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    Turquoise water and a forested headland in the Bahías de Huatulco, Oaxaca

    Photo by Daniel Lobo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Tour catamarans anchored in a Huatulco bay, Oaxaca

    Photo by ArCaRa, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    West Mexican chachalaca in the forest at Huatulco, Oaxaca

    Photo by Cloned Milkmen from Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Cinnamon hummingbird perched on a branch at Huatulco, Oaxaca

    Photo by (c) Wendy García Monterrubio, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Bahías de Huatulco

    Nature reserve Santa María Huatulco, Oaxaca Municipality of Santa María Huatulco Oaxaca Coast

    A national park of quiet bays, coral and dry tropical forest, toured by boat from the marina at Santa Cruz.

    From Salina Cruz: 2 h 20 min by car (170 km by road) How to get there ↓

    Near here

    See everything nearby ↓

    Plan your visit to Bahías de Huatulco

    Where to stay near Bahías de Huatulco

    Binniguenda Huatulco Hotel · ★★★ · 7.7 km from the center Prices Hotel Santa Cruz Hotel · ★★★ · 7.8 km from the center Prices
    Hotels in Mazunte Houses on Vrbo

    Tours to Bahías de Huatulco

    Day trips and guided outings from Mazunte often include Bahías de Huatulco; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Guided Visit to Huatulco with Pickup Included ★ 5.0 (119) · From US$33
    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide Tours from Mazunte

    How to get to Bahías de Huatulco

    • From Salina Cruz: about 2 h 20 min by road (~170 km)
    • 39 km east of Mazunte
    • Nearest airport: Huatulco (HUX), 44 min by car to Mazunte
    Rent a car at HUX Flights to HUX

    Route, map and directions ↓

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    Popular tours to Bahías de Huatulco

    Guided Visit to Huatulco with Pickup Included ★ 5.0 (119) 3 h From US$33

    Tours, prices and ratings from Viator, checked weekly. We may earn a commission if you book.

    About Bahías de Huatulco

    The Bahías de Huatulco are a string of bays along the coast east of Mazunte, about an hour's drive away. While the eastern bays hold the planned resort of Huatulco, the western part of the coast was declared a national park in 1998, and it covers nearly 12,000 hectares of land and sea. Several of its bays have no roads at all, and their beaches are reached only by boat.

    On land, most of the park is low tropical dry forest that turns gray and leafless in the dry season and bright green with the rains, with mangroves along the shore. It is home to deer, armadillos, iguanas and hundreds of bird species. In the water are coral communities that make the calmer bays good for snorkeling, and offshore you may see dolphins, turtles and, in winter, whales.

    The classic way to see the park is a boat tour that stops at a few beaches, such as Cacaluta, El Órgano or San Agustín, for swimming, snorkeling and a seafood lunch. Playa La Entrega, in Santa Cruz bay, is an easy, calm beach with a reef close to shore, and it can be reached by road.

    How to get to Bahías de Huatulco

    Drive from Salina Cruz: 2 h 20 min, 170 km

    From Mazunte, Huatulco is roughly an hour by car: go up to Highway 200 near Pochutla and continue east to Santa Cruz Huatulco, where the boat tours leave from the marina. Buses run between Pochutla and Huatulco. Tours to the park bays are sold at the marina and by agencies in Huatulco; national park fees may apply.

    39 km east of Mazunte

    Directions from Mazunte on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Where to stay Hotels in Bahías de Huatulco Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Bahías de Huatulco. See prices →

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.

    From the nearest cities to Bahías de Huatulco

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Bahías de Huatulco: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    Open daily, 7 am to 7 pm. México Desconocido · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    About 60 pesos per person per day (national park fee). Students and teachers with ID pay half; free for seniors, pensioners, people with disabilities and children under 12. México Desconocido · checked Oct 2026
    Best season
    Good all year (warm, around 28 °C on average). Humpback whales October to April, migratory birds September to March, sea turtles nest June to November. México Desconocido · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Bahías de Huatulco: what to see and do

    Take a boat tour from the Santa Cruz marina to beaches with no road access.
    Snorkel over the reef at Playa La Entrega, a short drive from Santa Cruz.
    Look for dolphins, turtles and, in winter, whales from the boat.
    Have a seafood lunch at one of the beach palapas.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Bahías de Huatulco

    Binniguenda Huatulco Hotel · ★★★ · 7.7 km from the center Find on Expedia Hotel Santa Cruz Hotel · ★★★ · 7.8 km from the center Find on Expedia Hotel D'Abril Hotel · ★★★ · 7.9 km from the center Find on Expedia Hotel Huatulco Maxico Hotel · ★★★ · 8.0 km from the center Find on Expedia Hospedaje Jocha Hotel · ★★ · 7.4 km from the center Find on Expedia Casa Blanca del Sol Hotel · ★★ · 7.5 km from the center Find on Expedia
    See them all on Expedia Booking.com
    Vacation rentals on Vrbo Airbnb

    Tours & activities

    Day trips and guided outings from Mazunte often include Bahías de Huatulco; with a local guide you can get there without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at HUX (Huatulco): about 44 min by road to Mazunte, then 39 km more to Bahías de Huatulco, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Huatulco (HUX), about 44 min by road from Mazunte, the base for Bahías de Huatulco.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    If you plan on hiking at Bahías de Huatulco, check that your policy covers it: some plans leave adventure activities out.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Mazunte: download a map of the way to Bahías de Huatulco before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

    Links open a partner site. We may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you. Hotel names from OpenStreetMap.

    Photos

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    When to go to Bahías de Huatulco warm

    Bahías de Huatulco shares the climate of Mazunte, 39 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Mazunte

    Make Mazunte your base

    Sunset over the bay and headland at Mazunte, Oaxaca warm
    Oaxaca Mazunte

    Bahías de Huatulco is an easy trip from Mazunte, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.

    Closest to Bahías de Huatulco

    All 6 towns and sights around Mazunte →

    Near Bahías de Huatulco

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Lists with Bahías de Huatulco

    Nature Parks in Oaxaca · 8 Nature Parks near Mazunte · 4

    Something wrong or missing on this page? Suggest a fix or addition

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.