Fodor's Expert Review Barra de Navidad Colotepec

Just 15 minutes east of Puerto Escondido, the Colotepec River meets the Pacific in a mighty estuary that ebbs and flows with the tides. Here, a medley of community-led ecotourism projects offer experiences such as boating through Laguna Palma Sola (home to 350 crocodiles), dining at La Ballena palapa restaurant (named for a 68-foot-long gray whale that once washed up on the sand), and bird-watching.

Fuel up for the return trip with a tasting of tobala mezcal, sourced from wild-harvested agave, at Los Cántaros mezcaleria near the Colotepec Bridge.