Huatulco is the most clean and green place in Mexico ---
Most tourists in Mexico have simple needs; a vacation destination with beaches, hot weather, good food, and a party atmosphere. Other tourists look for a more authentic cultural experience or opportunities to connect with nature, which Mexico offers in abundance.
Connecting with nature, though, is usually not a priority in the larger tourist centers - the natural environment represents the postcard fantasy that serves as the background for tourist activities. Cleanliness of the local environment and its sustainability are not given much thought by tourists or Mexicans, so it’s no surprise that environmental pollution is a large, but largely ignored, problem.
The dumping of untreated sewage into rivers and coastal waters is among the worst of Mexico’s sins against the environment. Generally, we have seen the worst environmental practices in beach towns and resort areas, which make Huatulco an even more impressive achievement. Clear water at every beach, tap water you can drink, recycling programs, and an absence of trash on the manicured streets and boulevards; Huatulco is a different reality that seems unreal at times, but none of it is by accident. Developed years after Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and other destinations, Huatulco is a relatively small and unknown resort area centered near the town of La Crucecita in the state of Oaxaca (pronounced wa-ha-ca). The federal government agency for tourism, FONATUR, designed Huatulco to be a clean, green destination and the results are clear throughout the area’s nine bays and 36 beaches. Every beach we visited had crystal-clear water, which made it easy to enjoy the schools of fish swimming around us. Visibility for snorkeling is often deep as thirty feet or more.
Modern water and sewage treatment plants are the main factors for the clean water in the Huatulco bay area, which is on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast. Several local beaches have been certified as ‘Blue Flag’ and ‘Clean Beach’, which are global standards. Also, Huatulco was the first community in the Americas to be recognized by EarthCheck as a sustainable tourism community. Huatulco is the only resort area in Mexico to be awarded the Green Globe certification, which is the worldwide benchmarking and certification system for the travel and tourism industry. UNESCO designated the Municipality of Santa Maria Huatulco and Huatulco National Park as a biosphere reserve.
The international recognition is of Huatulco’s policies and efforts in energy and water consumption, recycling, waste and sewage treatment, and low carbon emissions. Habitat conservation and biodiversity are also part of the commitment – the government limits commercial and residential development to a mere 28 percent of the coastal area - the rest is designated as nature preserve that is never to be developed. It’s surprising and absolutely inspiring to see that the majority of the area’s coastline is completely undeveloped, including several bays that are accessed only by boat.
It needs to be stated that Huatulco is a great example for all of Mexico and Latin America. It’s an example that if followed only partially by other tourism centers would elevate the value and image of Mexico as a global travel destination.
“People are looking for virgin and peaceful places,” says Armando Canavati, owner of Hagia Sofia, an agro-ecological project that is a great example of the eco-tourism of Huatulco.
“There are few places in the world as virgin as Huatulco – not only the coast, but also the mountains are virgin,” he adds. “Huatulco is a place where we respect nature, where we are conscious of what we have.”
The people of Huatulco know that the area is special and there is an authentic pride behind the tourism promotion and hospitality. The hotel association (www.hoteleshuatulco.com.mx) and tourism office (www.visitmexico.com/en/huatulco) were very responsive to our requests and we experienced a range of hotels and attractions in the area:
Hotel Binneguenda: a beautifully-maintained colonial-style property that was the first hotel built in Huatulco. Popular with young families, it’s centrally-located and employs some of the most cheerful staff we’ve seen anywhere. www.bin
niguendahuatulco.com.mx
Villas Fa-Sol: a small, unique beachfront getaway in a gorgeous garden setting with Mediterranean-style suites. It’s a family-owned property that represents Huatulco’s unique qualities: tranquil, green, authentic, warm hospitality. www.villasfasol.com.mx
Dreams Huatulco: a large, all-inclusive resort hotel on one of the best swimming beaches in the area. Crystal-clear water directly in front of large resorts like Dreams demonstrates the real difference between Huatulco and every other tourist center on Mexico’s Pacific coast. www.dreamsresorts.com/huatulco
Villa Azomalli: a large villa home with ocean and mountain views. Well-suited for small groups, weddings. A wonderful Mexican chef prepared our meals, a key feature of the private villa experience. www.huatulcovilla.com
Marina Park Plaza: a newer condo hotel popular with Canadians and Americans. The large condo apartments with kitchens attract guests for longer stays of 2 weeks to 2 months or more. Their staff was bilingual and very professional. www.marinaparkplaza.com
Castillo Huatulco: a smaller, all-inclusive hotel with a beach club on Chahue Beach. Castillo is a very friendly place where guests got to know each other quickly. It’s an older property that clearly has a loyal guest following. www.hotelcastillohuatulco.com
Temazcal Prehispanico: a wonderful place where we enjoyed Temazcal ‘sauna’ sessions, aromatherapy, music therapy, mud applications for the skin, and massage. A unique experience and very affordable, much like Huatulco in general. www.spatemazcalhuatulco.com
Hagia Sofia: a slice of n
atural paradise in the foothills of the Huatulco área. Guided walks on manicured trails with colorful, exotic plant life, butterflies, and birds. We swam in the waterfalls, enjoyed a great lunch, and were guided through groves of organic fruit, nut, and coffee trees. www.hagiasofia.mx
Copalita: The earliest remains of this pre-Hispanic archeological site date back 2,500 years. Ancient buildings, a museum with beautiful artifacts, and walking trails that overlook the Copalita river and beach. Its site: www.visitmexico.com/en/archealogical-sites-in-huatulco-oaxaca-mexico
“We want Huatulco to be set apart from other destinations, to be recognized as a sustainable green tourist place,” says Esthepania Hernández Sánchez of the Huatulco tourism office. “Huatulco tourists want to visit a peaceful place that is ideal to rest and enjoy nature,” she adds. “For us, it is important to offer clean beaches and green areas not only because it gives a better quality of life to the local community but also a better experience to tourists.”
Tourists in Huatulco certainly benefit from those quality of life advantages, whether or not they fully appreciate that the water they swim and shower in, is clean. Or that the seafood they enjoy comes from clean waters. Certainly, tourists appreciate that Huatulco is an un-crowded place, even in high season. The lack of congestion is also another environmental plus. We appreciated every aspect, including the small town hospitality, authentic restaurants, and no signs of crime. We met many foreigners and people from other parts of Mexico who have chosen to move to Huatulco and call it home – they knew paradise when they found it.
Guillermo Berriochoa left the congestion and pollution of Mexico City to live in Huatulco. Years later, he opened Villas Fa-sol and is one of the most vocal ambassadors of Huatulco.
“We have lost identity as a Mexican destination with the overgrowth there has been in similar destinations in the country,” says Berriochoa. “Huatulco is still an unspoiled destination in Mexico - it has the original livelihood of Mexican traditions and it brings us more geo-travelers interested in keeping things original. Ecologically, Huatulco still has places that are 100 percent natural, whether in the mountains, lakes, jungles, and of course, the sea life.”
After several weeks in the area, we see that Huatulco is a hidden gem, a bright green spot in Mexico’s environmental greyness and tourist center overdevelopment. Fortunately, it’s not for everyone - Huatulco attracts people who care about its unique qualities; people who are not looking for just another place with hot weather and cheap beer. The best ambassadors of Huatulco, the ones who care about its unique value, will continue to reach out to travelers who desire clean, green, authentic tourism.
For more information about the Huatulco area, visit the hotel association (www.hoteleshuatulco.com.mx) and the tourism office (www.visitmexico.com/en/huatulco) sites.
NOTE: An upcoming article will focus on Zipolite, another hidden gem destination that shares many values with Huatulco but has its own unique reality.