Oaxaca beaches: which one is worth it today?

About the coast of Oaxaca

By Equipe editorial GTM Labs · Updated 10/08/2026

Oaxaca has a coastline on the Pacific Ocean, between Guerrero to the west and Chiapas to the east. The state is divided into eight regions, among them the Costa and the Istmo. The eastern shore faces the Gulf of Tehuantepec, home to the Huave lagoon system and the Mar Muerto, which Oaxaca shares with Chiapas. Tourism on the coast is concentrated in Bahías de Huatulco, Puerto Escondido, Puerto Ángel and Zipolite.

There are several protected natural areas along the coast. The Parque Nacional Lagunas de Chacahua, declared in 1937, includes Chacahua bay and lagoon and the Tianguisto and Pastoría lagoons; three species of sea turtle nest on its beaches. The Parque Nacional Huatulco, declared in 1998 in the area of the nine bays of Huatulco, protects low tropical forest, mangrove and coral reefs. At the Santuario Playa de Escobilla, managed by Conanp, olive ridley turtles come ashore in mass nestings (arribadas).

Sources: INE, Memoria del Proceso Electoral Federal 2005-2006, Oaxaca: contexto geográfico · Wikipedia (en), Oaxaca · Wikipedia (es), Golfo de Tehuantepec · Wikipedia (en), Gulf of Tehuantepec · Wikipedia (es), Oaxaca · CONANP, ¡Feliz cumpleaños Lagunas de Chacahua! · CONANP, Parque Nacional Huatulco · CONANP, Inicia la cuarta arribada de tortuga golfina en el Santuario Playa de Escobilla, en Oaxaca · FONATUR, Comunicado EarthCheck-Fonatur · Hidrobiológica (UAM) 26 (1), 2016: Variabilidad espacial de la captura ribereña de camarón en el Sistema Lagunar Mar Muerto, Oaxaca-Chiapas