Mazunte, Mexico Travel Guide : Things to Do, Beaches & Tips
Mazunte, Mexico is a small beach town on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca known for its laid-back vibe, yoga scene, and beautiful beaches. In this guide, you’ll discover the best things to do in Mazunte, where to stay, and travel tips to plan your perfect trip.
If you are into travel stories, though, read our diary at the end of this post.
– Where is Mazunte, Mexico?
Mazunte is next to Zipolite on the pacific coast of Oaxaca in Mexico. Located, together with Zipolite and other small villages between the larger towns of Huatulco and Puerto Escondido.
– Why visit Mazunte?
Slightly more developed and touristic than Zipolite, Mazunte still holds a very laid back vibe, lots of yoga and spiritual activities, good food and some very nice beaches.
And although we are no experts at all in the topic, it seems like Mazunte hosts some good yoga instructors.
Right next to Mazunte, just a few minutes uphill and downhill walk is San Agustinillo, an other little paradise on its own.
– Best 10 things to do in Mazunte:
1. Yoga
Any other spiritual activity from ecstatic dance to tantra. Just check out the flyers you will find around on the road.
4. Temazcal ceremony
4. Temazcal ceremony
5. Massage
Check Masaje con sentido
6. Whale / dolphin/ sea turtle watching
As you walk on Rinconcito road towards beach, turn right after cometa cafe. Follow the
signs and all other people. There is a bag checking post, as the do not allow alcohol,
A remote long beach, perfect for walks by the shore
9. Visit the Turtle Center
10. Walk to San Agustinillo and spend the day on the beach.
San Agustinillo actually consists of two beaches, both beautiful, peaceful with golden thin
sand. The surrounding vegetation and small houses make this place look like a little paradise.
– Where to stay in Mazunte:
Depending on how you want to experience Mazunte, you have the following options.
Note: Not all accommodation is on Booking or Airbnb. Definately worth going around and ask, you might discover some hidden priceworthy gems.
In the village:
You are not to the restaurants and not more than a few hundred meters away from the main beach. Very convenient for families or those who want easy access to everything.
Mazunte is not particularly loud at night, so you can enjoy your sleep if you stay at a central location.
Just avoid the main road at the edge of the village, as the traffic might disturb you.
By the beach around Mazunte:
You might find more luxury, but also budget options with great views or good access to the beach a bit further outside both towards San Agustinillo and also towards Mermejita beach. These are usually more remote locations. So one thing to consider is how you access them, especially at night. And also, that there might be a higher amount of nature (bugs) in or around your room.
In or next to a retreat:
It is not always the rule, but some retreats and some luxury hotels are in more remote locations further away from the main village or also the beach. Or the might be at very close to the ocean, but at a cliffside. So, check before you book, in case you want to be more centrally located.
Accommodation Prices in Mazunte:
On a budget:
There are dorms available for 5-10 dollars.
Note that cheaper option might not include air-condition, but only a fan.
Mid range:
Rooms with air condition are slightly more expensive but can also be found for 40-50 US dollars.
The closer you are to the beach or the center of the village, the higher the price
We stayed at Yoo Bigu between San Augustinillo and Mazunte and were very satisfied. Our spot was where the red dot is in the picture below and we had to walk about 10 minutes on the main road to reach the center of Mazunte.
Luxury:
Although you might not expect it, there are also many luxury options in Mazunte, beautiful rooms, nice views, pool and breakfast.
Just check if your accommodation is easily accesible on foot from the center of the village, in case this is important to you, if it is close to the beach and how you can get there at night.
Some examples out of the many options:
Casa Lu
– Eat and drink in Mazunte:
We liked the following places so far:
- Doba for brunch
- Fish burrito – for yummy burrito
- Los Poblanitos for local food
- Moonlight Garden
- Icaro Cafe – The perfect place to enjoy a coffe or a cake, read a book and relax
- Cenzontle – for burgers
- cafe Panchatantra – an other great cafe
Very recommended are also:
- La Pizzeria
- El Armadillo Mazunte
- La palapa cometa
- El Faro
- La Sombrita
- Restaurante Brisa
Transportation and how to get to Mazunte:
You can easily walk around or use colectivo among the beach towns. Its the small white trucks you see people on the back of. Price per route is a few pesos.
Taxi shall not cost more than 150 pesos from Mazunte to Zipolite.
If you come from Oaxaca, you can take the Ado bus to Pochutla. When you get out, ask the locals where you can take the colectivo to Mazunte.
If you come fro Puerto Escondido, you can take again the local bus, which will drop you on the highway. Get out at San Antonio at the cross-section to Mazunte. From there you can ask around for the colectivo, which will bring you to Mazunte.
Travel tips for Mazunte:
Many stray dogs around.
