Beaches · 12 min from centro
La Punta (Punta de Zicatela)
La Punta is the rocky point where Zicatela’s three kilometers of sand finally bend, softening the ocean’s power into a long, forgiving left that made this the learner’s side of a heavyweight beach. Around that wave grew the most international neighborhood in Puerto: sandy streets of surf schools, specialty coffee, sunset DJs, and a nightly migration to the beach for the light show. It is the easiest place in town to arrive alone and leave with plans — and the place where the boom’s downsides show first.
The wave and the lineup
The point peels left over sand and rock, slower and more shouldered than the beach-break bombs up the sand — which is why every surf school in town launches students here. On small days it is a mellow longboard wave with a crowded, friendly lineup. When swell arrives it jumps quickly: the paddle gets longer, the sets more serious, and the beginner window closes. If schools are keeping students on the inside reforms, follow their lead. Board rental racks line the beach entrance; lessons are cheaper booked with the schools’ beach stands than through hotel desks.
The scene: sunset, coffee, and the strip
Days here run on a fixed rhythm: dawn patrol, café mid-morning, beach, then the whole neighborhood funnels onto the sand for sunset — vendors, slackliners, drums, and half the town’s Instagram output. The food strip is Puerto’s densest (see our La Punta eating guide for the spots worth it), and Sunday’s sunset session at the beach clubs opens the town’s weekly nightlife circuit. It quiets by midnight; the late night moves to Zicatela.
The honest downsides
La Punta is the most gentrified pocket of the coast: accommodation prices have surged, high-season availability disappears months out, streets are unpaved and hard on bare feet and scooter tires, and the strip has a persistent low-grade hustle — say no gracias and keep walking. A fire in March 2026 destroyed a short stretch of beachfront businesses near the south end; the neighborhood reopened almost immediately and rebuilding is underway, but expect some construction and check current status for specific beachfront venues.
Do it from here
2 h2-Hour Surf Lesson in the Waves of Puerto Escondido
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3.3 hMade in Oaxaca Food Tour
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Questions people actually ask
Is La Punta good for beginner surfers?
Yes — it is the default learning wave in Puerto Escondido on small-to-medium days. On bigger swells conditions outgrow beginners quickly; that is when schools move students to Carrizalillo.
Can you swim at La Punta?
On calm days, near the point, with attention — yes. It is not a protected cove: currents strengthen with any swell. Families and weak swimmers should default to Carrizalillo or Puerto Angelito.
Is La Punta expensive?
By coastal-Oaxaca standards, yes — it is the priciest neighborhood in town for rooms in high season. The adjacent Lázaro and Brisas blocks run far cheaper, minutes away.