Zipolite

The long, wide and sandy one mile (1.5 km) beach extends from the rocky outcrop next to Playa del Amor in the east, all the way to the bay opposite upscale Hotel El Alquimista. Nudity is far more concentrated to the extreme ends of the beach, with the majority of higher end visitors on the western side of the beach in front of Hotel Nude, Hotel Naked (do you get the theme here?!) or El Alquimista.

The more affordable hostels and bars tend to be on eastern side of the beach, Hostel Casa Moringa is a popular low budget hang and we found a lot of bars around here do a great happy hour. Nearby here you will also find Playa del Amor, which is a small cove that has more of a LGBTQ+ presence. It is a popular place to watch the sunset because you will see it set directly into the ocean. The beach at Playa del Amor also tends to calmer than the rest of the beach. There are no bars or hotels here, instead a small vendor serves cocktails, beers and local mezcal. Access is via a small trail over the headland at the far end of the beach. We spent an afternoon here and watched the sunset before walking back the whole length of Zipolite fully naked (we were definitely not the only ones!).

Zipolite attracts all kinds of people – from young and solo backpackers, to families and older seniors who remember being here in the 70’s hippie boom. There is a wide rand of ages, body types and nationalities. It is perfectly fine to be naked anywhere along the beach and some hotels (like Hotel Nude or Hotel Naked) allow nudity everywhere, however they ask you to cover up if you’re eating inside at the restaurant.

Nudity is tolerated by the locals on the beach but not accepted in the shops or town. It is a great place to experience a nude beach for the first time and the friendly locals won’t even give you a second glance. Beware of the surf which can be rough and not recommended for weak swimmers. The rocky area in front of El Alquimista can be especially dangerous with strong currents pushing swimmers onto rocks. Lifeguards not only patrol the beach, they also rent out surfboards and bodyboards for a reasonable price. Very handy! American and Canadian visitors were definitely in the majority when we were here from January to March to escape the cold.

The main road of Av. Roca Blanca runs parallel to the beach and access is easy. The small town is filled with inexpensive shops and funky dining establishments. The road closes to traffic around 5.30pm each night when local markets and vendors setup in the street. It’s a great place to explore after a day at the beach and the food + crafts are stunning. You could take a collectivo (small bus) to / from nearby villages like Puerto Angel or Mazunte for 15-40 pesos, but be careful as they usually stop running early in the evening. There aren’t any other public nude beaches nearby and Mazunte has more of a surf culture and yoga vibe.

Beware that the ATMs in Zipolite are extremely unreliable and often run dry. There is one at Hotel Nude and another at Hotel Adoquin which is on the main street of Av. Roca Blanca. When we visited both ATMs were empty for days and we needed to convince a cab driver to take us to Puerto Angel to get cash. Unfortunately (or fortunately) the cash free world is yet to arrive in Zipolite!

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