Puerto Encantado feels more like a lake beach than a coastal one. The lagoon's brackish water sits perfectly still on windless days, reflecting palms and the hulls of fishing boats tied to weathered docks. You'll wade out thirty meters and still touch bottom, the sandy floor occasionally giving way to patches of soft mud that squish between your toes. Pelicans perch on pilings, eyeing the bucket of bait on someone's boat deck.
“This is the only Higuerote beach where you can swim without dealing with waves, current, or undertow.”
Credit: UnsplashAerial view of turquoise tropical bay
The beach club that dominates this shoreline has seen better decades, but it still functions. Plastic chairs in faded primary colors surround concrete tables. A sound system plays vallenato at conversation-drowning volume on weekends. You can order fried fish that arrives whole on your plate, eyes intact, alongside yuca and a watery tomato salad. The bar runs out of ice by early afternoon during busy periods.
What makes this spot work is the protected water. Kids who get nervous in ocean waves can swim here safely. Kayaks glide across the lagoon's surface without fighting currents. Small boats putter in and out, captains offering tours to nearby mangroves or trips to outer beaches. By evening, the lagoon becomes a mirror, and the departing boats leave long, smooth wakes that take minutes to reach the shore.
