With the opening of the new highway from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido, more and more travelers are making their way to the beachside city. Before the new highway, it was a notoriously uncomfortable journey—twelve hours on a winding highway through the mountains. Now it’s a simple trip of 2.5 to 3 hours.

However, when I was looking for information on how to get to Puerto Escondido, everything I found on the internet was old and wrong. So, in this guide, I’ll explain the most up-to-date ways to get from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido in 2024.

The information in this post is based on my own experience traveling to Puerto Escondido and other destinations on the coast on May 11, 2024.  I’ve also traveled all over Mexico by bus during my four trips to the country and 1.5 years staying in Mexico, so I’m familiar with the country’s public transportation system.

Check out all my Mexico Travel Guides here!

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Getting from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido Overview

You have several options for getting from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido. Which method you choose depends a lot on your budget.

The bus and shuttle van are the easiest options, but a rental car and private transfer give you the most freedom.

• Bus – Easiest but only 5 departures a day (MXN$299)
• Shuttle Van – Most frequent departures (every 20 minutes) and easy (MXN$300)
• Bla Bla Car – Cheapest (MXN$150 – $210)
• Private Transfer – Most comfortable (US$300/3 people)
• Rental Car – Most convenient (price varies)
• Plane – Quickest (US$200)

Getting to Puerto Escondido By Bus

The easiest way to get from Oaxaca de Juarez to Puerto Escondido is by bus. There are five buses per day. Officially, it’s supposed to take just three hours, However, the last time I took the bus, it took 3.5 hours.

It’s also one of the safest ways to get to Puerto Escondido.

The problem is that only two of the departures leave at a decent time, AND they book up fast, so don’t wait until the last minute.  I booked the 9:00 a.m. departure two days beforehand and almost all seats were sold out.

These are the bus times as of May 2024:

• 7:15 – 10:15
• 9:00 – 12:00 (noon)
• 11:45 – 14:45
• 16:15 – 19:15
• 19:45 – 22:45

Two bus companies do the route:

• ADO
• OCC

ADO is the biggest bus company in Mexico. It covers routes southeast of Mexico City and all over the Yucatan peninsula. OCC is a smaller company that covers the same area as ADO. ADO buses are a bit nicer.

ADO has different classes of buses. The ADO gl buses are supposed to be the nicest, but I never saw much difference between them and the regular ADO buses. All are air-conditioned, have toilets on the bus, crank up the AC, and show movies at the highest possible decibel.

All buses leave from the ADO Bus Station in Oaxaca City and arrive at the ADO Bus Station in Puerto Escondido.

Where to Buy Your Bus Ticket

The tricky part of this whole process is buying the actual bus ticket. You’ve got several options:

• ADO App or Website
• ADO Bus Station
• Punto de Venta ADO
• Reservamos
• Bus Bud

ADO App

The best way to buy your ticket is with the ADO phone app. You can also buy it from its website, but it’s glitchy and no longer works for me. I now always use the app. The ADO app has the cheapest bus tickets: MXN$299.

• 7:15 – 10:15 – ADO – MXN$299
• 9:00 – 12:00 (noon) – ADO – MXN$299
• 11:45 – 14:45 – ADO gl – MXN$349
• 16:15 – 19:15 – OCC – MXN$299
• 19:45 – 22:45 – ADO gl – MXN$349

The problem with the app is that not all foreign credit cards work. Mine does. If yours doesn’t, you can pay using PayPal. Just link your PayPal account with a credit card.

You’ll receive a digital ticket via email. Download it to your phone. When you board the bus, show it to the bus driver, who scans the QR code.

At the ADO Bus Station

You can also buy your ticket at the ADO Bus Station. Don’t do it at the last minute, though, as bus tickets for this route can sell out quickly.

If you buy your ticket at the bus station, your ticket will be more expensive: MXN$349.

• 7:15 – 10:15 – ADO – MXN$314
• 9:00 – 12:00 (noon) – ADO – MXN$314
• 11:45 – 14:45 – ADO gl – MXN$364
• 16:15 – 19:15 – OCC – MXN$306
• 19:45 – 22:45 – ADO gl – MXN$364

Another problem is that the lines to buy tickets are sometimes very long.

At the Punto de Venta ADO Ticket Agency on Andador Turistico

If you don’t want to trek out to the ADO Bus Station, you can buy your ticket from the ADO Ticket Agency on the pedestrian street, Calle Macedonia Alcalá (Andador Turistico). This is the main tourist street in Oaxaca, so it’s convenient.

It’s only open from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (M to Su).

