Photo: Pascale Tang via Google
The verdict
- Best forWalkers and surfers happy to take a jungle trail or a scramble over the rocks to trade the packed town beach for wild, near empty Pacific sand
- Top pickPlaya Malpaso, the wide empty stretch over the hill that almost nobody reaches, for a walk and true solitude rather than a swim
- One thing to knowMalpaso and Carricitos face the open Pacific with strong undertows and no lifeguard, so seclusion here usually means walking and surfing rather than a casual swim
Published 15 May 2026. Last reviewed 20 June 2026
Sayulita itself is no secret anymore. The town beach is a lively, crowded run of surf schools, vendors and beach clubs, and on a good day it is elbow to elbow. The seclusion here does not live on that sand at all. It lives at the edges, over the headland to the north and through the jungle to the south, on beaches you reach only on foot and that stay empty precisely because most visitors never bother to make the walk.
I read this coast the way a surfer does, by the swell, the wind and the state of the tide, and that is how I have ranked these three. Two of them, Malpaso and Carricitos, are wild open Pacific beaches with real power in the water, beautiful to walk and to surf if you know the break, but not casual swimming beaches. The third, Las Cuevas, is a smaller sheltered cove where a snorkel makes sense on a calm morning. Seclusion, access on foot and an honest word on the water lead the order.
If you want one pick, make it Playa Malpaso. A long, wide stretch of soft sand just over the hill between Sayulita and San Pancho, it is the wild empty beach that the busy town promises and does not deliver. You earn it with a short jungle or clifftop walk, and the reward is the rare pleasure of a whole Pacific beach almost to yourself. Just walk it and watch the surf rather than swimming it.
The Most Secluded Beaches in Sayulita
Wildest and emptiest sand first, with access on foot and swim safety weighed honestly.
Playa Malpaso
The pick for pure seclusion, a wide, long run of soft Pacific sand over the hill between Sayulita and San Pancho that stays empty because you can only reach it on foot. There are two short ways in, an inland jungle trail from Avenida del Palmar and a clifftop path over the rocks at the north end of the town beach. It has nothing built on it, no clubs or vendors, so carry your own water and shade. This is a beach to walk and sit, not to swim, since the open Pacific brings strong undertows and riptides with no lifeguard.
Playa Carricitos
A wild, undeveloped surf beach reached on foot through the jungle south of Sayulita, quiet and empty in a way the town beach never is. The best spot is the far end near the few back beach palms, where a little shade meets a wide view of open sand, best in the cool of the morning before the heat builds. Like Malpaso it faces the open Pacific and is one for walking and for surfers who know the break rather than a casual swim, with no facilities and no lifeguard, so bring everything you need.
Playa Las Cuevas
The secluded pick for snorkellers, a hidden rocky cove reached by a scramble over the rocks at the end of the town beach, far quieter than the main sand a few minutes away. The clearest water sits around the rocks at either end, best on a calm morning at low tide, so it suits strong swimmers and anyone who brings their own gear. There are no facilities, no shade to speak of and no lifeguard, so carry what you need and read the swell before you get in.
The honest read on secluded beaches in Sayulita
The plain truth is that seclusion around Sayulita is a reward for walking, and that the wildest beaches and the safe swimming are rarely the same thing. This is an open Pacific coast, and the two big empty beaches, Malpaso and Carricitos, have genuine power in the water, with undertows and riptides and no lifeguard on either. They are stunning to walk and, for those who know the break, good to surf, but they are not beaches for a casual dip, and that has to lead any honest account of them.
The overrated move is expecting the town beach to feel wild or expecting an empty Pacific beach to be a safe swim. Sayulita town beach is busy by design, and the long open stretches are empty for a reason the surf makes clear. The better play is to match the beach to what you actually want. For solitude and a long walk, take the trail to Malpaso or Carricitos and leave the swimming to the surfers. For quiet water and a snorkel, go to Las Cuevas on a calm morning and keep it to the sheltered rocks.
Come ready to walk and to fend for yourself. All three are reached on foot with no road and no parking of their own, so leave the car in town, wear sturdy footwear and start before eight in the morning to beat the fierce midday heat and UV. There is no shade, no water and no vendor on any of them, so carry everything in and everything out. Tell someone your plan, keep children well back from the shore break, never swim a beach with strong surf, and treat every condition here as typical and never guaranteed.
The paid option, if you want it
These secluded beaches have nothing built on them, which is exactly their value. There are no clubs, no loungers and no vendors on Malpaso, Carricitos or Las Cuevas, so a paid beach day means walking back into town. The beach clubs and daybeds sit on the busy Sayulita town beach, and our directory covers them factually, with any price or minimum spend marked to be confirmed where we cannot verify it. Browse it only if you want a lounger and a lunch back in town after your walk on the wild sand.
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Before you go
Does Sayulita have secluded beaches?
Yes, though not on the busy town beach itself. The seclusion sits just outside the centre, reached on foot over the hill or through the jungle. Playa Malpaso to the north and Playa Carricitos to the south are wild, near empty stretches, and Playa Las Cuevas is a hidden rocky snorkel cove at the edge of town. All three stay quiet because you have to walk to reach them.
Which is the most secluded beach in Sayulita?
Playa Malpaso is the wildest and emptiest, a long open stretch of Pacific sand over the hill between Sayulita and San Pancho that almost nobody bothers to reach. It has nothing built on it and often nobody on it, which is exactly the point. It is a beach to walk and sit rather than swim, since the open Pacific here brings strong undertows and riptides.
Can you swim at the secluded beaches near Sayulita?
Be careful. Playa Malpaso and Playa Carricitos both face the open Pacific with strong undertows and riptides and no lifeguard, so they are for walking, watching and surfing by those who know the break, not for a casual swim. Playa Las Cuevas is a sheltered rocky cove that is better for snorkelling on a calm morning, but it too has no lifeguard. Always read the swell, keep children back from the shore break, and treat conditions as typical and never guaranteed.
Do you need a car to reach the secluded Sayulita beaches?
No, you reach all three on foot from the town, so no car is needed. Playa Malpaso is a short jungle or clifftop walk over the hill to the north, Playa Carricitos is a jungle path to the south, and Playa Las Cuevas is a scramble over the rocks at the edge of the town beach. There is no dedicated parking at any of them, so leaving the car in Sayulita and walking is the natural way in.
Is Playa Las Cuevas good for snorkelling?
On the right day, yes. Las Cuevas is a quiet rocky cove where the clearest water is around the rocks at either end, best on a calm morning at low tide. It suits confident swimmers and snorkellers who bring their own gear, since there are no facilities, no shade and no lifeguard. Read the swell before you get in, as the water is only worth it when the sea is settled.
When are the secluded beaches near Sayulita quietest?
Early morning, before eight, is quietest and coolest, and it is also when the light is best and the trails are easiest. The dry season from November to April gives the most settled weather and the best walking conditions. Whatever the month, an early start on any of the three walks is the surest way to have the sand largely to yourself before the heat and the day trippers arrive.