Some places feel like they sit just outside the rush of the modern world—and Laguna de Chacahua is absolutely one of them. Tucked along Oaxaca’s stunning Pacific coastline, this peaceful pocket of mangroves, glassy water, and slow, easy village life is the perfect antidote to the buzzing, surfy crowds further south. Chacahua has held onto its traditional fishing-village soul, making it the ideal getaway for travellers craving a quieter, more authentic escape from the ever-growing bustle around Puerto Escondido.
Getting There: The Adventure Begins
Getting to Chacahua is an adventure in itself.
We started our journey from La Punta, catching a taxi to the Terminal Tur station before hopping into a collectivo bound for El Zapotalito. If you’re travelling with surfboards, be prepared: collectivos typically check and charge per board, and yes… we paid for each one! It costs approx 60 MXN per person plus extra for boards. The drive along the coastal highway rolls by in about an hour before you reach the turnoff for the lagoon.
At the intersection, you’ll find a nearby camioneta (20 MXN per person) – small open-bed trucks that manage to fit children, backpacks, surfboards, and the odd chicken without complaint. A breezy ten-minute ride later, you’re at the water’s edge.
While some travellers opt for the longer collectivo and shorter bus ride, we decided to take the longer boat ride, direct from Zapotalito. Yes, it cost a bit more (around 2500 MXN, roughly $100), and maybe we could have haggled or waited for other people to join us, but it was a fun, memorable experience: wind in our hair, mangroves towering overhead, and that exhilarating feeling of gliding deeper into the wild heart of Chacahua. It wasn’t just transportation… it was the moment the trip truly began.
Arriving in Chacahua
The boat ride into Chacahua is nothing short of an adventure. You glide through narrow mangrove tunnels, duck beneath low branches, and watch the world open up into a bright, calm estuary that feels like a secret entrance to paradise.
Along the shoreline, a scatter of simple cabanas and hammocks stretches along the sand, shoulder-to-shoulder with a few slightly fancier stays tucked toward the far end of the beach. The atmosphere is unpolished in the best way—driftwood signs, sandy paths, and that sense of being pleasantly removed from everything.
We chose a small cabin at Cabañas La Isla Chacahua on the northern side, nestled beside the local community and closer to the surf breaks and the cluster of beachside restaurants. The cabin overlooked a calm, glassy lagoon framed by mangroves, giving us quiet mornings and sparing us from the late-night weekend music that tends to drift across the beachfront. There are just two rooms available; we had the downstairs one, sharing two double beds between the five of us, with the added convenience of a private bathroom, A/C, intermittent Wifi and a small fridge to keep food and drinks cold.
A family we got to know were staying at the beachside Cabañas El Cova, only a few metres away, with a front-row view directly onto the shoreline—waves practically at their doorstep. They also had the bonus of the use of a kitchen next door. We couldn’t find this place online, though they do keep a Facebook page, and after seeing their setup, we’d be tempted to stay there if we return to Chacahua.
Chacahua Life: Slow Days, Salty Skin, and Endless Smiles
Chacahua is the kind of place that instantly resets your internal rhythm. Mornings start with fishermen pulling in their nets. Afternoons melt into hours of swimming, wandering along the beach or next to the calm lagoon. Being an early riser and with no kitchen to make Coffee, I would walk to the beachside restaurant after sunrise, and the family would kindly make me a morning coffee!
For families, Chacahua is pure magic. Our kids adored it. They helped fishermen drag in morning catches, surfed the gentle waves without crowds and raced along the shorebreak, spotting pelicans diving for their meals. Our youngest became ‘best friends’ with a Mexican boy, also visiting Chacahua. They spent countless hours gathering fish on the shoreline, then preparing and cooking them. Most evenings, local kids were out enjoying the waves too, giving the place an easy, communal feel. Our evenings involved a simple barefoot stroll to the little communal “square,” home to a handful of comedores and pulperías and a laid-back atmosphere.
Why Chacahua Stays With You
The real magic of Laguna de Chacahua isn’t just the scenery – it’s the feeling it gives you. A sense of being deeply connected to nature, to the community, and to a slower, softer way of life. No giant resorts. No crowds. No rush. Just the steady rhythm of the tide and the gentle hum of village life.
If you’re craving a place to unplug, slow down, and breathe in the wild beauty of Oaxaca, Laguna de Chacahua is the escape you didn’t know you needed – but won’t soon forget.
