and Things an article from the Mexican Meanderings newsletter, .
• Link to A Wave of Change Inundates Zipolite by John Tarleton.
• Casa del Sol and Zipolnet Internet access. Owned by Emir Villanueva, emirabraham@hotmail.com, emir@vissionsd.com.mx.
• Piña Palmera -- rehabilitation center and school for handicapped children is located on hwy 175, or behind Morgan de la Laguna from the beach. They have a basic but functional open-air gym that they use for rehabilitation which is available to the public. Fee is 5 pesos which goes towards maintenance and improvements to the gym.
• Visitors' Comments on Zipolite
• Ying & Yang Bicycle and scooter shop. Paco. (3/05)

liv What to visit in 2 weeks in Mexico? Will be flying into and out of Mexico City and have 2 weeks to travel around. Can anyone suggest a good itinerary which will show the real highlights of Mexico (am happy to do some overnight bus journeys)? Keen to see some pyramids / mayan or aztec sites, plus interesting towns / cities and also spend some time on the beach (not touristy like cancun though!). Any suggestions and shared experiences would be gratefully recieved! Thanks! Show all answers ale180985 Well, npyr, AnaLuv and vicente have given you very good and detailed answers, follow their advices. I can only add the coastal side of Oaxaca, taking a bus by by Estrella Blanca (www.estrellablanca.com.mx) you'll be there in about 11 hours, while being there talk to the people, you'll find mostly locals and backpackers who will tell you where to go, there are many secret paradises you just HAVE to visit, it is a must. Don't stay on Puerto Escondido or Huatulco, those are the most touristy places that everybody knows, try Mazunte, Zipolite, Puerto Angel, San Agustinillo, etc, ask around and make some friends, you'll have a blast! Have fun! AnaLuv Near to mexico city are a lot of cultural places that you cant miss! you have to go to Teotihuacan, There are the biggest pyramids in mexico (piramide del sol and piramide de la luna). You can go to Cuernavaca, which its and hour and a half from mexico city, a lot of "chilangos" spend the weekend there (chilango its the vulgar name of residents of mexico city. dont call them that way, they get mad). In cuernavaca visit the Palacio de Cortes (the house of hernan cortes, now its a museum) and El Zocalo. Ten minutes away from Cuernavaca its Tepoztlan, a small town denominated "pueblo magico", its a really hippie environment, on sundays a Tianguis its placed on the main street and you can buy a lot of mexican crafts in good prices. In tepoztlan you can hike the Tepozteco, a small hill with a pyramid on its top (I had never get onto the top, my family always get tired :( Others cities to go near to Mexico City are Taxco, Guerrero, a colonial city with most of the silver mines in mexico. You can buy silver on incredible cheap prices. You can go also to Guanajuato, Puebla or Queretaro, Colonial cities with gorgeous landscapes. In guanajato theres also the famous "momias", mummys of this century who got mummified thanks of the conditions of the ground, temperature, dampness and other factors of the place where they were buried. npyr Cancun, Tulum and Playa del Carmen are very far from Mexico City you don't want to waste time traveling. Try Tepoztlan, Cuernavaca, Xochicalco, you definitely have to go to Teotihuacan, Queretaro, San Miguel de Allende, Guadalajara... Try to see towns more around the city...there are plenty of them big j (tikvah) as regards beaches Acapulco is one hours flight or 4 hours drive on the toll highway west of MEX. The beaches are very quiet in the north (Pie de la Cuesta) without people trying to sell you a timeshare every 5 seconds. I'm going back to Pie at the end of October. Bear in mind it is kind of the rainy season right now though. Go to my Flickr via 360 for some pics. myself Cancun, Tulum , Yucatan .... such beautiful places,paradise, BUT IT'S A 24 HOUR BUS RIDE FROM MEXICO CITY!!!!! you can fly if you have the money, so I would recommend Acapulco for a weekend (3 hours by car) or the more beautiful Oaxaca, specially Huatulco (which is in Oaxaca) also go to teotihuacan for pyramids around the city and in the city... well that is just like any other city like London and New York, only bigger. Oro Rubi Hi there, good answer by Luv. I would not recommend travelling by bus to Oaxaca beaches, the ride is awful!!! too many curves, terrible. Visit Teotihuacan, just amazing, that's near Mexico city, I was there last week and the city is really nice now, clean, with flowers, very pleaseant. However, be careful, don't have too much cash with you, don't look lost (be a good actor) even if you are, and be aware of where your wallet is, don't get distracted. Then you'll be fine, you can ride taxis from outside the hotel or registered cabs from the airport which are safe. Do not take taxis from the street. Also, do not drink water from the tab, there are plenty of stores, drugstores and so on where you can buy bottled water. Better choose from 3 routes from there either west towards Acapulco, which is always fun, and visit Taxco a pretty town with lots of cheap silver, also that way Cuernavaca. North west: Guanajuato, Queretaro, Guadalajara -a big nice city- and end up at Puerto Vallarta, touristy but not as bad as Cancun. Or south east to Puebla, colonnial founded city, and 5 minutes Cholula where the largest pyramid on the base is located, and then go to Veracruz, the port is the most important commercial wise, good food, the beach is not nice, but the hotels and pools are :o) The state of Veracruz is long and offers adventure tourism, such as climbing mountain walls, river rapids and so on. Search the web, I'm sure you'll find plenty of info. To travel by bus ADO GL and Uno are your best choices, nice looking buses, very safe and comfortable. Hope you'll have a nice trip. Enjoy my country! James O if you can make it to the Yucatan, try Telum, it's a bit touristy, but there are Mayan ruins, all over this mountain, then you walk down to the edge of the cliff in front of the ruins, and it's nothing but white sand beaches. Also Chitzanitza(sp?) is definitely worth a visit, really cool. jackie m My daughter went to Cancun Mexico 3 years ago in October and the first 2 days were great and swimming with dolphins then Hurricane Wilma hit and then the were evacuated to a school with hundreds of other people with no water and little food until they were rescued and flown home to UK.

