Lagunas de Chacahua
Lagunas de Chuacahua national park is a place that had been at the top of my bucket list for about 7 years ever since I first heard about it back in 2015. I finally got to experience it in 2022 and was beyond excited as our boat flew through the twisting tunnels of mangroves and out into the expansive lagoon. Read on for information on where to stay, how to save money, packing tips, how to get there and what to do for fun. This is definitely an article worth reading if you are considering going to Chacahua because it’s a unique place and requires different preparation than most other places on the Mexico backpacker map. Most of the accommodation options are pretty rustic and the island itself feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of nearby Puerto Escondido.
Where to Stay
If you want to save money, bring your own hammock or tent. I always travel with a hammock that has a bug net. In Mexcio you can save a lot of money on accommodation when you camp and it also allows you to not have to book in advance. So many places like Mazunte, Chacahua, etc. fill up and then there is nothing left so if you can camp, you can stay in the nicest spots! A tent is annoying to lug around if you don’t have a car, so I would suggest a hammock with a bug net. They are light-weight and pack easily into your backpack. Buying one with a bug net is key. To find a place to pitch your hammock or tent, walk along the beach after you pass through the main town where you are dropped off. There are endless options and you can negotiate on the price. The sand gets hot to walk on so I wished we had stayed a bit closer to town as we were about ten minutes walking down the beach. There is a nice, social vibe at Terra tipi, Chachua Surf Camp and Sharky’s next door. If you have your own hammock or tent, you shouldn’t have to pay more than 50 pesos per night. If you would prefer to stay in a cabana, most of them are about 500 pesos per night in high season (December-April) and it took us ages to find one that were available, within our price range and not horrible. After an hour of searching, we found one that didn’t seem like it would be too noisy and had a bug net, fan, and power outlet. Yay. I wish we had brought our hammocks but we forgot them in our big bags that we left at a hotel on the mainland! Keep scrolling to read through the packing list for Chacahua, how to get there and what there is to do there.
Pitch a hammock on the top floor or rent one. What a view to wake up to!
You will find lots of places that let you hang a hammock for next to nothing and then you have a roof over your head and access to their facilities. You can also rent one from most places for a few dollars! Beachfront ocean view. Backpacker heaven. Keep in mind that these places don’t have lockers for your stuff so if you are nervous about leaving your valuables unattended, this might not be the best option for you. There are also huts you cant rent with locking doors for about $20 per night. None of these options are available to book on the internet, you just have to show up and ask at each place so travel light!
What to Pack for Chacahua
We left our bags at our previous hotel because we were going to Chachua for a week and it was so nice not having big bags when we were climbing in and out of boats and buses. My bag was tiny a day pack, 16 litres. I definitely recommend doing this because it’s very hot and walking in the sand is hard enough without a massive backpack. We walked up and down the beach about 3 times before we found a place to stay that was within our budget and up to my standards - which aren’t very high but the first place we looked at had chickens and toddlers walking in and out of the rooms with only curtains as doors so….
Packing List :
Enough cash for your entire stay and for transport back to Puerto Escondido (no ATMs in Chacahua)
Headlamp
Bug Spray
Sunscreen
Lightweight, quick dry beach/yoga towel.
One or 2 swimsuits
One change of shorts/t-shirt (it’s hot at night too)
Hammock with bug net -If you don’t already have one, check out these two options that I love! Click here to check out the most affordable option that maintains great quality and has a fun, bright blue colour. Perfect for beach camp-outs!
If you want a hammock with both a bug net and a tarp then click here for an option an affordable option that ensures you are prepared for any outdoor camp-out, rain or shine and can blend into your surroundings sleeping in a forest-green cocoon!
Both are fantastic and you can’t go wrong with either one. And they both can hold two adults (or one adult and one doggo!) But it’s always more comfortable two get two separate hammocks if you are two people.
If you already have a hammock and just need the bug net that can fit over any single or double hammock, I have linked one here to add to your travel set-up.
In warm countries like Mexico, packing a hammock with a bug net will change your travel-game. It gives you so much more freedom and because it’s so hot, you don’t need to worry about bringing a sleeping bag so really you have nothing to lose by bringing a hammock as these ones don’t take up much space in your backpack. (Commission Earned: I am not just sharing these links for advertisement, but because I know and love the products shared and would never go on a trip without one of them! I have also bought them several times as gifts!)
