Puerto Escondido and the nearby village of Mazunte form the wild, surf-and-boho heart of the Oaxaca coast, a stretch of dramatic Pacific beaches, cliff-top sunsets, and unpolished, free-spirited towns rising fast with a younger, adventurous crowd. This is the rugged, untamed counterpoint to the calm Caribbean: powerful surf, golden cliffs, wide empty beaches, and the famous sunset point of Punta Cometa. For couples who want their elopement raw, beautiful, and full of Pacific drama, the Oaxaca coast is unmatched.

The Dramatic Pacific Surf

Puerto Escondido is a world-famous surf town, and its beaches, above all the powerful Zicatela, are defined by dramatic Pacific swell: big, crashing waves, golden sand, and the raw energy of the open ocean. While Zicatela’s surf is for watching rather than wading, the drama it brings to a portrait is extraordinary, the couple small against towering waves and spray. This is the wild, untamed beauty that sets the Oaxaca coast apart.

Dramatic Pacific waves crashing against a rocky coastline under a bright sky — Puerto Escondido is a world-famous surf town, its beaches defined by dramatic Pacific swell: big crashing waves, golden sand, and the raw energy of the open ocean. The surf is for watching rather than wading, but the drama it brings to a portrait is extraordinary, the couple small against towering waves and spray

The Hidden Coves and Swimmable Beaches

Beyond the big surf, the coast hides gentler treasures: small, sheltered coves like Carrizalillo and Puerto Angelito, with calmer, swimmable turquoise water tucked beneath the cliffs. These intimate bays offer a softer, more sheltered setting for a ceremony or a swim, a gentle contrast to the dramatic open beaches, and Carrizalillo in particular is celebrated for its spectacular west-facing sunsets framed by the cove’s rocky arms.

Couple together on a sunlit beach in a sheltered cove — Beyond the big surf, the coast hides gentler treasures: sheltered coves like Carrizalillo and Puerto Angelito, with calmer, swimmable water tucked beneath the cliffs. These intimate bays offer a softer setting for a ceremony or a swim, and Carrizalillo in particular is celebrated for its spectacular west-facing sunsets framed by rocky arms

Mazunte and the Wild Beaches

An hour down the coast, the Pueblo Mágico of Mazunte is the bohemian soul of the Oaxaca coast: a tiny, laid-back village of dirt roads, eco-lodges, and wild, beautiful beaches, with a turtle sanctuary and a deeply relaxed, spiritual, off-grid character. The beaches here, Mazunte, San Agustinillo, and nearby Zipolite, are wide, golden, and unspoiled, perfect for a barefoot, free-spirited elopement far from any resort.

A wide wild beach with the Pacific Ocean at sunset — An hour down the coast, the Pueblo Mágico of Mazunte is the bohemian soul of the Oaxaca coast: a tiny village of dirt roads, eco-lodges, and wild beaches, with a turtle sanctuary and a deeply relaxed, off-grid character. The beaches here are wide, golden, and unspoiled, perfect for a barefoot, free-spirited elopement far from any resort

Punta Cometa and the Cliff Sunset

The crown of the Oaxaca coast is Punta Cometa, a rocky headland reaching out from Mazunte into the Pacific, the southernmost point of the region and the highest cliff on this stretch of coast. It is famous for its 360-degree sunsets, where the sun drops into the open ocean and the sky and sea blaze with colour on every side. A ceremony or portrait session on this dramatic clifftop at sunset is the signature, unforgettable image of an Oaxaca-coast elopement.