inciespider Can someone recommend a good place to stay in Mexico? and are there any good nude/semi-nude beaches?

Show all answers The departed yeah stay at my place raulmb The best nude beach in Mexico is Zipolite in Oaxaca. There you can find lots of nice little hotels (rustic all of them) The place is for a low budget trip, still a great nice place.  Enter Your Message or Comment User Name:   User Email:    Post a comment:

Matt L Question about Mexico? Where is a place down south in Mexico that is alway's hot and got good beaches.....and how does the money change work(like where you switch money)      mar The state of Quintana Roo has great beaches... sand is white and the sea is clear and transparent with different shades of blues. Cancun and the Riviera Maya have this beauty. The money exchange is about 10 to 11 pesos to the dollar and there are places all over to exchange the money you can also change it at any bank near you. glennahailey Cancun, Playa del Carmen, most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. Sand is ALWAYS cool to the touch and the water is warm and chrystal clear. Most hotels and restaurants exchange money. Almost all take the US Dollars. There's really no need to exchange your money. Alex S in the coast of Oaxaca you will find great and beautiful beaches, like Puerto escondido, Puerto Angel, Zipolite, mazunte, Huatulco. Ram If you want "always hot", then Acapulco is your place to go... been there several different times of the year and it's always hot than a muther *******... I wouldn't say it's the best beach either, but defintely don't have to worry about cooling temperatures... ? yeah i agree with 50 cent but i think its more like $ 110 dollars for five girl but hell there worth it :-) halfadollar acapulco guerrero thats the place to go if your in mexico. i just got back 3weeks ago. let me tell you it fun 2 b there you show 100 dollars and more than 5 girls will want to your name. me self i pick up 3 good looking mexican chicks. i really didnt spend nothing just bought them a lemon-aid.  Enter Your Message or Comment User Name:   User Email:    Post a comment: