Puerto Ángel, Mexico
Information
Puerto Angel is a small fishing port of exceptional rustic beauty and is located in a picturesque bay of the Oaxacan coast of the South Pacific between Puerto Escondido (80km) and the Bays of Huatulco (50 km) surrounded by rocky hills and sandy beaches. It has beautiful pristine beaches, and a sea of vivid green and blue colors, with different types of waves.
In the Main beach and the pier the fishermen offer their boats for tours of the main harbor beaches or to practice recreational fishing offshore. Ixtacahuite The beach is ideal for diving and recreational fishing, because in front of it is a coral reef of extraordinary beauty, as well Beach La Boquilla that shallowness is possible to practice free diving.
Another singular beach is Zipolite whose main attraction is that it is the only nudist beach in Mexico. It is quite busy, mainly by foreign tourists who like to enjoy the sun and water sports to sea. For its strong waves and currents present therein, precautions should be taken. It adjoins Zipolite is Playa del Amor, the quietest corner of the site, is a small beach ideal for away and relax. Puerto Angel offers budget hotels, 1-3 stars, with fields for mobile homes, many inns, cabins and lodges.
There are also restaurants specializing in local food, international and seafood as well as a range of dining, small restaurants and palapas. In Puerto Angel different tours are offered around. One would be to visit La Ventanilla Lagoon where you can observe crocodiles and lots of birds, other Chacalapa go to the pool of spring water or Paradise Kings waterfall. Also, a group of boaters provides rental services. Equipment and boats for fishing and boating Thanks to nature, combined with diving, you'll find great diversity of flora and fauna and hopefully admire three of the seven species of turtles that arrive to Mexican coasts: carey, brown and olive ridley.
Must Know
Though it’s well established as a tourist destination, Puerto Angel still goes about its business as a small, down-at-heel fishing port with minimum fuss. Everything remains resolutely low-key you may very well find pigs and chickens mingling with the visitors on the streets and locals fish off the huge concrete dock, catching yellowtail tuna and other gamefish with a simple rod and line. It has a gorgeous setting around a sheltered bay and ringed by mountains. Small hotels, rooms and simple places to sling a hammock, however, are abundant, with some of the most promising on the road between the main village and the Playa del Panteón. If you’re on a tight budget Puerto Ángel can be a fun place to spend a few days, meandering and sampling the superb local seafood, while the fabulous Casa Bichu will appeal to those willing to splurge.
Puerto Ángel has two beaches: Playa Principal is right in front of the town, and Playa del Panteón is opposite, beyond a rocky promontory and the mouth of a small stream. Panteón is the cleaner of the two, reached by road or a path around the base of the cliffs to the west. Here there is some interesting snorkelling around the rocks, though the stretch of sand is not without a profusion of tenacious hawkers. By the afternoon, though, it’s in shade, so most people wander round to the town beach. With just a little more effort you can visit one of the far better beaches either side of Puerto Ángel. To the west is Zipolite beach, while to the east, about fifteen minutes’ walk up the Pochutla road and then down a heavily rutted track to the right, is tranquil Estacahuite. Here you’ll find three tiny, sandy coves divided by outcrops of rock and the swish Casa Bichu. The rocks are close in, so you can’t swim far, but there’s wonderful snorkelling (beware of sharp coral and undercurrents) and rarely more than a handful of other people around. You can rent snorkelling gear here, or hire it from cafés on the Playa del Panteón and bring it with you. There are other lovely beaches near Estacahuite, including idyllic Playa del Boquilla, accessible by boat from Puerto Ángel. Boquilla is signposted from the main road to Pochutla. A better idea is to arrange a boat trip in advance to both beaches, turtlespotting along the way.
Get There
By Road:
Puerto Angel are you located south of the city of Oaxaca, 250 kilometers above the federal highway No. 175. In the City of Oaxaca, on a journey of 6 hours at San Pedro Pochutla, where transbordas a taxi, truck, van or jeepney, and prosigues to Puerto Angel, 15 minutes travel 13 kilometers. The city of San Pedro Pochutla, is the point of arrival and departure, all bus lines operating in the area, with connections to Mexico City, Acapulco, Salina Cruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas. It is also the regional shopping center, super markets, banking, and clear your market. If you are traveling by public transport, you can board a bus line "Star Valley", which offers a daily departure at 23:15 hours, with an approximate distance of 7 hours. Another option is to travel to Puerto Escondido and there board a local bus or hire a taxi trip special.
By Bus:
Buses from Oaxaca City and colectivos from Pochutla drop off at the junction of Vasconcelos and Uribe (there’s also a taxi stand here).
By Air:
In daily good of the City of Mexico City, Puerto Escondido or Huatulco, where you continue by road on a journey of 45 minutes to Puerto Angel, which is the midpoint between Puerto Escondido and Huatulco.