Parque Nacional Lagunas de Chacahua

The Lagunas de Chacahua national park lies about 70 kilometres west of Puerto Escondido along the Oaxacan coast, reached by boat across a series of interconnected lagoons. The park protects one of Mexico's most important mangrove ecosystems, an enormous complex of salt marshes, freshwater lagoons, and isolated beaches where few roads reach.

Getting there is part of the experience. Lanchas (motorboats) leave from the village of Zapotalito and take you through the mangroves, past bird-lined channels, and out to the remote beach village of Chacahua. The village has basic accommodation and seafood restaurants. Wildlife includes crocodiles, dolphins occasionally visible offshore, and an extraordinary range of birds. The beach on the ocean side is wild and mostly empty, backed by coconut palms.

things to do sight wildlife
A story
Chacahua was designated a national park in 1937, making it one of Mexico's oldest. The village of Chacahua itself sits on a narrow sand bar between the ocean and the lagoon, reachable only by boat. In season — October through January — olive ridley sea turtles haul themselves up the beach at night to nest, sometimes in their thousands in what is called an "arribada".