Surfing Chacahua
I’d read glowing reports of long, easy righthanders here – exactly the kind of waves my wife and kids were craving after the thumping surf at Zicatela and the crowded lineups at La Punta. But recent storms seem to have shifted the sand and altered wave quality, and created the odd rip current here and there. While the surf was definitely more user-friendly for everyone, it wasn’t quite the dreamy setup I’d been hoping for. Still, if you’re looking for a softer wave in the Puerto area, it’s absolutely worth a visit – it just isn’t firing on all cylinders at the moment.
I did, however, stumble upon another incredible wave in Chacahua – one that totally made up for the softer surf out front. It takes a paddle across the estuary and a short ten-minute walk, but trust me, it’s so worth the mission. Just a heads-up: it’s a heavy, Puerto-style wave… only without the crowds!
Other things
There are no ATMs, so bring cash with you. After not budgeting for our expensive boat ride, I soon realised we were low on cash. Luckily, the main shop near the square will do cash back for a small card fee if you find yourself in a similar situation!
There are several places to eat in Chacahua. Along the beach, restaurants like Restaurante Calamar focus mainly on fresh seafood, perfect for a meal with your toes in the sand. Around the central square, you’ll find a bit more variety. Restaurant Berlitha serves a mix of tacos, tlayudas, and burgers at reasonable prices. Nani Restaurant always drew a steady crowd – though we were usually too hungry to wait for it to open. Chacahua Wings is another solid option in the square, and conveniently, they accept card payments – handy when your cash starts to run low.
Bio Luminescent Tour
The bioluminescent tours take you on a boat trip across the lagoon, where glowing plankton light up the water in shimmering blue-green when touched. After sunset, guides navigate through the quiet waterways of Lagunas de Chacahua National Park until full darkness reveals the spectacle. You can dip your hand, or even swim, to see trails of light follow your movements, often paired with a bit of local nature insight and peaceful stargazing before heading back to shore.
Our Return transport
We had planned to catch the collectivo from the square, but a local offered to take us in a slightly smaller boat for about half the price of our outbound ride. At El Zapotalito, taxis are waiting to carry travellers toward Puerto Escondido, but we decided to take the camioneta back to the intersection. As it turned out, the driver offered to take us all the way to La Punta for a very reasonable price, and we gladly accepted.
A little more info on Lagunas De Chacahua
Lagunas de Chacahua is a remarkable coastal ecosystem located on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, and forms the heart of the Lagunas de Chacahua National Park, established in 1937. The park protects a complex system of lagoons, mangrove forests, marshes, savannas, and barrier islands that sit between the open ocean and inland freshwater sources. This meeting of saltwater and freshwater creates an exceptionally productive natural habitat that supports a wide range of plant and animal life.
The wildlife of Lagunas de Chacahua is one of its greatest treasures. The lagoons and mangroves are home to more than 200 bird species, making the area an important site for both resident and migratory birds. Herons, egrets, pelicans, ibis, roseate spoonbills, and ospreys are commonly seen, while migratory species arrive seasonally from North America. Reptiles such as American crocodiles and iguanas inhabit the waterways and surrounding vegetation, and the lagoons support diverse fish and crustacean populations that are essential to the local fishing economy. At night, microscopic bioluminescent plankton illuminate the water with a glowing blue light, a rare natural phenomenon that highlights the health of the ecosystem.
Mangrove forests are the ecological backbone of Lagunas de Chacahua. Red, black, white, and button mangroves stabilize the coastline, filter water, and serve as vital breeding grounds for fish, shrimp, and other marine species. These mangroves also act as natural buffers against storms and erosion, protecting both wildlife and human settlements. Surrounding habitats include tropical dry forest and coastal dunes, each contributing to the region’s biodiversity and resilience.
Historically, the area has long been inhabited by Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities who relied on fishing, salt extraction, and small-scale agriculture. During the colonial period, Chacahua became known for salt production, which shaped local trade and settlement patterns. In recent decades, eco-tourism has emerged as an important source of income, with visitors drawn by wildlife watching, boat tours through the mangroves, surfing beaches, and the region’s laid-back atmosphere. Despite modern pressures, local communities continue to play a key role in conservation, balancing traditional livelihoods with efforts to protect this fragile and irreplaceable ecosystem.
