Huatulco National Park, National park and Ramsar wetland in Oaxaca, Mexico
Huatulco National Park covers 11,890 hectares in the municipality of Santa María Huatulco, Oaxaca, of which 6,375 are land and 5,516 marine. Its land section runs from the coastal plain up the foothills of the Sierra Madre del Sur, and its marine polygon reaches about two nautical miles offshore between Punta Sacrificios and Punta Violín. Five of Huatulco's nine bays lie within the park: San Agustín, Chachacual, Cacaluta, Maguey and Órgano.
The Mexican government established Huatulco National Park in 1998 as a protected coastal and marine area. It received recognition as a Ramsar wetland site in 2003, highlighting its global importance for wetland conservation.
The purple snail (Plicopurpura pansa) of the park's rocky shore yields a dye that Mixtec communities of Pinotepa de Don Luis, Oaxaca, have used since pre-Hispanic times. Five of the nine Bays of Huatulco — San Agustín, Chachacual, Cacaluta, Maguey and Órgano — lie within the park, and their beaches are reached by boat.
Visitors can enjoy activities like snorkeling, hiking, and birdwatching on marked trails from December to April during the dry season. It is important to bring waterproof gear and stay on marked paths to protect the environment and wildlife.
The marine section protects coral reefs with 12 coral species, one of them endemic to the Mexican Pacific, described in the sources as the best-preserved reefs on Mexico's Pacific coast. Five of Huatulco's nine bays lie within the park: San Agustín, Chachacual, Cacaluta, Maguey and Órgano.
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