As travel guides release their must-visit destinations for the year, Mexico keeps popping up.
This time around, National Geographic included the Costa Chica region in the southern state of Oaxaca as one of the top places to travel to in 2026.
“It’s a surfer’s dream, but on a quieter coastline,” the magazine says.
Historically, Oaxaca City, the state’s capital, has gotten the spotlight due to its vibrant cultural scene, pre-Hispanic monuments, culinary heritage and Mexican traditions. But just 100 miles southwest of the colonial city lies Costa Chica, a stretch of coastline between Pinotepa Nacional and the Huatulco area.
Costa Chica has remained a “less traveled, quieter destination than Mexico’s more popular and accessible stretches of sand,” National Geographic says, adding that still, “it is every bit as enticing.”
Renowned for its world class surf, the travel publication praises the destination’s “spectacular, undeveloped beaches, endemic birds, design-centric hotels, and countercultural enclaves, such as the queer-friendly, clothing-optional community of Zipolite.”
Even though the area has increased in popularity with national and international travellers, many beaches remain underdeveloped, making them attractive to those seeking quiet places, surfing, and community projects rather than large resorts.
Places like Puerto Escondido and nearby beaches are world-renowned for surfing — the Zicatela wave, called “Mexican Pipeline,” is emblematic — and early this year, Puerto Escondido was recognized as a World Surfing Reserve, to promote the conservation of historic beaches.
In addition to long stretches of uncrowded beaches, Costa Chica stands out as one of the few places in Mexico with a strong Afro-Indigenous identity, which reveals itself in Indigenous and mestizo dances and music such as the chilenas of Pinotepa and the sones of Pochutla.
Nat Geo also highlights the area’s inclination for architecture and design, starting with Casa Wabi arts complex, designed by celebrated Japanese architect Tadao Ando. It also mentions two nearby hotels, both designed by Mexican architect Alberto Kalach: Casona Sforza, an adults-only boutique hotel consisting of 11-suites, and the 100 percent solar Grupo Habita eco-hotel Hotel Terrestre.
Desde la llanada de la Costa Chica de Oaxaca llegó a la Ciudad de México una tradición que pocas veces había salido de su territorio. En San Juan Bautista Lo de Soto, uno de los pueblos más antiguos de la región, la Danza de los Diablos se ha conservado por décadas gracias a su… pic.twitter.com/kaVmXfKuMY
— Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México (@CulturaCiudadMx) November 15, 2025
In 2025, Hotel Terrestre earned a Michelin Key, recognizing exceptional experience the hotel offers to guests.
Reaching this paradisiac coastline is now easier than ever following the opening of a new superhighway between Oaxaca City and Costa Chica, which turned the 10-hour drive through the mountains into a 3.5-hour drive. And in December, American Airlines began operating a nonstop service between Dallas-Fort Worth and Puerto Escondido.
Mexico News Daily
