Top 5 Beaches to Visit in Sayulita!
When choosing between Mexico’s Pacific or Caribbean coasts—the beach may be your deciding factor. If you’re looking for white sand beaches with tropical blue water you may want to head to the Caribbean side. However, if you want to find supremely surf-able waves—the small fishing village of Sayulita, located on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, is where you’ll want to spend your days soaking up the sun!
View of Playa Malpaso and Playa Las Cuevas from above.
Read our 7-Day Sayulita Itinerary!
Since the 1970s, Sayulita has been a popular spot for surfers looking to capture those endless summer waves. Recently, it’s also started to attract travellers and expats who are in search of good vibes, great food and beautiful beaches. With the influx of people, finding some solitude has become a bit of a challenge on Playa Sayulita (Sayulita’s main beach). In this post, we list five of Sayulita’s more peaceful beaches to visit if you’re looking to escape the crowds!
#5 - Playa Sayulita
I know we just talked about how busy it can get, but there’s no way we could write a blog about Sayulita’s best beaches and not include Playa Sayulita! You’ll definitely find more people compared to other beaches on this list but it’s also likely where you’ll end up most days due to its proximity to everything else! For the purpose of this post we’ve divided this long stretch of sand into the South and North ends—each with its own pros and cons.
At the South end of the beach you’ll find the best waves for surfing and be close to many of Sayulita’s great restaurants and bars!
Read our blog post ‘Where to eat in Sayulita’!
The drawback of the South end? It’s the most crowded of any beach on this list. However, this issue is easily solved—if the South end of the beach is busy with too many other tourists, you’ll usually find some peace by walking to the North end! Our accommodations were closer to the North end and we prefer a quiet beach so we spent most of our time here!
Playa Sayulita
#4 - Playa De Los Muertos
On the way to Playa Carricitos (see #2 on this list) you’ll pass another more popular beach known as Playa De Los Muertos—which literally translates to ‘Beach of the Dead’. This may seem like an ominous name for a place where you plan to relax for the day but don’t worry, the name has nothing to do with dead bodies at the beach—just in a nearby graveyard!
This small cove is only about 10 minutes on foot from Sayulita Plaza but attracts less crowds than the main beach. It’s location also makes it a much more friendly beach for swimming and is great for the whole family! We stopped here on our way to Carricitos but didn’t spend much time as we were looking for somewhere a little more private!
*You’ll find chairs/umbrellas for rent, locals selling some snacks on the beach and even a small bar for some refreshments!
#3 - Playa San Pancho
San Pancho, also known as San Francisco, is the next town North of Sayulita. This laid back town is often compared to what Sayulita was before it became a popular tourist spot. While technically not in Sayulita, after visiting this beach we knew we had to add it to the list!
If you’re looking to go surfing and the lineup looks a little too crowded in Sayulita then you’ll definitely want to check out Playa San Pancho. While it’s not necessarily known as a place for beginners—it’s always possible to learn with the right teacher!
With some great shops and even better restaurants we recommend spending at least one day in San Pancho! Missing some comforts from home? Stop by The DoughJoe and grab coffee and a doughnut!
#2 - Playa Carricitos
If laying on the beach and watching the Sun dip below the horizon sounds like your idea of the perfect evening, then Playa Carricitos should be at the top of your list. With full Western exposure, this is one of the only beaches you’ll be able to watch the sunset in all of Sayulita!
This ‘off-the-beaten path’ beach isn’t the easiest to find but it’s well worth the effort! From Sayulita Plaza, it takes approximately 30 minutes on foot to reach this hidden paradise.
*There are no facilities or chair/umbrella rentals. Make sure you bring your own water (read: cervezas).
Sunset at Playa Carricitos
#1 - Playa Malpaso
Our favourite beach we visited during our trip was Playa Malpaso. Like Playa Carricitos above, this beach will take a little effort to get to—but it’s a rare feeling to have a beach this beautiful (and big!) almost completely to yourself!
Located in between Sayulita and San Pancho this beach definitely feels like a private paradise. The hike is not overly challenging but there are quite a few different trails and we found it very easy to get lost, so make sure you look up directions before you go!
*Similar to Playa Carricitos, you will not find any facilities in the area! If you’re headed there for the day, make sure you bring everything you’ll need with you!
Hiking from Playa Sayulita to Playa Malpaso
Bonus Beaches!
Hidden Beach at Marietas Islands
Book a tour to visit this hidden beach at the Marietas Islands National Park! We caught a glimpse on our scuba dive trip but decided the 15 minutes you get to spend on the beach wasn’t worth the extra money!
Playa Las Cuevas
Probably not a beach where you’ll spend all day but definitely worth a visit if you’re making the trek to Playa Malpaso (see above)! Playa Las Cuevas, or Caves Beach, is appropriately named for the caves that lead you from this beach to Playa Malpaso. Make sure you keep an eye on the water level—at high tide the caves will most likely become inaccessible.
Playa La Lancha
About 25 minutes (by car) from Sayulita is Playa La Lancha. Known locally as the best beach to learn how to surf it’s got waves for all skill levels! So head to WildMex surf shop, rent a board and go catch a few waves!
A surfer catching a sunset wave at Playa Carricitos
Final Thoughts
Are you planning a trip to Sayulita? Which beach will you choose? Let us know in the comments below!
We hope you enjoyed reading about our favourite beaches in and around Sayulita! If you’re planning a trip to Sayulita, be sure to check out our 7-day Sayulita Travel Itinerary where we outline everything we did and everywhere we went on our trip. If you have any questions for us, feel free to leave a comment below or send us a DM on Instagram!
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