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Oaxaca

Photographers in Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido is a beach town on the Pacific coast of the state of Oaxaca, known first for Playa Zicatela, a long, open beach whose powerful beach break surfers call the Mexican Pipeline. That fact shapes every session here. Zicatela is photographed from the sand, for its waves and its light, and nobody in a session goes into the water there. The sheltered coves to the west, Carrizalillo and Puerto Angelito, are where people swim, and the wide sweep of Bacocho is where the sun goes down over open sea.

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Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca

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The town is small and spread along the coast. Aeropuerto Internacional de Puerto Escondido sits on the edge of town, so every beach in this guide is a short taxi ride from arrivals, and Punta Zicatela, the southern end of the surf beach, is the farthest at roughly 15 minutes. The same short distance has a cost: all of these beaches lie within 9.2 km of the airport, the distance Mexico’s drone standard NOM-107-SCT3-2019 requires from any aerodrome, so aerial work here needs a special AFAC authorisation and is not offered as a matter of course.

Getting here changed in February 2024. The Barranca Larga–Ventanilla highway, 104.3 km long, cut the drive from Oaxaca city to the coast from about 6.5 hours to about 2.5, according to Banobras, so many visitors now pair the colonial city and the beach in one trip. Others fly in directly from Mexico City.

The clients are mostly couples and young families on holiday, surfers and the content creators who follow them, and small wedding parties at the clifftop hotels of Punta Zicatela. Beaches are public under federal law, and a handheld session on the sand needs no published permit; anything built on the sand, such as an arch or rows of chairs, is a different matter and is cleared with the local ZOFEMAT office or SEMARNAT first.

Sessions

Photography sessions in Puerto Escondido

All sessions

Also booked in Puerto Escondido

Locations

Popular photography locations in Puerto Escondido

The best hour at each, and what a professional session there needs in the way of a permit — with the issuing authority and the date it was last checked.

  • Playa Zicatela

    A long, straight beach facing the open Pacific, famous for a powerful beach break that draws surfers from around the world. Sessions stay on the sand and follow the posted beach flag and the lifeguards.

    Best time
    Sunrise for the surf, or late afternoon as the light turns warm on the spray
    Permit
    No published fee for a handheld session on the public beach; no water shots, and anything set up on the sand is cleared with ZOFEMAT or SEMARNAT first

    Source: diputados.gob.mx · Checked October 2026

  • Punta Zicatela (La Punta)

    The southern end of Zicatela, with a rocky point, a left-hand wave and a strip of small hotels and cafés on the low cliffs behind it. It is the most relaxed corner of town for a sunset session.

    Best time
    The last hour before sunset
    Permit
    No published fee for a handheld session on the beach; clifftop hotels and restaurants set their own rules for outside photographers

    Source: diputados.gob.mx · Checked October 2026

  • Playa Carrizalillo

    A small, sheltered cove ringed by cliffs and palms, with gentle waves that make it the town’s calmest place to swim. The stairway down is the only access and fills with people by midday.

    Best time
    Mid-morning, when the cove is fully lit and the water is turquoise
    Permit
    No published fee for a handheld session on the public beach; the cove is reached on foot down a long stairway from the clifftop

    Source: diputados.gob.mx · Checked October 2026

  • Playa Bacocho

    A long, wide beach west of the centre, backed by a residential neighbourhood and a few beach clubs. Its open horizon makes it the dependable sunset beach of Puerto Escondido.

    Best time
    Sunset, with the sun going down over open sea
    Permit
    No published fee for a handheld session on the public beach; strong surf means no water shots, and beach-club areas are private

    Source: diputados.gob.mx · Checked October 2026

  • Puerto Angelito

    A pair of small, calm coves between the main bay and Carrizalillo, with clear water, rocks for snorkelling and fishing boats at anchor. It is the easiest beach in town to reach with small children.

    Best time
    Early morning, before the boats and the day visitors arrive
    Permit
    No published fee for a handheld session on the public beach; palapa restaurants on the sand control their own tables and shade

    Source: diputados.gob.mx · Checked October 2026

Timing

When to photograph in Puerto Escondido

The dry season, roughly November to April, brings clear skies, calm mornings and dependable sunsets, and it is the busiest time for sessions. The eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from 15 May to 30 November, with a smaller peak in late August, and the rains run roughly June to October. The biggest surf at Zicatela usually arrives with the southern swells of the same months, which draws surfers and photographers and makes the shore-break more dangerous. Summer sessions are booked for the morning with a spare day held in case a storm passes.

a bird's eye view of the ocean and a small town — Puerto Escondido
sea waves crashing on shore during daytime — Puerto Escondido
an aerial view of a small island in the middle of the ocean — Puerto Escondido
a beach with a lot of people on it — Puerto Escondido

Licensed photographs of Puerto Escondido, credited on the photo credits page.

Pricing

Puerto Escondido photography pricing

All pricing

  • Couple photography

    From $150

    • 30 min
    • 20 edited photos
    • Private online gallery
    • Delivered within 7 days

    Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay.

    Check availability

  • Elopement photography

    From $950

    • 3 hours
    • 150 edited photos
    • Private online gallery
    • Delivered within 3 weeks

    Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay.

    Check availability

  • Family photography

    From $180

    • 30 min
    • 20 edited photos
    • Private online gallery
    • Delivered within 7 days

    Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay.

    Check availability

Other destinations near Puerto Escondido

Also covered from Puerto Escondido

These come under the Puerto Escondido rate: a photographer travels out at no extra charge, and the session is priced exactly as it would be in Puerto Escondido itself.

  • Zicatela
  • La Punta
  • Rinconada
  • Bacocho
  • Centro (El Adoquín)

Questions about photography in Puerto Escondido

Is it safe to swim at Playa Zicatela in Puerto Escondido?

Playa Zicatela in Puerto Escondido is a surf beach with a powerful shore-break, and photo sessions there stay on the sand. Swimmers follow the posted beach flag and the lifeguards, and for sessions in the water our Puerto Escondido photographers use the sheltered coves of Carrizalillo or Puerto Angelito instead.

Can a drone be flown on the beaches of Puerto Escondido?

Not routinely. Mexico’s drone standard NOM-107-SCT3-2019 requires 9.2 km of distance from any aerodrome, and Zicatela, Carrizalillo, Bacocho and Puerto Angelito all lie within that distance of Aeropuerto Internacional de Puerto Escondido. Aerial work there needs a special AFAC authorisation, so sessions in Puerto Escondido are shot from the ground.

When is hurricane season in Puerto Escondido?

Puerto Escondido is on the eastern Pacific, where the hurricane season runs from 15 May to 30 November, according to the US National Hurricane Center and Mexico’s Secretaría de Marina. The rains fall roughly from June to October, so sessions in those months are booked for the morning with a spare day held.

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