México Exótico Back to Contents MEXICO EXOTICO ©2003

¡Oaxaca! Visit and Explore Oaxaca. Free Travel Guide: General Tourist Information. The Bays of Huatulco Huatulco is at the south of Oaxaca on the Pacific Ocean and consists of a group of nine bays of white-sand beaches, which have a total length of 35km. They lay at the bottom of the Sierra Madre del Sur and are surrounded by hills, valleys, jungle, desert and are irrigated by three rivers. This is the place where the beach scenes of the film ‘Y tu mamá también!’ (Alfonso Cuarón, 2002) were shot. To see some photographs of the bays go to www.baysofhuatulco.com.mx and click on the ‘Las Bahias’ icon on the left. Once the page is loaded the bays will appear listed on the right. Huatulco is a relatively new tourist resort only fifteen years old. It has a modern tourist infrastructure: a good number of hotels from the five star complex to the more austere and colonial-style by the port on the bay of ‘Sta. Cruz’, or the small economical ones in the cute little town of ‘La Crucesita’. The road interconnecting all the bays is very well preserved and has little or no traffic at all. Huatulco has its own airport. 'Aeroméxico' and 'Mexicana' have regular flights from México City, whilst 'Aeromorelos' flies from Oaxaca. ‘Tangolunda Bay’ is where the five star hotels are located. At present these are: the Sheraton Huatulco, Casa de Mar, Crown Plaza Resort, Zaáshila, Royal Maeva Hotel and Camino Real. The 18-hole golf course and tennis courts are also here. Car rentals, restaurants and shops are across the road. The cute and cosy little town of ‘La Crucecita’ has a population of 7,000. It has its own square with a kiosk and a market where food, artcrafts and souvenirs are sold. Although it is very small, it has most of the services you will need while being in Huatulco: the bus ticket office, taxis, the tourism information point, tour operating companies, bike and motorbike rental, restaurants, bars, internet and ice-cream shops. It is a good opportunity to interact with the friendly locals and experiment another of the different atmospheres of México. The ‘Santa Cruz’ bay has its own port. This is where the sea tours depart from. It also has its own main square, souvenir shops and traditional seafood restaurants by the beach, and a few hotels round the corner. The ATV motorbike touring office is 1km away from here. At present the ‘Cacaluta Bay’ is being worked on, it will have its own port, a 1,100acres golf course and it will host 2,500 hotel rooms and flats. The ‘Chahue Bay’ is also under development it will have a port, a residential area and a hotel of 452 rooms. Huatulco has an ecological reserve which now is a national park and counts with a few walking paths and sheltered benches. Refer to the tourism office for more information. The park contains: 9,000 species of plants, over 50% of all the national species (MX); 264 species of mammals, 40% (MX); 701 species of birds, 63% (MX); 470 reptiles, 26% (MX); and 100 species of amphibious. Some of these animals are: black iguanas, aquatic and terrestrial turtles, pumas, skunks, armadillos, white-tail deers, salamanders, boas, owls, rabbits, squirrels, pelicans, humming-birds, hawks, sparrow-hawks, sparrows, jaguars and otters. Amongst Huatulco’s sea fauna there are lobsters, shrimps, scallops, shell-fish, the occasional visiting whale and dolphins and many species of fish. There are also large coral reefs in the bays of Cacaluta, Chachacual, Riscalillo and San Agustín. Although there are other beaches In Oaxaca these do not provide the same comfort as Huatulco. Pto. Escondido Puerto Escondido was for years the favourite destination before Huatulco was established. However it is still 'the place' for surfing. For more details check the following link: www.ptoescondido.com.mx/Surfing/surfing.htm Zipolite 'Zipolite' allows nudism, with an atmosphere of love & peace, and bonfires by the sea at night. But the only accommodation available is cheap hostels. Warning! It is seriously dangerous to swim in this beach, if the locals think it is not safe to go in, then please follow their advice. Many lives have been lost in the past due to the wild waves. Mazunte If you like or study turtles then 'Mazunte' might be worth a visit as it hosts the Mexican Centre of Turtles. It's a natural turtle habitat and year after year seven out of the eight species of turtles keep arriving to the shore of Mazunte. The centre also hosts other aquatic species and next to it there is a botanic garden holding the most representative species of Mexican cactus. Guided tours in different languages are available to visitors. Director: Biól. M. Javier Vasconcelos Pérez cmtvasco@angel.umar.mx Sub-Director: Hidrobiól. Ernesto O. Albavera Padilla cmtalbav@angel.umar.mx Teléfono: 958 43055 Fax: 958 430633 Location: Carretera: Puerto Ángel - San Antonio, Km. 10, Mazunte, Sta. María Tonameca, Oaxaca, Mexico. Postal Address: Apartado Postal 16, Puerto Ángel, Oaxaca, Mexico. C.P. 70902 Back to Contents