Beach 54 km east of Papantla
More than 50 km of calm Gulf beaches between Tecolutla and Nautla, with fine sand, seafood and mangrove boat trips.
The Costa Esmeralda, or Emerald Coast, is the stretch of shoreline that runs for more than 50 kilometers south from Tecolutla to Nautla. It takes its name from the color of the water, which on calm days shifts between green and blue. It is one of the main beach getaways for people from central Mexico and from Papantla and Poza Rica.
The coast is a string of small beach communities along the highway rather than one town: La Vigueta, Monte Gordo, Playa Oriente, Casitas, La Guadalupe and Ricardo Flores Magón, among others. The beaches are long, with fine, soft sand and usually gentle waves, and the strip is lined with hotels of every level, from comfortable resorts to simple rooms, campgrounds and trailer parks.
Behind the beaches are lagoons and mangroves, especially around Casitas and the Ciénega del Fuerte near Ricardo Flores Magón, where local boatmen take visitors to see herons, ducks and sometimes crocodiles. It is busiest in Semana Santa and the summer holidays; outside those weeks many beaches are nearly empty.
What to see and do
Pick a beach along the highway, such as Monte Gordo, Casitas or La Vigueta, and spend the day on the sand.
Take a boat tour through the mangroves at Casitas or the Ciénega del Fuerte.
Eat fried fish and seafood cocktails at the beach restaurants.
Come outside the holiday weeks if you want the beaches almost to yourself.
Getting there
From Papantla, take Highway 180 east through Gutiérrez Zamora and continue south along the coast; the first beaches are a little over an hour away by car, and the far end near Nautla takes longer. Buses along the coastal highway stop at the beach communities.
54 km east of Papantla
Directions from Papantla on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
Plan your trip
Places to stay in Costa Esmeralda
Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Costa Esmeralda.
Tours & activities
Guided tours, tastings, and day trips in and around Costa Esmeralda.
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Weather warm
Costa Esmeralda shares the climate of Papantla, 54 km away. The best months to visit are Feb, Mar, Apr, Dec.
Make Papantla your base
Costa Esmeralda is an easy trip from Papantla, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Papantla
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El Tajín
· Archaeological site · 5 km away
The great ancient city of the Gulf coast, with the Pyramid of the Niches, many ball courts and voladores at the gate. -
Cuyuxquihui
· Archaeological site · 17 km away
A small Totonac city founded as El Tajín declined, with a pyramid at the edge of a cliff and a large ball court. -
Gutiérrez Zamora
· Town · 25 km away
A riverside town on the way to Tecolutla, home to some of the oldest vanilla-curing businesses in the region. -
Barra de Cazones
· Beach · 33 km away
A small beach village where the Cazones River meets the Gulf, with quiet beaches, mangrove boat rides and seafood. -
Tecolutla
· Town · 33 km away
Papantla's nearest beach town, at a river mouth on the Gulf, with a sea turtle camp and boat trips into the mangroves.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.