By Plane
Aerotucán (tel./fax 954/582-3461) operates daily morning flights between Puerto Escondido and Oaxaca (no online reservations; best to go through a travel agent). Volaris (tel. 866/988-3527 in the U.S.), which now has six U.S. gateways and a quasi-codeshare arrangement with Southwest, has been tossing around the idea of adding flights between Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido for more than a year, but the start date keeps getting pushed back.
If flights to Puerto Escondido are booked, another option is flying into Huatulco on a scheduled or charter flight. Interjet (tel. 866/285-9525 in the U.S.) flies between Mexico City and Huatulco daily. This is especially viable if your destination is Puerto Angel, which lies between Puerto Escondido and Huatulco. An airport taxi costs about 900 pesos to Puerto Angel, and approximately 1,500 pesos to Puerto Escondido. If you can find a local taxi rather than a government-chartered cab, you can reduce these fares by about 50%, including the payment of a 60 pesos mandatory airport exit tax. There is frequent bus service between the three destinations.
The Puerto Escondido airport (airport code: PXM) is about 4km (2 1/2 miles) north of the center of town, near Playa Bacocho. Vans from the airport to town charge 1,300 pesos. The colectivo (minibus) to hotels costs 40 pesos per person. Aerotransportes de Pasajeros Turistas de Oaxaca sells colectivo tickets to the airport via Turismo Dimar Travel Agency (tel./fax 954/582-0737, -2305), on Avenida Pérez Gasga (the pedestrian-only zone), next to Hotel Casa Blanca. A minibus picks you up at your hotel and costs 50 pesos per person. To get to town for just 45 pesos, catch the second-class "Sur" bus on the street right in front of the airport.
By Car
From Oaxaca, Hwy. 175 via Pochutla is the least bumpy road. The 240km (149-mile) trip takes 5 to 6 hours. Hwy. 200 from Acapulco is a good road, although stretches of it are dirt only, and numerous speed bumps and army checkpoints may impede progress. It should take about 8 hours to travel. This stretch of road has been the site of numerous car and bus hijackings and robberies at night in recent years -- travel only during the day.
From Salina Cruz to Puerto Escondido is a 5-hour drive, past the Bahías de Huatulco and the turnoff for Puerto Angel. The road is paved but can be rutty during the rainy season. The trip from Huatulco to Puerto Escondido takes just over 2 hours; you can easily hire a taxi for a fixed rate of about 550 pesos an hour.
By Bus
Buses run frequently to and from Acapulco and Oaxaca, and south along the coast to and from Huatulco and Pochutla, the transit hub for Puerto Angel. The main bus station for Estrella Blanca, Oaxaca Pacífico, and Estrella Roja is the Central Camionera, just north of the city center. First-class buses run to Huatulco, Oaxaca, and Mexico City. Several buses also leave daily for Pochutla, Salina Cruz (5 hr.), and Oaxaca (7 hr. via second-class bus). Cristóbal Colón buses (tel. 954/582-1073) serve Salina Cruz, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, San Cristóbal de las Casas, and Oaxaca.
Minibuses from Pochutla or Huatulco will let you off anywhere, including the spot where Pérez Gasga leads down to the pedestrian-only zone.
If you're arriving from Oaxaca City, the speediest buses to Puerto Escondido -- 6 hours away over a tortuous road -- leave from the terminal de segunda clase (second-class terminal) Armenta y López 721, across from the Red Cross. Two lines serve the route: Pacífico Oaxaca and Estrella del Valle. Many people who go to Puerto Escondido on these buses say that if they had it to do over, they'd fly. Motion sickness is the main reason; there are hundreds of curves through the mountains.
The Viajes Atlántida agency, at Armenta y López 621, intersection with La Noria (tel. 951/514-7077), offers daily service from Oaxaca City to Pochutla in Suburbans. The Suburbans are faster than the bus. There are 10 runs daily (5-6 hr.; 140 pesos). From Pochutla, you can catch a colectivo (Volkswagen van) to Puerto Escondido, Huatulco, or Puerto Angel (which run 1-1 1/2 hr.). You should buy your tickets in advance. The agency is open daily from 5:30am to 11:30pm.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