• 7:15 – 10:15 – ADO Bus – MXN$314
• 9:00 – 12:00 (noon) – ADO Bus – MXN$314
• 11:45 – 14:45 – ADO gl Bus – MXN$364
• 16:15 – 19:15 – OCC Bus – MXN$306
• 19:45 – 22:45 – ADO gl Bus – MXN$364

Third-Party Online Ticketing Agencies

You can also buy your ticket from third-party online ticketing agencies. The two most common ones are:

• Reservamos
• Bus Bud

Reservamos

Over the years of traveling in Mexico, I’ve bought many bus tickets from Reservamos. It has the largest listing of buses in the country, making it a good place to start searching for how to get somewhere. It will list bus departures that other websites won’t have.

However, there are many problems with buying tickets on the Reservamos site.

• Their ticket prices are higher than buying from ADO because they add on extra service fees.
• You can’t choose your seat
• After you’ve paid, it takes them 15 to 30 minutes to send you your ticket via email
• They don’t accept foreign credit cards, so you have to use PayPal

You receive a digital ticket via email. Download it to your phone. When you board the bus, show it to the bus driver, who scans the QR code on the ticket.

Bus Bud

Lots of travelers use Bus Bud because the website is geared toward foreigners. It is in English and accepts foreign credit cards.

There are many problems with using Bus Bud

• Their ticket prices are higher than buying from ADO because they add on extra service fees.
• They don’t have a complete listing of all buses departing from a city

You’ll receive a digital ticket via email. Download it to your phone and show it to the bus driver when you board. He’ll scan the QR code.

Departing from Oaxaca City

ADO and OCC buses depart from the ADO bus station. Boarding the bus usually starts 10 to 15 minutes before departure.

The problem with the ADO Bus Station in Oaxaca City is that there is no electronic board with departure listings, and the announcements are in Spanish. I recommend sitting as close to the doors to the bus platforms as possible to avoid missing your boarding time.

You can store your luggage safely under the bus. You’ll receive a ticket. Keep it because you’ll need it to retrieve your luggage.

Journey to Oaxaca City

The bus does not stop along the way. However, there are bathrooms on board the bus.

The bus is cold, so wear long pants or capris and a sweater or jacket on the bus. Every time I take ADO buses, I see foreign tourists wearing shorts and sitting uncomfortably in their seats every time because they’re freezing to death.

There’s no WiFi on the bus and at times along the way, you cannot even get a signal.

The road is new but it’s only a two-lane highway.

Arriving in Puerto Escondido

The bus arrives at the ADO Bus Station in Puerto Escondido.

Most tourists stay along Playa Zicatela (Zicatela Beach).

To get to my hotel, I used the DiDi Rideshare app. It cost MXN$120. However, the people at my hotel told me DiDi and Uber are banned in Puerto Escondido. It worked for me, so I don’t know if it’s officially banned but drivers still use it.

Taxis usually charge a lot more.

I know there’s also a public bus that drops you off along the highway and then it’s a short walk to the hotels near the beach.

Getting to Puerto Escondido by Shuttle Van

You can also get to Puerto Escondido by tourist shuttle. I did not go this way, but I visited four tourist shuttle agencies to find out about prices and departures.

Two shuttle companies go to Puerto Escondido directly and two get you there indirectly. For the indirect ones, you need to transfer in Pochutla or Zipolite. The problem with the bus station in Pochutla is that it’s got a homeless encampment, which has resulted in a lot of garbage and shady people hanging around the station. It’s not a place I’d like to spend much time hanging out waiting for a bus.

• Ruta Coatlanes-Costa – direct
• Transportes Bahía Colotepec – direct
• Lineas Unidas – indirect
• Eclipse 70 – indirect

Ruta Coatlanes-Costa Shuttle Service

According to the Oaxaca Expat Facebook Group, Ruta Coatlanes Costa is the best shuttle service for Puerto Escondido. They have the best safety statistics with the fewest accidents compared to other shuttle services.

In addition, they leave the most frequently. The price is great (MXN$300). Ruta Coatlanes-Costa leaves every 20 minutes.

The vans are clean and comfortable.

The shuttle drops you off in the center of Puerto Escondido as well as across from Playa Zicatela, where most people stay. In Puerto Escondido, Ruta Coatlanes-Costa’s office is across from Playa Zicatela—saving you money on a taxi or Didi.

Transportes Bahía Colotepec Shuttle Service

Transportes Bahía Colotepec offers direct shuttles to Puerto Escondido for MXN$300. They depart every hour (7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.).

This place is pretty basic—a small parking lot with a building and a window where you buy your bus ticket.

They are located at Calle de Carlos María Bustamante 603.

I never saw the shuttle, so I can’t comment on the quality of the van.

