Bahia de Tembo, Pacific beach in San Pedro Pochutla, Mexico.

Bahia de Tembo is a Pacific beach in San Pedro Pochutla that stretches along a curved bay sheltered by rocky headlands on both sides. The shallow waters near shore are calm and the seafloor is sandy throughout most of the swimming area.

The bay lies within the municipality of San Pedro Pochutla, whose Zapotec settlement dates to the 8th century and which formed part of the dominion of Tututepec. In 1937 an English company brought equipment to exploit the Aragón petroleum reserve five km from Puerto Ángel, but President Lázaro Cárdenas's 1938 oil expropriation halted the work and the deposit remains untapped. In 1970 the state government expropriated coastal land from Zipolite to Zapotengo and turned it into communal ejido land for development.

Bahia de Tembo lies within the municipality of San Pedro Pochutla, whose name comes from the Nahuatl Pochutec word for "place of kapok trees" (Ceiba pentandra), the trees that gave the colonial town its name. The bay sits in the Pochutla District of Oaxaca's Costa Region, the same coastal area that holds Puerto Ángel and Zipolite. Local fishing families still work these waters, and the catch is sold in Pochutla's market, the commercial hub for the coast and the Sierra Madre communities.

You can reach this beach by taking an unpaved road from Highway 200, roughly 5 kilometers south of San Pedro Pochutla town center. Come early in the day since parking space is limited and the road can become challenging during rainy seasons.

A natural rock structure on the southern side of the bay creates a shallow tidal pool filled with seawater that acts like an enclosed swimming area. This sheltered space remains calm even when waves affect the main beach, making it appealing for those seeking a gentler swimming experience.