Lagunas de Chacahua National Park

A Coastal National Park (1937) Of Linked Lagoons, Mangrove Channels And A Long Pacific Beach, With Birdlife, Crocodiles, Bioluminescent Plankton, Turtle Nesting And A Remote Afro Mexican Fishing Community. Reached By Boat From Zapotalito And Best Done As An Overnight With A Local Guide. Hot, Humid And Quiet · Santa Maria Colotepec, Oaxaca

Lagunas de Chacahua is a national park (1937) on the Oaxaca Pacific coast, about 70 km west of Puerto Escondido, made of linked lagoons, mangrove channels and a long surf beach. Most visitors take a boat from Zapotalito, then move through narrow mangrove channels to the village of Chacahua, home to an Afro-Mexican fishing community with simple palapa restaurants and cabins. Tours cover the lagoon channels, birdlife, a crocodile rescue station and the beach, and at night the water can glow with bioluminescent plankton in the right season. Turtles nest on the beach from about June to December. It suits travellers who like quiet, wildlife and simple lodging and who can accept heat, mosquitoes and a basic setup. It is worth the detour for an overnight stay, when the evening light and the glowing water make the trip; it is not worth it as a rushed half-day from Puerto Escondido, or if you want hotels, air conditioning and polished services. Roads can be unpaved and tide, weather and boat schedules decide the plan.

Lagunas de Chacahua, coastal lagoons and mangrove between Puerto Escondido and Pinotepa Nacional on the Oaxaca coast, reached by boat from Zapotalito or by dirt road; coordinates approximate, Santa Maria Colotepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

The park has no gate hours as such; boat landings at Zapotalito and the village of Chacahua run in daylight, with most tours leaving between morning and mid-afternoon and boats unwilling to go out in the dark or in strong wind. Walking the beach and the village is FREE, but a small park or community fee may be collected at the landing. Palapa restaurants and cabins keep irregular hours and some are CLOSED in the rainy low season from about September to October. Night bioluminescence and turtle tours are arranged with local guides, so confirm the evening before.

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