The place felt safe at night.
Mazunte is definately a place where you can take a break from tacos and eat a burger or a poke bowl or several vegan and vegeterian options.
Final thoughts – Is Mazunte Worth Visiting?:
Once you find yourself in Mazunte, yoga, meditation and other similar activities are a must. Temazcal ceremonies, tantra and massages are abundantly offered as well. Embrace the lcoal cluture and you will want to extend your stay, like we did.
Save this Mazunte Travel Guide for later!
As one picture equals a thousand words, visit our instagram for more images from Mazunte.
Our Diary:
Day 1 – Breakfast and beach
And from Zipolite we came to Mazunte.
On the 17th we wanted to start the day at the highly recommended cafe Panchatantra, but unfortunately it was closed. So we chose Doba for a healthy breakfast and then headed over to san Augustinillo. It was less than 10 minutes walk from our apartment and probably 15-20 min from the center of Mazunte. On the way we checked out the available yoga classes at Hridaya and Akasha yoga.
Anyway, that day we headed over to the beach. San Agustinillo actually consists of two beaches, both beautiful, peaceful with golden thin sand. The surrounding vegetation and small houses make this place look like a little paradise indeed. We walked on the beach, played with the waves jogged and sat for lunch at casa corazon. Not the lowest prices as the place is on the beach, but both the vegan tostada as well as the falafel bowl were very tasty. We love the healthy and tasty options we can find in Oaxaca.
Late in the afternoon it rained a bit, but everyone on the beach stayed put. And just before sunset people started trying to surf on the not so ideal waves. In the evening we ate tacos al pastor and tlayuda at Los Poblanitos and a crepe af Moonlight Garden.
Day 2 – Boat tour
On the 18th in the morning we did a boat tour with tours_carey_mazunte during which we watched dolphins and sea turtles. One might spot whales as well, but we did not. The funniest moment was when we spoted a bird in the middle of the ocean resting on a back of a sea turtle as if it was a tiny island. At the end of the tour we did swim at the beach and headed for a coffee to the lovely Icaro Cafe where we ate an avocado toast and a tasty platano cake. The heat made us wander where to go to escape it next.
Finally we headed back to our room to take a rest and later on we did a short hike on Punta Cometa, at the right end of riconchto beach to enjoy the sunset. Unforunately the sky was not very clear but the scenery was nice and me managed to snap a dew photos. To end the day we dined at a local restaurant.
Day 3 – Relax
On the 19th we were both a bit off and judt eanted to relax. So after we woke up we went to Riconchito beach and enjoyed out our breakfast under the shade and the sea breeze at Terraza del Arquitecto. We spent the day there and in the evening we ate again at a local restuarant.
Day 4 – Relax
The 20th was again a relaxing day. In the evening we did a nice massage and before that we ate some delicious crepes at ghecko.
Day 5 – Dance, yoga and beach
On the 21st we begun the day by dancing at ritmos latinos. a cool session for beginners as you learn a bit of several dances such as salsa bachata and merenge. Later on we went to the beach and played with the waves. In the afternoon we tried Hridaya Yoga for two hours, after which we were completely relaxed.
Hridaya Yoga.
Day 6 – More yoga and surf
On the 22nd we started our day with yoga. Quite intensive course, good to wake up. The we ate a delicious smoothie bowl at @Colmena. This was a beach day at san Agustinillo including a not completely sccesfull try to surf these demanding for beginners waves. Our evening ended with one of the best burgers at Cenzontle, where a cute but naughtly little cat insisted a lot that we share our burgers with it.
Day 7 – We tried the temazcal
The 23rd started again with a yoga morning with our teacher for the days, Magda, at akasha. Later on we rested a bit and visited the Mermejita beach which is 10 minutes easy walk from the center or Mazunte. The location is very nice and peaceful and feels really like a remote place where you can forget everything and relax. The waves were strong, though and the and eith lack of shade under the strong sun we decided to head back to Mazunte beach for a swim.
That day we had a late lunch and rested a bit again to be fit for the temazcal ceremony we did the following evening. It was a quite intense experience. We prayed to the elements of the nature, the earth, the sky and our ancecstors, drunk and sacrificed the sacred cacao and survived the four sessions of the temazcal sauna during which we sang prayed, talked to ourselves and made our wishes. Definately worth trying it once. On the funny side, i felt a bit like a pizza in the pizza oven, but the heat is no really so bad.
Day 8 – What else?
On the 24th we woke up early in the morning again for yoga and then took a delicious organic coffee at cafe Panchatantra. After the breakfast we slept again for few hours and headed to the saint augustinillo beach. We spent the day on the beach and in the evening we packex our things to move to our next destination.
next stop.. La Punta, Puerto Escondido
