Chacahua is an island just off the Oaxacan coast. Only about 100 yards separate the island from the mainland, but it is completely detached, making it an island. On one side of the island, you have the Pacific Ocean. On the other is the Laguna de Chacahua – a saltwater lagoon with amazing mangroves, plentiful birds, and a crocodile hatchery.
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| The Main Beach in Chacahua |
The Most Beautiful Beach in Mexico
Chacahua is an amazing beach town for several reasons. First of all, it is nearly completely rustic. There are no large buildings or fancy hotels – only rustic cabañas with thatched roofs. Thus, when you are on the beach, you only see thatched roofs behind you and no buildings are more than two stories high.You don't have to worry about spending a lot on lodging in Chacahua. The rustic accommodations are inexpensive. The most expensive cabañas are no more than US$30 a night, and have private showers and toilets, fans, and mosquito nets. The cabañas are right on the beach, and have sand right up to the door of the room. The cheapest cabañas are US$12 a night for a double. An even less expensive option is to camp, which is US$2 a night per person. We stayed at Cabañas el Piojo – one of the last cabañas on the ocean side of the island that also has a camping option.
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| Cabanas with thatched roofs are typical for dining and lodging in Chacahua |
Cabañas el Piojo have a shared shower – which is just as well for me, since the shower is full of sand all the time and the staff is constantly cleaning it out. One of my favorite things about the Cabañas el Piojo is the abundance of hammocks in the shade. It is lovely to spend the afternoon lazing in a hammock listening to the ocean waves crash onto the shore. From the hammocks, you can see the white sand, the blue sea, and the green hills in the distance. Paradise on earth.
Chacahua is extremely isolated. There are about a dozen cabañas on the beach. After that, there is nothing. Once you pass the cabañas, you have about 14 kilometers of coastline to yourself. For the first mile or so you may pass a few other people. After that, you are very unlikely to see any other people – although you will see plenty of birds and perhaps even a sea turtle. If you like the idea of miles of undisturbed coastline all to yourself, Chacahua is for you.
Another thing I really like about Chacahua is that it has three kinds of swimming options, all right next to each other. You can get in the sea right in front of Cabañas el Piojo and the other cabañas. However, the surf is rough and there is a strong undertow, so people mostly use this part of the beach for surfing or for playing in the waves. If you go down a bit to where the Siete Mares Cabañas are, there is a stone jetty that breaks the waves. You can ride the waves there without any worries. Then, just around the corner, there is the lagoon – where the water is calm and there are hardly any waves. The lagoon is great for kids, as you don’t have to worry about the sea taking them away.
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| The Laguna Side |
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| The surf on the beach side is great for surfers |
Chacahua has a very laid-back vibe. Al least half of the people visiting the island are surfers. They wake up early to catch the waves before the sun gets too hot, and spend the rest of the day relaxing and taking care of their boards. On some nights, people set up campfires and play music on the beach, but, in general, Chacahua is quiet after dark. The locals often play volleyball or soccer on the beach at dusk, when the sand is no longer too hot to walk on.
Logistics: Food and money in Chacahua
There is no bank or ATM in Chacahua, so you need to come prepared with enough cash. Accommodations are cheap, and restaurants are reasonable. Meals run from 60 to 140 pesos. If you eat three times a day in restaurants, you could easily spend US $30 to US$50 per person. As there are five people in our family, we only ate one meal a day in restaurants. We bought yogurt or cheese and bread for breakfast, ate snacks for lunch, and had our daily meal at a delicious eatery called Comedor La Sonrisa – also recommended by Alejandra as well as at other restaurants. We found that we could order a whole fish for about 140 pesos (US$12) and that it was more than enough to feed two people.There are all kinds of snacks to munch on all day. There are two ladies who sell delicious tamales with mussels in them. Others sell sopes or pescadillas – corn tortillas with little pieces of fish in them. Others sell empanadas – which are very similar to Dominican pastelitos and are filled with banana or custard. One young man sells donuts, and others sell snacks made with coconuts.
In town, there is a store with basic provisions, as well as a tortilleria – which sells fresh tortillas all day. One day we had a delicious lunch with fresh tortillas, canned refried beans, sour cream, avocados, and salsa.
You can just barely get cell phone signal on the island, and there are no Internet cafes. If the idea of an isolated island beach far away from everything appeals to you, and you don’t mind rustic accommodations, Chacahua may well be the best beach in Mexico.
Getting to and from Chacahua: Como llegar a Chacahua
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| Como llegar a Chacahua? En barco, por su puesto! |
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| How to get to Chacahua? By boat, of course! |
There are two ways to get to Chacahua. The most common way is from Rio Grande, a city near Puerto Escondido where you take a pick up truck to Zapotalito. From Zapotalito, you can either take a 30-minute boat ride all the way to Chacahua or take a 10-minute boat ride across the lagoon followed by a truck ride into town. The boat ride is nicer, but can be more expensive. The other way to get to Chacahua is via San Jose el Progreso, a town near Pinotepa Nacional. You can take a truck from San Jose el Progreso all the way to Chacahua, and then a 2-minute boat ride across the lagoon to where the cabañas are.
It’s a bit of a trek to get to Chacahua, but it is well worth it.
How to get to Chacahua from Oaxaca
In Oaxaca City, you can take a suburban (a mini-van) straight to Rio Grande. You also can take a bus or suburban to Puerto Escondido and then a suburban to Rio Grande. Keep in mind that the ADO buses take about ten hours to get to Puerto Escondido because they take the long way around. The suburbans take about seven hours and cost less. Once you get to Rio Grande, you can take a truck straight to Zapotalito. From Zapotalito you can take a boat to Chacahua.How to get to Chacahua from Acapulco
You can take a bus or a colectivo taxi from Acapulco to Cuajinicuilapa. From Cuaji, you can take a suburban or a bus to San Jose el Progreso. From there, you can take a truck all the way to Chacahua. This route is quicker than continuing on towards Rio Grande, but the are not very many trucks that leave San Jose el Progreso. Thus, leave Acapulco as early as you can to get to Cuaji and then to San Jose el Progreso.If you are up to it, you can also stop along the way from Acapulco to Chacahua in Marquelia – which has beautiful beaches. There is also an amazing fisherman’s beach called Maldonaldo el Faro – which you can get a truck to from Cuaji.
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| Beautiful Chacahua |
