HUATULCO, Mexico -- Aside from sunning and sipping cold cervezas,
Huatulco offers a wide range of activities for people with varying
interests and skill levels.
Catamarans leave Santa Cruz marina for day cruises to prime
snorkeling sites and lunch on one of the beaches.
Sailing, windsurfing and personal watercraft opportunities are
plentiful, and the surf is always up at Puerto Escondido, 70 miles
away.
Scuba enthusiasts can dive twice daily for a week and never
repeat the same site.
Huatulco's seven different coral plates teem with flora and
fauna, plus there are wrecked ships, volcanic areas and sheer rock
walls. The best time for diving is November through March.
Huatulco's waters also offer the grand slam of sport fishing: tuna,
marlin, sailfish and mahimahi.
Each game fish has its peak season, but during the fall when
waters warmed by the summer sun collide with colder currents,
anglers can catch tuna, sailfish and mahimahi all in one day.
The blue water that attracts both fish and fishermen is only a
mile out, much closer than in many destinations.
Travelers can hike through the jungle or explore it riding
horses, four-wheeled motor scooters or mountain bikes.
The forest is rich in wildlife, such as deer, armadillos, pumas,
anteaters and wild pigs. It also is great for bird watching, with
25 endemic species represented and a similar number of migratory
birds (the kind with feathers, not Bermuda shorts) that come south
for the winter.
In the mountains, the Rio Copalita challenges summer and fall
visitors with Class I through Class IV rapids, ideal for whitewater
rafting, canoeing or kayaking. Here, too, travelers can visit the
coffee plantations, one of the most popular day trips from
Huatulco.
Depending on how far into the mountains the tours go, they cost
between $20 and $80 per person for transportation; lunch with the
plantation's owners; a guided tour explaining the coffee-growing
and harvesting process, and a swim.
Some plantations also offer overnight stays for those who really
want to get away from it all.
If swinging by a rope and bouncing off rocks sounds like fun,
intrepid adventurers can rappel down sheer rock faces in three
different locations, including the 65-foot-high Copalitilla
waterfall.
For a gentler outdoor experience, there's golf at Fonatur's
championship class 18-hole course.
The fee for 18 holes and a golf cart during high season is
$75.
Lighted tennis courts are adjacent to the golf course and at
several hotels, including the Barcelo, Camino Real Zaashila, Quinta
Real and the Gala.