A short 15 minute walk down the beach leads to Agua Blanca, a collection of local thatched-roof restaurants serving ocean fresh seafood and cold coconuts. Along the way you’ll find numerous tide pools filled with tropical fish and gorgeous boulder formations with dozens of crabs clinging to the rocks as the waves crash in. To your left check out the mini mangrove lagoons, sure to be filled with tropical birds.

A 30-40 minute walk up the beach takes you to the large Santa Elena Laguna. If you walk down to the lagoon, spend some time watching the local fishing techniques. The sea next to the laguna is where the people of the nearby pueblo go to fish. Along the way you are sure to spot pelicans crashing into the sea and huge iguanas sunning themselves on the giant rock formations just before the laguna.

You can explore the laid back area immediately around the resort on foot. The countryside here is diverse with peanut, hibiscus and sesame fields and bird-filled lagoons.

You’ll find plenty that’s worth photographing within a short walk of Gecko Rock.

Surf breaks for both beginners and experienced surfers are found within reasonable walking distance of Gecko Rock. La Grava is for advanced surfers only, but Agua Blanca offers a fun and safe right hand pointbreak and beachbreak.

We can help you to arrange board rental in Puerto Escondido.

If you’re interested in getting a massage during your stay with us, please let us know in advance.

Snorkeling gear can be rented for just a few dollars per hour at Playa Carrizalillo, Puerto Escondido’s most beautiful beach.

If you’d like to do some snorkeling during your stay with us just let us know and we’ll make it happen.

This area is home to one of the top 10 surfing destinations in the world, the Mexican Pipeline. Around here it is known as Playa Zicatela. Peak surfing season, when the waves really start to show, is April to October. Only the truly skilled should attempt to surf Zicatela when the big waves are in town. But Zicatela isn’t the only beach to surf around here. There are a lot of reliable and more tranquilo surf breaks along this bit of the magic coast, some within walking distance of Gecko Rock. If you want to surf while you are here we can organize the hire of a board for the duration of your stay, or you could take surfing lessons in Puerto Escondido, which usually includes board hire. Puerto boasts some world class surfers, some of whom offer lessons. Lessons are available for all levels from beginners up. The next beach along from Zicatela is La Punta where you’ll find another reliable break.

Generally, you can expect to pay around $400 pesos per person for a 2 hour class which includes the board and necessary equipment at the popular Oasis Surf School.

Our coastline is teeming with all sorts of life from the super large to the absolutely tiny and everything in between, making this a fabulous place for a spot of diving or snorkeling while you are here. There are a few diving outfits around these parts, but the one touted as the best in Puerto is Deep Blue Dive deepbluedivemexico.com

Deep Blue Dive operate a safe and shaded boat and their crew provides everything else you need for a comfortable and safe day in the ocean. Their team is made up of internationally trained dive masters as well as highly experienced local diver masters and captains. You can expect to pay US$40 for a one tank dive and US$70 for a two tank dive. They also offer night dives, PADI courses and Discovery Dives (US$65) for those with no diving experience interested in trying the sport.

For avid fishermen there is a lot of fishing to be done around these parts. There are two types of sport fishing involving boat hire, deep sea sport fishing and ‘close to shore’ sea fishing.

If you choose deep sea fishing, depending on the season, you’re mostly fishing for sailfish, marlin, dorado (mahimahi) and yellow fin tuna. With ‘close to shore’ fishing the boat will stay near the shoreline and you can expect to catch bonito, mackerel, sierra, skip jack and needle fish.

For 1 hour of fishing expect to pay $500 MXN ($40 USD). The price is the same for 1-4 people. There is a 4 hour/half day minimum. Most boats provide ice to keep your catch cool and a small shaded area to sit under. It is recommended you take along sun block, a sunhat and drinking water.

We can set you up with one of the most knowledgeable and interesting guides in Puerto Escondido, Levi at Surf and Fishing Charters.

Please note that fishing tours cannot be cancelled on short notice. If you decide to cancel once arriving to Mexico you will be responsible for payment.

Most of the boats in town are moored off the Playa Principal which runs alongside the shopping area of the Adoquin. These boats are organized into a union, meaning all their prices are set, so bargaining is mercifully unnecessary. At the moment it costs 450 pesos (US$40) per person for a 2-3 hour trip. These tours are great value especially between November to March when the dolphin highway sees bumper to bumper traffic with spotted, common, spinner, and bottlenose dolphins, turtles, manta rays being chased by killer whales, flying fish, humpback whales and a whole lot more.

Boat tours are ideally booked in advance and we can do this for you.

Please note that boat tours cannot be cancelled on short notice. If you decide to cancel once arriving to Mexico you will be responsible for payment.

Think you’ll need a spot of adventure to break up your chilled out days? Spend a day exploring the interesting beach/fishing town of Puerto Escondido.

You can take your time to explore Puerto, spending time in places that interest you the most. Your self-tour can include exciting locations like Jardin Rafaela where for $50 pesos you can participate in some early morning bee sting therapy, a fabulous store for more up-market souvenirs on the Rinconada, La Juquileña to sample the best tlayudas in town (Oaxacan pizza), some time in the colorful Benito Juarez marketplace, a super affordable, mid-morning yoga class, or fish tacos on the beach. Zipping from one area of Puerto Escondido to another is easy and cheap with the abundant local taxi service. Going anywhere around Puerto usually costs only $25 pesos and the experience is exhilarating.

Dress casual, like everyone else…Summer clothes, comfortable sandals and minimal jewelry, carefree. There is such a huge expat population in Puerto that you won’t be left feeling like an outsider. When you spend some time in Puerto you’ll see why so many people immigrate to make it their home, it really is a big slice of special.

Just outside of Puerto Escondido is a small artisan mezcal distillery, Los Cantaros, run by a friendly couple, Gustavo and Sara. They make the mezcal onsite by hand in the traditional way. Both Sara and Gustavo used to work in the mezcal fábricas in the mountains of Oaxaca (the home of the mezcal industry). Mezcal is the traditional drink of Oaxaca, and similar to its Jalisco cousin, tequila, mezcal is made from the blue agave, or maguey as it is called in Oaxaca.

Here you will learn the process of how mezcal is made and be able to sample their mezcals as well as the delicious cremas that come in flavors such as piña colada and cappuccino.

Artisan mezcal differs from the factory produced stuff as it is distilled in a clay pot over a fire, producing a smooth and unique flavor that you won’t find in any of the commercially bottled mezcals. The pure mezcals they sell come in beautiful, hand painted bottles…outstanding souvenirs.