How to Get to Chacahua
Getting to Chachua from Puerto Escondido takes about 2 hours, if everything lines up perfectly door-to-door. If not, it could take 3. From Puerto Escondido, go to the TUR bus/collectivo terminal (right beside the ADO bus terminal on the main road in the centro). The buses leave every half hour. Look for one that says Rio Grande and ask the driver if he’s going past Zopatolito. Say that you are trying to get to Chacahua if he does not ask already. You take the mini van bus and it will stop in the town of Rio Grande where most of the locals will get off/on. Then it continues on and the driver will pull over on the side of the highway at the intersection for Zopatolito/Chacahua so that you can hop out before he carries on and you pay about 70 pesos. From here, you hop in a shared taxi for about 25 pesos per person (more if the taxi is not full and you don’t want to wait for more people to come to fill it). The taxi takes you about 10 minutes down to the boat docks where you catch a boat to Chacahua. The boats wait until there are at least 6 people (depends on what the driver says is full but you should be able to convince them to go after 6 people are ready to go) and the boat that takes you directly to Chacahua costs 200 pesos per person. This boat ride is about 35 minutes and absolutely stunning.
The other option is to take the cheaper boat, which the taxi driver will ask you because it’s a different dock. This boat is only 5 minutes and then you have to get in the back of an over-crowded pick-up truck, which costs 50 pesos and takes you along the dirt road to Chacahua for an hour. So this option is longer and will save you 125 pesos, but the other option is more scenic and pleasant although you may end up waiting for the boat to fill up. I chose to wait with a beer and do the direct boat ride. Our driver sped through the mangroves and out into the open lagoon, which was thrilling and worth it all itself as a beautiful way to see the national park. We only had to wait about 10 minutes for our boat to fill up anyhow as he was happy to leave once there were 6 people ready to pay (we said we weren’t paying until it was time to leave and I think this sped things up as there seems to be a bit of competition between the various boat drivers).
What to do in Chacahua
The main activity in Chacahua is surfing. At any point in the day, you can see at least a dozen surfers bobbing along beyond the break, waiting for the perfect wave. There are plenty of places that offer lessons and rentals. Other than that, it was mostly topless sunbathing, stargazing, reading and drinking beers. We loved taking the quick one minute boat ride across the lagoon and walking down the sandy path to the quieter beach on the far side of the lighthouse where you can watch the sunset. Evening skinny-dipping at this secret beach was my favourite way to end each day. Boating out into the middle of the laguna under the stars to swim with the bioluminesence was another highlight. The days are very hot and lucky for us, there were no bugs at all during our stay in late March. I heard that the bugs are worse depending on the moon, the time of year and so on, so bring bug spray just in case!
Bioluminescencia :
These magical glowing plankton are most visible close to the new moon. You can even see them if you go for a late night swim in the ocean. To experience them to the fullest, do a boat tour with a guide who takes you out into the middle of the laguna where they are most visible. Watching the fish light up with sparkles as they swam away from the boat was exhilarating. The tour costed 200 pesos when we were there and it was worth every peso! When you jump into the laguna you will feel like you are floating in outer space, drifting through a star-filled galaxy. It was such a beautiful experience to see them shimmering all around me and then to float on my back and look up at the stars in the night sky above. The tours run every evening around 7:30 pm from the main beach beside the town square where all the boats are (there will be guides asking you to do bioluminiscencia when you pass by).
Hike up to the lighthouse:
We hiked up to the lighthouse about an hour before sunset to get a beautiful Panoramic view Chacahua national park. Watching the way the sun lights up the mountainous landscape during those last few hours of light is nothing short of pure bliss. After enjoying the view from the top of the lighthouse, we decided to head down to the west-facing beach below it because it was starting to get busier and busier at the lighthouse closer to the sunset. Down on the beach, we were the only ones so we went skinny-dipping as the sunset over the horizon. Each evening we returned to this beach and the colours of the sky were spectacular. There’s also a really cool rock formation you can climb on to watch the sunset. Erosion has also created a large opening in the rock that you can walk under as well.
From the main beach in Chacahua, you will need to take a boat for about 25 pesos across the small channel. Then you walk behind the the bars and follow the road to the right. You will see a small trail leading up on the left and there is a sign saying that it is prohibited to go on the trail (but it’s okay everyone does it and no one enforces this rule). Follow this short steep trail to reach the lighthouse. Bring a headlamp if you plan on staying up there for sunset.
Secret Beach:
If you want to reach the secret beach, continue on the road a bit further until you see another trail leading left. This one takes you underneath the lighthouse and over to the west-facing beach underneath it. This is a great place for watching the sunset as you can not actually see the sunset from the main beach in Chacahua because it is east-facing….although there are beautiful sunrises to be seen there!
I don’t know about you, but coming across the quieter places like this beach really add to the experience of travelling for me. It’s the memory and feeling that it invokes on me: spending an evening on a remote stretch of unspoilt natural coastline. It’s quiet, remote, away from the crowds of the main strip (not that there are really crowds in Chacahua to begin with!). It’s paradise. You can bring your speaker, sit with your friends and just feel all the feels as you watch that sun go down. Enjoy every second of it because who knows when it will all change!