A lot of details online about the travel paths in between Oacaca City and the Oaxacan coast is no longer correct. Much has actually changed in 2024, which is why I chose to sum up the current circumstance here.
In January 2024, a new expressway lastly opened in between Oaxaca City and Puerto Escondido. This has reduced the journey to about 3 hours.
It utilized to take about 10 hours and went along some windy mountain passes infamous for inducing cars and truck sickness. While the old mountain routes are still being serviced by some bus business, the brand-new route is plainly the way to go now for fast direct transportation to/from the coast.
As an outcome, you can disregard tips to take little propellor flights or personal transfers across the mountains, which no longer provide any clear advantages. Travel to locations like Mazunte or Puerto Angel has actually likewise been greatly streamlined.
I’ll rapidly share the details below.
You can use this information to …
- Travel between Mazunte and Oaxaca City
- Travel in between Zipolite and Oaxaca City
- Travel between San Agustinillo and Oaxaca City
- Travel in between Puerto Ángel and Oaxaca City
- Travel between Huatalco and Oaxaca City
(Hey, Google! You got that?)
Alright, let’s go.
Oaxaca City ↔ Puerto Escondido
Coach buses are now without a doubt the simplest travel method on this route. Examine the ADO coach bus site for choices (ADO also owns other brands like OCC). You can likewise examine buses to Puerto Escondido on Busbud, which includes various operators.
The direct path will take about 3 hours and must cost around 300 MXN one-way (which is approximately 18 USD or EUR). For example, you can depart Oaxaca City at 7.15 AM, 9AM, or 10.15 AM and still invest the afternoon in Puerto Escondido.
Take note as some buses still go the long way round, taking 10+ hours!
In Oaxaca City, coach buses leave from the superior bus terminal.In Puerto Escondido, you’ll want to head to the ADO bus terminal. I constantly schedule my bus travel with Budbus
, the booking platform focused on the Latin America area. All the significant bus operators like ADO, OCC, AU, etc can be easily scheduled online. Examine buses to puerto escondido Oaxaca City ↔ Mazunte,
Zipolite, Puerto Angel, Huatalco
The something to understand is that there are no direct bus services in between Oaxaca City and these coastal destinations. You’ll need to make one modification in either Puerto Escondido or Pochutla.
Alternative 1: Going via Puerto Escondido
From Oaxaca City, make your way to Puerto Escondido. Travel in between Puerto Escondido and all the other towns further east is quite simple, with regional colectivos (minibus services) and larger buses departing on an approximately per hour basis.
Many of them stop just throughout the street from the ADO coach bus terminal in Puerto Escondido. If you utilize the regional colectivo transportation, it may cost you simply $2 or so.
Mazunte’s laidback beaches are just one extra stop away Choice 2: Going by means of Pochutla is the greatest city and transport center near Mazunte, Zipolite, Puerto Angel, and Huatalco.
Two times a day there is a direct coach bus by ADO from Oaxaca City to Pochutla, at 9AM and 16.30 PM. This takes about 4 hours. From Pochutla to Oaxaca City there are coaches at 8.30 AM and 18.10 PM.
Since there are restricted services, you might want to purchase your ticket online ahead of time. You can utilize the ADO app or site to book tickets (the same way as anywhere else in Mexico).
In Pochutla, you’ll discover numerous alternatives for this local transportation to your last location:
- You can hop on a camioneta, a pickup truck that works as a type of inexpensive public transport.
- There are likewise collectivos– shared van services. They address random times so you just need to capture one.
- Get a taxi. When it comes to Pochutla to Mazunte, this will cost about 200 MXN and takes about 10-15 minutes.
Alternative: minibus services
Besides the larger coach buses from companies like ADO, there are likewise different local minibus business taking a trip in between the Oaxacan coast and Oaxaca City.
Eclipse 70 goes every half hour to/from Pochutla. You can discover their terminal here in Pochutla. They mostly run smaller minivans.
Lineas Unidas seems to go whenever a bus is complete. You can discover their terminal here in Pochutla, across the street. They primarily run larger minibuses with 18 seats. The cost in 2023 was 300 MXN to Oaxaca and you can likewise choose your seat.
Rapidos de Pochutla is another transportation business. I wasn’t able to collect more information on them however they’re ideal throughout the street from Lineas Unidas.
As far as I know, these still use the windy mountain roads instead of the highway. The journey from Oaxaca City to Pochutla takes about 6 hours, still making it competitive with the irregular 4-hour coach service. If you miss the twice-a-day ADO service between Oaxaca City and Pochutla, the minibuses are an excellent alternative.
You usually do not need to purchase tickets in advance as these minibus services go all the time.
Traveling by means of San Jose del Pacifico
One factor to still travel by means of the mountain road is to make a stop at the town of San Jose del Pacifico.
It’s a little mountain town favored by hippie types and backpackers in specific, with lots of nature and delicious food. It’s likewise understood for its magic mushrooms that are harvested in the forest, though this is not the only reason individuals come. You can remain here in wooden eco-hotels, such as Alto de La Sierra or the backpacker hostel of Bostel Rancho Viejo.
In this case, you’ll want to take the minibus service between Oaxaca City and Pochutla, for example with Eclipse 70, and stop at San Jose del Pacifico.
Which’s it!
If you’re taking a trip to/from Puerto Escondido, just take the coach bus. If your location or starting point is Mazunte, Zipolite, Puerto Angel, or in other places on the coast, you need to take a trip through Pochutla.
My first time travelling to Mazunte it actually took me numerous days to discover this info, as it wasn’t that clearly mentioned, which encouraged me to share the information here.
Many blogs offer vehicle rental service, though I doubt it makes sense for a point-to-point journey, unless you are maybe preparing some type of circular road trip through Oaxaca state. There are likewise propellor plane services in between the coast and Oaxaca, however these are expensive and no longer competitive considering that the opening of the new road.
I hope this post has actually helped you on your trip! Don’t miss my travel guide to Oaxaca in addition to these finest things to do in Oaxaca City.