Huatulco, Oaxaca

On the south Mexican Pacific coastline, you can enjoy 36 beaches along the 9 bays called the Bays of Huatulco. The area was once populated by the Mixteca Indians, who called themselves "Cuahtolco". With the time this word developed into Huatulco. When Huatulco was conquered by Spaniards, it was used as a commercial harbor that attracted pirates.

Time later, when Benito Juarez was governor of the state of Oaxaca, he founded the city of La Villa de Crespo which is Huatulco today. Its main industries were agriculture and fishing. At the beginning of the 80´s, the bays were developed as a tourism destination as we know them today.

Huatulco has its own airport, located at 19 Km from the hotel zone. Mexico City is at less than 1 hour flight, and the capital of the state of Oaxaca is at 277 Km. You can also arrive by car using the road of Puerto Escondido, but this road has only two lanes and is very twisty. There are many bus companies offering daily trips to Huatulco.

Huatulco offers all the aquatic activities you can expect from a beach destination, such as diving, snorkel, sailing, fishing expeditions, surfing, kayaks, windsurfing and many more. You will also find other activities including horse riding, motorbike tours, bicycle, and the famous haciendas in the middle of the coffee fields, with an impressive view of the bays. In Huatulco there are hotels for every budget and a wide range of restaurants, from seafood to steak houses or vegetarian.

The Bays of Huatulco are one of the biggest ecosystems in the world today and they are protected as such. Since 1977 it is a natural park, with lots of birds, reptiles, and marine life species.