How To Get From Oaxaca To Puerto Escondido
Planning to travel from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido?
Our ‘routes’ post has got you covered, with the essentials on buses, vans, transfers, and flights.
Updated February 2025
One of the best beach destinations in Mexico, Puerto Escondido is evolving from a favourite of surfers and backpackers into a popular pick for a Pacific Ocean vacation or digital nomad base.
We've shared all our advice and recommendations to help you plan ahead in 13 Wonderful Things To Do in Puerto Escondido, but in this routes post, we've broken down the main transport options from the city of Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido.
Both are in the same state in southern Mexico - also called Oaxaca - and it's a popular option for visitors to pair the beautiful colonial city with beach time on the Pacific coast during their vacation. It's a common route for longer-term travellers and backpackers too, with Puerto Escondido the main gateway to the small surf & beach villages along the Oaxacan coastline (e.g. Lagunas de Chacahua and Mazunte).
However, despite being just 250km apart, up until recently travelling between the two was a relatively arduous and time-consuming process with the only option (besides a single daily flight) a brutal 7-10 hour minivan ride through the Sierra Madre mountains via winding mountain roads.
The arrival of the Barranca Larga-Ventanilla toll highway in early 2024 has changed everything.
The journey is now made by comfortable ADO buses or nippy little colectivos, and will cut travel time from the state capital to to the coast down from at least seven hours to just two or three.
This will transform transport connections to Puerto Escondido, as well as tourism along the coast of Oaxaca.
Note that, if you also plan to visit San José del Pacifico in the Sierra Madre mountains, then you will still have to travel by the old mountain Highway 175.
To help you plan ahead, and choose the best option for your budget and travel style, we've shared the essential information on how to get from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido. There are five options in total - bus, colectivo, flight, private transfer, and rental car - and we've included practical tips alongside the details to help you travel better along.
If your itinerary isn’t yet fixed though, we’ve also included an alternative destination to start your coastal adventures before visiting Puerto.
The Routes
Bus | 3 hours · $350 MXN / 10+ departures per day
Minivan | 3 hours · $300 MXN / departures every 30 mins
Fly | 45 minutes · $3400+ MXN · one daily flight
Private Transfer | 7 hours · $5200 MXN · book here
Rental Car | 8 hours · $800+ MXN · look + book here
Alt | Save Puerto Escondido for the end of your trip, and start further east in Playa Zipolite
How To Get From Oaxaca City To Puerto Escondido
Fly From Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido
You can fly to Puerto Escondido from Oaxaca City, but we recommend travellers avoid short and unnecessary domestic flights where possible for a more meaningful travel experience and lower carbon footprint.
When the only option was the 7-10 hour colectivo through the mountains, it was reasonable for those on a shorter trip to opt for a flight, but with travel times via bus being as little as 2.5 hours, taking a flight really doesn’t make any sense.
At present, Aerotucán is the only airline operating direct flights from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido, with a single daily departure at 7am Monday-Saturday, and 10am on Sundays. Travel time is 45 minutes.
Note that this is a very small aircraft (capacity of around 15 passengers), and it won't show up on flight search engines, so you're best to visit the official website.
A one-way ticket is in the range of $150-$200 USD depending on season and availability, with only a limited luggage allowance included.
It often sells out, particularly around peak season weekends and holidays, so advance bookings are a very good idea if you know your dates.
Research indicates that there is another company - AeroVega - but it’s a one-man band with no online presence except a Facebook page, so we hesitate to recommend it to you.
The Bus From Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido
Long-distance and overnight buses in Mexico are far fancier and much more comfortable than what you get back home, and are an economical way to get around the country.
Think reclining seats, air-con, a Spanish movie or two, and loads of space for luggage.
For the new Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido bus route, there are two operators - ADO and OCC (both of which are somewhat confusingly owned and run by the same company).
There are frequent daily departures - at least 12 per day - with a journey time of three hours. Tickets cost $355-415 MXN per person ($17-20 USD) depending upon whether you opt for their standard bus or the more luxurious 'ADO GL' service.
You can buy tickets directly from the ticket office at the station, but given the popularity of the route (particularly in high season), we’d recommend booking online at least 24 hours in advance. This can be done on the official company website (note that the city of Oaxaca is officially known as Oaxaca de Juárez, and that's what you need to select on the drop-down menu).
You can also buy them on this website if you have issues with payment or translation on the above.
Stations | All buses depart from the ADO Bus Terminal in Oaxaca (maps), a 20-minute walk or 5-minute taxi from the historical centre.
Your journey will end at the large ADO bus terminal at the side of the highway in the centre of Puerto Escondido (here on Google Maps). From there, you'll only be a short walk, taxi, or colectivo ride to your accommodation in town, depending on the neighbourhood you picked.
Plan ahead and find the best base by reading our post: Where To Stay in Puerto Escondido
Travel Tip // Wear and bring a layer for the overnight bus as the AC is often set at blizzard levels. Also, earplugs or noise cancelling headphones essential if you have a driver who puts the movies on all through the night, or a fellow passenger who likes to play their music without headphones.