Lineas Unidas Shuttle Service

Lineas Unidas Transport Service has indirect buses to Puerto Escondido. However, you first need to go to Pochutla, Puerto Angel, or Zipolite (next to Mazunte). Then you need to take a La Sur or ADO bus to Puerto Escondido. This is not convenient and it’s not cheap.

However, I have used their service before to get from Pochutla to Oaxaca City (I was visiting Mazunte) and to get to some small cities around Oaxaca City. They have comfortable vans with good drivers.

They are located here.  

Eclipse 70 Shuttle Service

Eclipse 70 has indirect buses to Puerto Escondido. You first need to take a shuttle to Pochutla and then a La Sur or ADO bus to Puerto Escondido.

I’ve used their service before to get to Mazunte, as they are the only shuttle that goes directly there. Departure times to Mazunte are 5:30, 7, 15, 10:00, 13:00, and 16:00. It costs MXN$360 to get to Mazunte. The van was decent, but their driver drove like a crazy person.

Getting to Puerto Escondido by Bla Bla Car

The cheapest way to get to Puerto Escondido is by Bla Bla Car, a carpooling service that connects drivers with empty seats with passengers looking for a ride to a particular place. It’s very popular in Mexico.

I haven’t used this method for Puerto Escondido, but two days before writing this article, I met a German couple who were using it to get there with their dog. They said they used it all the time around Mexico. It cost them MXN$150 per person to get to Puerto Escondido.

Download the Bla Bla Car app or visit the website to find a driver. Sometimes, you need to meet the driver at a specific destination, while other times, the driver picks you up. It’s the same with dropping you off.

The driver can cancel without much notice, which happened to the German couple the first time they tried to get to Puerto Escondido.

I had looked into using the service to get from Puerto Vallarta to Sayulita. It was cheaper than the bus or a taxi, but I didn’t use it in the end because the driver would drop me off on the highway and not inside the city of Sayulita. I had gotten my foot crushed in an accident the day before and couldn’t walk, so I wasn’t keen on being dropped off on the outskirts of Sayulita.

As a solo female traveler, I’m hesitant to use this way to get to Puerto Escondido.

Getting to Puerto Escondido by Private Transfer

A private transfer (vehicle with private driver) is one of the fastest (2.5 hours) but most expensive ways to get to Puerto Escondido (US$300+). It might be good if you’re traveling in a group.

I’ve never used this service nor do I know anyone who has, so I can’t recommend anyone specifically.

Here are some private transfer services through third-party booking sites to give you some ideas:

• Private transfer service with Oaxaca Shuttle
• Private transfer service with Enjoy Oaxaca.
• Private transfer service with Circuitos por Mexico

Getting to Puerto Escondido by Rental Car

The most convenient way to get to Puerto Escondido from Oaxaca is by rental car. You can rent a car at the Oaxaca Airport or you can find car rental agencies along Mariano Matamoros Street in the historic center.

Check car rental prices for Oaxaca to see if it’s worth it.

Renting a car can be a great way to visit the towns and beaches along the coast. Getting to some of the best beaches without a private car is not always easy.

Getting to Puerto Escondido by Plane

The quickest and most convenient way to get to Puerto Escondido is by plane.

There are many flights going directly from Mexico City to Puerto Escondido. Check Skyscanner for flight times.

Aerotucán has one flight a day, leaving at 7:00 a.m. (Monday through Saturday) and 10:00 a.m. (Sunday) from Oaxaca City. The price is around US$200. Flight time is 45 minutes. Be aware that they have a strict luggage limit (less than most planes), and you’ll need to pay if you go over the limit. It’s a small plane with a maximum of 6 people.

For flights back to Oaxaca from Puerto Escondido, the plane departs at 8:00 a.m. (Monday through Saturday) or 11:00 am (Sunday)

Before arriving in Puerto Escondido, you can arrange a private transfer from the airport to your hotel. Paraiso Huatulco offers airport pickup. I’ve used this company for a tour in Huatulco, and I thought they were a very responsible company. The guide and staff took safety very seriously compared to all the other tour boats I saw, so I would be confident using their transfer service in the future.

If you need info on getting to the airport in Oaxaca, here’s my Oaxaca Airport Guide.

Final Thoughts: Getting to Puerto Escondido from Oaxaca City

I hope you found this blog post on getting from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido helpful. Let me know if something is unclear or if the information has changed! I’d love to hear from you.

If you’re looking for fun and culturally rich things to do in Oaxaca, check out my Oaxaca Travel Guide. It’s jam-packed with things to do for culture enthusiasts, history buffs, and foodies. I also have a food guide on the top street foods in Oaxaca to try, with tips on where to find them.