Mazunte and Zipolite: A Tale of Two Beach Towns

After an incredible 10 days in and around Oaxaca City, I decided to hop on a bus headed for the coast. Apparently this trip used to take all day, but now it’s only a few hours because of a highway that opened up literally weeks ago. (Everyone I spoke with was very excited about the new highway).

Bus views!

I first landed in Mazunte: a beachy town known for its laidback, hippy vibes.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t love Mazunte. I wanted to love it. It had lots of stuff that I felt like I ought to love. But the vibes just felt… off? Maybe the younger, alternative crowd made me feel old and uncool. Maybe it was a bit too overrun with tourists. Maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind. Or, maybe it was that my hotel had half a dozen roosters that screeched incessantly from 4:30am to sundown. All I really know is that as a solo traveler in my mid-30s who’s not a big partier, I felt awkward and bored (and sleep-deprived) in Mazunte. So I left after a day, and went to Zipolite instead.

I offer a gigantic F-U to these roosters.

On its face, Zipolite is extremely similar to Mazunte. Indeed, they are only 5km apart. But for whatever reason, I immediately loved it so, so much more.

Maybe it was all the cool art.

Maybe it was because everything was very queer.

Maybe it was Zipolite’s pro-nudity norms (left), which stood in direct contrast to Mazunte (right).

Or maybe it’s because my hotel had a relaxing ambiance with exactly zero roosters.

In any event, Zipolite gave me the beachy hippy experience that I was hoping for from Mazunte. I would happily return to this progressive, joyful town.

If you visit Zipolite, feel free to leave your swimsuit at home. And definitely be mindful of that surf.