The Puerto Escondido Minivans
The cheapest but definitely not the most comfortable way to travel from Oaxaca to the coast.
You will find colectivos all over Mexico and Central America, and they are effectively privately-operated minivans running along set routes.
With space for about 15 passengers, they are usually quicker, more frequent, and more convenient than buses, and a great option for slow or budget travellers. If you’re planning very last-minute, the fact you can always just turn up and buy a ticket for same-day travel is also brilliant.
As previously mentioned, they used to travel along the challenging mountain roads, but now several companies take the same new highway as the ADO bus, decreasing the journey time from at least seven hours, to around three.
The most popular company to service this route is Ruta Coatlanes-Costa, an indigenous owned business whose land the new highway passes through.
They have departures every 30 minutes from 4am until 9pm, and tickets cost $300 MXN per person.
Whilst tickets can be bought in advance, given the frequency of departures, you really can just turn up on the day and you’ll usually get on the next one.
You can simply turn up and buy your ticket in person for the next available departure, and the only reason we'd buy it in advance would be if we're on a really tight schedule. Find their offices and minivan station here.
Transportes Bahía Colotepec is an alternative company.
Good to Know // Despite the pros, there are also cons to taking the minivans.
If car sickness is a big issue for you, or you need a lot of legroom, then you’ll be better off with the ADO or OCC bus. It's also a much more cramped, claustrophobic mode of transport than the bus, and some drivers can a bad tad reckless on speed and overtaking.
The Indirect Colectivo to Via Pochutla
This travels via Highway 175 and the town of Pochutla, it's 8-9 hours and $250 per person ($15 USD)
And it’s brutal.
We travelled this route on our most recent visit to Mexico and, as people who have travelled on many awful roads in many awful colectivos, please trust us when we say it was one of the worst we've been on. We and many other passengers felt so sick throughout the barrage of never-ending curves, and it was a total relief when we finally escaped in Pochutla seven hours later.
And neither of us has had travel sickness in decades.
The indirect route also requires a connection in the town of Pochutla to travel westward along the highway to Puerto Escondido. This will add in about 60-90 minutes to your journey, and that's not really a good use of your time.
Instead, this Oaxaca - Pochutla colectivo route is the better option only if you want to start your Oaxacan coastal itinerary in places like Estacahuite or Zipolite (both of which we love!), and then END your time in Puerto Escondido.
That’s what we did.
The Oaxaca - Pochutla also travels via San José del Pacífico, which is a popular hippy and hiking spot up in the mountains, so some of you may wish to include for a few nights before you hit the coast.
We travelled with Líneas Unidas, and you can also find their terminal a few blocks south of Mercado 20 de November - here on Google Maps. For further information on routes and hours, you are best to visit their Facebook page.
If you're reading this the night before you travel, you'll be able to just turn up and. get your ticket; no advance bookings necessary.
Note that, as they are more cramped inside than buses, the seat you get really makes a difference to the 7-9 hour journey. Personally, avoid the middle of the back seat at all costs, and I'd go so far as to say it's better to wait around for the next bus rather than get the last, shit seat.
Also, under zero circumstances do we recommend doing these colectivo routes late at night. Instead, leave early-ish and try to enjoy the spectacular views as best you can.
Private Transfer from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido
If you really don’t want to take the bus or a colectivo and the flights are sold out, then this may be your best alternative.
A private transfer from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido costs around $380 USD, and still takes 7-8 hours via the scenic mountain roads, but it would give you more chance to enjoy that aspect and undeniably be a more pleasant and comfortable travel experience than doing the same route with the minivans.
If you aren't counting the pennies, have a lot of luggage, or can split the cost between a group, it’s definitely worth looking into.
Another bonus is that you can choose a departure time to suit your schedule, and be picked up and dropped off right outside your accommodation in each destination.
You can book a private transfer highly-rated and reviewed private transfer here.
Another transfer available to book online, but it doesn’t have any reviews at time of writing.
Hire A Car & Drive To Puerto Escondido
The completion of the new highway means that the renting a car in Oaxaca and driving south has transitioned from something only those with a thirst for adventure should attempt into a much more realistic option for lots of travellers.
There are local car rental agencies in the historical centre of Oaxaca, but we expect they'd require you to return the car directly to them (if you find one that doesn't, do let us know in the comments!). That's why it's likely going to be better to pick up your rental from the larger franchise firms based in Oaxaca Airport, as some of them enable you to drop off with their offices at Puerto Escondido International Airport.
We recommend looking + booking via Rentalcars.com
Note that dropping off at a different location to your pick-up always increases the rate.
Alternatively, those that feel comfortable driving the old mountain road could choose to make the journey into more of a road trip, with the potential to include a stay in San José del Pacifico and more random, spontaneous stops along the way.
Plan // 9 Car Rental Tips For Travellers
