Puerto Escondido ↔ Puerto Escondido Airport (PXM)

Destination guide

Puerto Escondido arrival and neighborhood guide

Arriving at Puerto Escondido Airport

Puerto Escondido's airport (PXM) is a small single-terminal airport on the northwest edge of town, right off Highway 200. Most flights are domestic, many of them connecting through Mexico City, so you usually clear immigration at your first Mexican airport and simply pick up your bags here.

Arrivals is a single hall: you collect your luggage, walk out and your driver is there with your name. From the terminal, most of town is 10 to 20 minutes away, depending on the neighborhood and the traffic in the center.

Zicatela and La Punta

Zicatela is the long beach that made Puerto Escondido famous among surfers, and the strip behind it is the liveliest part of town, with hotels, cafés, restaurants and bars. The waves here are powerful and break close to shore, and currents are strong: it is a place to watch the surf, not to swim, unless you are an experienced surfer.

La Punta, at the southern end of Zicatela, has a more laid-back, surf-camp feel, with a gentler point wave popular with learners, hostels, yoga studios and an evening scene that gets busy in high season. Many streets here are unpaved and rentals can be tricky to find in the dark, which is where a driver who knows the area helps.

Rinconada, Carrizalillo, Bacocho and the center

Rinconada is a calmer residential area on the west side, with a main avenue of cafés and shops. Below it, Carrizalillo is a small cove reached by a long flight of steps, one of the more sheltered beaches in town for swimming and beginner surfing. Bacocho, closest to the airport, has larger hotels and a wide open beach with strong surf.

The center is around the main bay, with the pedestrian street known as the Adoquín, the fishing boats on Playa Principal and the coves of Puerto Angelito and Manzanillo nearby, usually calmer for a swim. The town market, up the hill, is the place for fruit, tlayudas and everyday shopping.

When to come and practical tips

The dry season, roughly November to May, brings sunny days and the most visitors, especially at Christmas, New Year and Easter, when it is worth booking accommodation and transfers early. From June to October it is hotter and greener, with afternoon or evening storms, and the biggest swells of the year often arrive in these months.

Choose your neighborhood by how you want to spend your days: Zicatela and La Punta for surf and nightlife, Rinconada and Carrizalillo for quiet and swimming, the center for a more local feel. Bring some cash, as many small places do not take cards. Tell us your exact address or the name of your rental when you book, and mention surfboards or extra luggage so the right vehicle comes to meet you.