Cacaluta Beach
Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico
Cacaluta sits inside Huatulco National Park on Oaxaca's southern coast in Mexico, a kilometer of sand backed by dunes and sheltered by a small offshore island, reachable only by a five kilometer forest hike or a motorboat from Santa Cruz harbor. The beach gained a certain fame for its role in the film Y Tu Mama Tambien, and birdlife fills the surrounding jungle in a way few developed beaches nearby can match.
A genuinely protected, undeveloped beach with real cultural cachet and good snorkeling around the island, though the undertow and total lack of services mean it takes some planning to visit safely.
Take the boat from Santa Cruz rather than the hike unless you're prepared for the full trek, and bring plenty of water either way since there are no reliable services once you arrive.
There's no direct road access. Motorboats depart from Santa Cruz harbor for a fee per boat, or the hiking trail from the park's main road takes about five kilometers each way.
There's no paved access of any kind, just the boat landing directly on the sand or the forest trail, neither suited to limited mobility.
The dry season from November through April brings the calmest conditions, while the wetter season from May through October carries Pacific hurricane season risk along this part of Oaxaca's coast.
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