Just 25 minutes north of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, the chilled beach town of Troncones is a breath of fresh air as far as beachfront Mexican villages go. If you are familiar with Sayulita, Puerto Escondido, or Tulum, you probably think that all of the Mexican coastline is now over run by Americans… while there are a bunch here as well, I feel the beaches in Guerrero have retained much of their local charm and still get a ton of domestic tourism.
I have wanted to visit Troncones for years and years and even though it comes up on a lot of lists of good Mexican surf spots, I was surprised by the lack of surfing travelers in the town, so something to keep in mind if you are thinking of traveling alone! Rather, Troncones has a lot of locals that live there - both American expats and Mexicans - and a little bit of tourism from Mexican vacationers. If you are looking for a bit more of a backpacking, traveling vibe, La Saladita next door might be more of your jam, as it was for me!
It is worth mentioning that the state of Guerrero is considered Level 4: Do Not Travel by the US government (as with Sinaloa, Michoacan, and other Mexican border states). While I don't like to blindly subscribe to these warnings, I can share that I spent the last few months in the Zihuatanejo region and didn’t experience or hear of any violence, but it can happen and you should do your research before coming down. Oftentimes, crime and violence unfortunately affects more locals than tourists in many parts of Mexico.
BEFORE YOU GO
If this your first stop in Mexico, make sure to pull out pesos from an ATM. Troncones has a few ATM's with a high withdrawal fee and they oftentimes run out of change. I also recommend you have a data plan or download offline maps so you know where you are going, especially if you take public transit.
GETTING HERE
If coming from the airport,
and you are unsure or do not have a working Spanish level, you’re just best off getting a taxi! From the airport, you are looking at 700-1000 pesos or 30-50 USD most likely.
That being said, you can easily get to Troncones on affordable public transportation- the combis! You will need to take three to get to your destination, so I mostly recommend this if you speak Spanish and are confident managing Latin American transit:
Combi airport to Zihuatanejo center
Combi Zihuatanejo center to Troncones turnoff.
Combi Troncones turnoff to Troncones center.
Combis are shared taxi vans that literally charge you no more than a few pesos to efficiently go local distances, mind you without A/C or much wiggle room. From the airport, walk about 200 meters out and catch the combi leaving all the time. If you ride it till the end, it will drop you off in the center of Zihuatanejo. From here, walk one block to this station and catch the combi headed in the direction of La Union. This is how the locals move, so if you say you’re headed to Troncones they will probably guide you as well. You will get dropped off at the side of the road around here, a few km from Troncones beach. From the airport to the turnoff, you can expect to spend about 1.5 hours in transit.
Once dropped off at the turn off for Troncones, you will need to take even one more combi. This combi services Troncones town—which you will soon see why it is so helpful! Troncones is a very long village that is about 5km from the highway, then once you’re dropped off by the main strip by the beach, the road continues 2 miles north to the village of Majahual. Without a vehicle or a bike, the road is unnecessarily long to walk around, so it helps that there is a combi passing about every 30 min- 1hour, but it doesn’t seem to have a schedule so you will have to wish for the best! The local combi is anywhere from 10-25 pesos depending on the distance and if the driver is a homie..
I realize I just wrote two full paragraphs about taking public transit, let me know if it works for you, buena suerte!
If getting here from the bus station, you can literally just exit and wait right in front on a local shaded bus stop they call “La Caseta.” Any combi heading to La Union will work and take about 45 minutes to get to the turn off for Troncones. Once at the Troncones turn off, follow the same steps above to get to your final destination.
If you are coming from Guadalajara or Mexico City on the bus, it is very possible you will first make a stop in the port city of Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, 1 hour to the north. While it seems like you could easily then ask to be dropped off in Troncones, the majority of buses refuse to drop you off as they are “direct.” It happened to myself and several other travelers that they had to skip the turn off for Troncones, go south to Zihuatanejo, then come back up on the combi. IF you are savvy and want to save that time, you can look for the Lazaro Cardenas bus station that has the Estrella del Oro line. There are three bus stations all right next to each other, but the more luxury lines refuse to make that stop.
