Layout of Huatulco
Huatulco is not a single town but a stretch of coast in the municipality of Santa María Huatulco, in the far south of Oaxaca, where the Sierra Madre del Sur runs down to the Pacific and breaks the shoreline into nine bays. The development was planned by the federal tourism agency FONATUR and begun in 1984, the fourth of Mexico's purpose-built resorts after Cancún, Ixtapa and Los Cabos, and the plan is the reason the place reads so clearly on a map: separate districts, each with one job, spread along about 35 km of coast at the foot of hills that reach 500 m within sight of the sea.
La Crucecita, set back about 2 km from the water, is the town proper — a grid around a central plaza with the church of the Virgen de Guadalupe, the market, the bus terminals and most of the restaurants and cheaper lodging. Santa Cruz Huatulco, on the bay of the same name, has the marina, the cruise pier and the boats that run excursions to the western bays; it was the fishing village that stood here before the resort. Chahué, between the two, has a small marina and a beach club. Tangolunda, 5 km east, is the hotel bay, laid out with the large resorts and the golf course on the slope above it. Beyond Tangolunda the road continues to Conejos, the easternmost bay reachable by car.
The municipal seat, the old town of Santa María Huatulco, is inland about 25 km up the Copalita valley and has little to do with the resort. Bahías de Huatulco International (HUX) lies 17 km west of La Crucecita just off Highway 200, with scheduled flights from Mexico City, Oaxaca City and, in winter, from Canada and the United States. Highway 200 is the only road along this coast: west it runs to Pochutla, Puerto Ángel and Puerto Escondido, east to Salina Cruz and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The municipality had about 51,000 residents in 2020, of whom roughly 15,000 live in La Crucecita.
Distances from Huatulco
| Place | km | Time | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huatulco airport (HUX) | 17 | 25 min | Hwy 200 west, taxi or colectivo |
| Santa María Huatulco (municipal seat) | 25 | 35 min | Hwy 200 then local road |
| Puerto Ángel | 45 | 1 h | Hwy 200 west via Pochutla |
| Zipolite and Mazunte | 55 | 1 h 15 | Hwy 200, then coast road |
| Puerto Escondido | 110 | 2 h | Hwy 200 |
| Salina Cruz | 160 | 2 h 15 | Hwy 200 east |
| Oaxaca City | 250 | 5 h 30 | Hwy 200 to Pochutla, then Hwy 175 |
| Tuxtla Gutiérrez | 450 | 6 h 30 | Hwy 200 then Hwy 190 |
| Acapulco | 510 | 8 h | Hwy 200 along the coast |
| Mexico City | 760 | 11 h | Hwy 175 and 135D, or 1 h 15 by air |
The nine bays and the national park
Going from east to west the bays are Conejos, Tangolunda, Chahué, Santa Cruz, El Órgano, Maguey, Cacaluta, Chachacual and San Agustín, holding 36 beaches between them. Only the four central bays have a road to the water; Maguey and El Órgano are reached on foot or by boat from Santa Cruz, and Cacaluta, Chachacual and San Agustín are undeveloped, the last of them approached by a long dirt track off Highway 200 near the airport. The water is clear and the coral is the northernmost on this stretch of the Pacific, which is why San Agustín and La Entrega, in Santa Cruz bay, are the usual snorkelling stops.
Huatulco National Park, declared in 1998, covers about 11,900 hectares, roughly half of it marine, and takes in the western bays and the dry deciduous forest behind them; it is the reason the coast west of Santa Cruz has stayed empty. Inland the Copalita and Zimatán rivers come off the sierra through coffee country, and the Copalita archaeological site, on a bluff above the river mouth near Tangolunda, was occupied from about 500 BC and has a ball court and a small museum. The beaches map places Huatulco among the other Pacific resorts, and the archaeological sites map shows the Zapotec and Mixtec sites inland. West along the coast the villages of Mazunte, Zipolite and San Agustinillo are an hour away, and the Pacific Coast page follows the shoreline north.
Questions about Huatulco
Where is Huatulco on the map of Mexico?
On the Pacific coast of Oaxaca at 15.77° N, 96.13° W, about 110 km east of Puerto Escondido and 250 km south of Oaxaca City over the Sierra Madre del Sur. It is the last resort on Highway 200 before the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
How many bays and beaches does Huatulco have?
Nine bays — Conejos, Tangolunda, Chahué, Santa Cruz, El Órgano, Maguey, Cacaluta, Chachacual and San Agustín — and 36 beaches along about 35 km of coast. Seven of the nine lie wholly or partly inside Huatulco National Park.
Where do you stay in Huatulco?
La Crucecita is the town where residents live and where the market, the bus terminals and most restaurants are. Tangolunda is the bay with the large hotels, Santa Cruz has the marina and the excursion boats, and Chahué sits between the two.
How far is Huatulco from Oaxaca City?
About 250 km, roughly 5 h 30 by road: Highway 200 west to Pochutla, then Highway 175 over the sierra. Flights from Oaxaca City and Mexico City land at Huatulco airport (HUX), 17 km west of La Crucecita.
What is the best time to visit Huatulco?
December to April is dry and settled, with daytime highs near 31 °C. The rains fall from June to October and the Pacific hurricane season runs June–November; September and October are the wettest months.