Surfing
Troncones is known as a spot best for shortboarding, and it is fairly consistent throughout the year. However, you may be just as surprised as me to find that there isn’t much of a travel surf culture here, and it is mostly just some locals that paddle out to empty breaks and the occasional traveler. Arturo is a friendly local surfer that can rent you a board if you are able to track him down, he runs the shop around here.
For getting in the water, you have two options on the town side of Troncones, one being right in front of where the main road hits the beach:
OPTION 1: Troncones Rivermouth
can get quite heavy but it has its share of A-frame peaks that might work for you. I tried it two days in a row with a board that was just a bit too small and I was all alone, so I had no luck getting anything. These days were waves less than 1 meter, so I think you want minimum about 1 meter or three feet for it to work for you. That being said, I imagine by 2 meters it is quite heavy, so just gotta get it on the right day. Since it is just a beach break that is pretty exposed, it tends to lose its quality as the wind picks up throughout the day, so your best bet is the morning.
OPTION 2: Manzanillo Bay
This beautiful left point break is sketchy when big or small, as it breaks directly on a reef and you need to be experienced enough to steer yourself very sharply to the left as soon as you take off. I tried to surf it on a foam longboard when it was small and it was really weak and difficult to catch… I had better luck on a 1 meter day on a shortboard, and by 2 meters it was just not possible for me and quite scary. I paddled out one day where the swell reported 4-6 feet or 1.5-2 meters but I essentially felt alone as the only two locals that paddled out went far out to some huge huge sets. I think your best bet for surfing Manzanillo would be to go with friends or make friends before you go, because I didn’t feel I could maximize on this wave being alone.
To access this beach, I recommend you get off at the dirt road here and walk about 10 minutes to the beach through a small footpath in front of Troncones Point that says “Acceso a la Playa.” Your other option is probably to beg a resort to let you enter through their property, since all the beach front is developed and private.
Where to Stay
The cheapest place to stay is going to be at Troncones Point Hostel, run by a lovely couple on the most beautiful property, walking distance to the Manzanillo break. I had the hostel to myself in mid- October, but I imagine it is most fun when it fills up with people! The only down side is that you are about 2 miles, or a 45 minute walk from most the shops and restaurants in the center of Troncones town.
Other than that, there are no budget stays or hostels around, as a lot of this area has luxury condos where people stay long term. I had no luck messaging a few campsites, either, but they do exist in town.
Where to Eat
Café Pacifico is one of the best spots for nice boho vibes and tasty coffee that usually has quite a few travelers and expats hanging out.
La Mexicana restaurant is a well-priced restaurant near the town center with delicious and healthy Mexican meals and a reasonable portion, set in a nice environment.
Mi Jardin Restaurant is where you should end up when you want to splurge, as it has a beautiful setting and delicious dinners. I got pasta but the pizzas are a good deal to split with a friend!
And if you want something really authentic and slightly more affordable, definitely stop in at a restaurant that is on the main street where you can find tacos, fish, and probably some nice banda music playing in the kitchen.
I haven't tried a ton of restaurants or bars here, so feel free to comment if you have a suggestion!
THINGS TO DO
Go tidepooling and beachcombing
The beaches throughout the coastline here are almost entirely made of shells. You will definitely not want to walk barefoot, but will enjoy all the shells, tidepools, and other marine life that can be admired on Troncones miles and miles of coastline.
Ride a horse
Locals offer affordable horseback riding along the beach as another way to take in Troncones. While it's not the kind of activity I would typically do, I stumbled upon a friendly local that let me ride his horse for a few minutes!
Release baby turtles
I didn't do this personally but heard some wonderful reviews, you can try reaching out or showing up to this location.
Visit nearby beaches
Without blowing up the spots, there are lots of amazing surf beaches nearby! Connect with a local surfer or a surf shop to see if they can introduce you to some of my favorite waves :)
IN SUM
Troncones is a really mellow, laid back place that I think would be best visited with friends or family, for lack of a big backpacking culture. It makes for a great daytrip from Zihuatanejo or a long weekend trip on a stopover through the Mexican coastline.
Feel free to comment if you have any questions or things to add and buen viaje!
