How To Get To Puerto Escondido: EASIEST Ways in 2023

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Looking at how to get to Puerto Escondido? I was the same! If I’m honest, before I’d looked into getting to Puerto Escondido, I had no idea how to get to this southern Mexico beach town. But luckily, I’ve done all the hard work for you. So, let’s find out the best ways to get to Puerto Escondido!

Puerto Escondido is located on the Oaxacan coast, in the south of Mexico. It borders the North Pacific Ocean and is one of the most popular coastal towns in the country.

But one of the biggest issues with Puerto Escondido is getting there, and it definitely isn’t as easy as we’d like it to be (yet).

One of the biggest problems when getting to Puerto Escondido? The giant mountain range between the coast and Oaxaca City. This means getting to Puerto Escondido for most people is a little trickier than other coastal towns in Mexico.

So just how do you get to Puerto Escondido? In the following post, I outline the best ways to get there from anywhere in the world.

Other Mexico posts:

• Can You Swim In Puerto Escondido? Best Swimming Beaches
• Where To Watch The Sunset in Puerto Escondido (2023)
• BEST Puerto Escondido Tours in 2023
• 32 BEST Things to do in Puerto Escondido For First-Timers (2023)
• Best Hostels in Puerto Escondido For Backpackers (2023 Guide)

How To Get To Puerto Escondido

The following information about how to get to Puerto Escondido is correct as of January 2023. If you are aware of any updates or errors, please let me know via jennie(at)jenniewanders.com. Thank you!

Where is Puerto Escondido? (+ Map)

Puerto Escondido (which translates to ‘Hidden Port’) is a small coastal town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It’s one of the most popular tourist areas for backpackers, surfers and Mexican families.

It’s a 4-hour (non-direct) flight from Cancun or a 22-hour drive. Most backpackers visit Puerto Escondido after Oaxaca City or CDMX (Mexico City). However, some get the bus down from Merida or Cancun, with multiple stops along the way.

It really is one of the best places to visit in Mexico, so even though it’s a bit trickier to get to, make sure it’s planned into your route!

How to get to Puerto Escondido from the US

If you’re travelling to Puerto Escondido from the US, you will firstly need to fly into either Mexico City, Oaxaca, or another major international airport in Mexico.

It all depends on where you’re coming from, but most American airlines will fly direct to Mexico City, and from there you will need to catch a separate flight to Puerto Escondido. This is because Puerto Escondido airport is so small in size, so it can only have a few incoming and departing flights a day.

If you need more information on how to get to Puerto Escondido from…

• Mexico City: click here
• Oaxaca City: click here

How to get to Puerto Escondido from the UK

If you’re travelling to Puerto Escondido from the UK, you’ll again need to fly to Mexico City first. At the time of writing this (January 2023), there are no direct flights from the UK to Puerto Escondido.

If you are planning on visiting, I recommend flying into Mexico City and spending some time there first. Then you can get a cheap £50 ($60) flight down to Puerto Escondido when you are ready.

Or, make your trip even more exciting, and add a stop off in Oaxaca City!

If you need more information on how to get to get there…

• Mexico City: click here
• Oaxaca City: click here

How to get to Puerto Escondido whilst in Mexico

If you’re unsure about how to get to Puerto Escondido from wherever you are, I recommend checking out the following sites.

• Busbud: for safe, modern and clean buses all over Mexico. We used these buses multiple times when backpacking the country and never once felt unsafe or overcharged.
• Discover Cars: for easy, safe and cheap car hire. Again, whenever we used cars in Mexico, we used this company. They really are the best car hire company out there.

How to get to Puerto Escondido from Oaxaca City

You have a few options when travelling between Oaxaca City and Puerto Escondido:

• ADO bus (most budget-friendly option)
• Plane (most expensive option – see next section)
• Taxi, car share or minibus
• Hiring a car and doing the drive yourself

You can find out more specific information about the different ways to travel between Oaxaca City and Puerto Escondido here.

NOTE: The current highway between Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido currently isn’t the best, and it’s not even known to be safe. In fact, it’s advised to avoid this road altogether if you’re backpacking, due to frequent falling rocks, landslides, uneven terrain, curvy roads and a high risk of accidents. Not to mention the travel sickness!

Most commonly, backpackers will board the ADO bus from Oaxaca City to reach Puerto Escondido. The ADO bus takes 10.5 hours, and goes the long way around, down a 500km coastal road. The ADO bus does not drive through the mountains, and it is a much safer, easier and pleasant journey (well, as pleasant as a bus journey can be).

But, there is a 102km highway currently being built, which will cut the driving time from Oaxaca in half. This means the dreaded 6-7 hour bumpy mountainous route will be a 2-3 hour car journey instead.

The opening date of this highway hasn’t been confirmed and has moved quite a few times in 2022. But hopefully, the highway will be open in 2023.

If you’re already in Oaxaca City, make sure to check out my guides on Uber, what to wear and drinking water!

Flying with Aerotucan from Oaxaca

If you do decide to pay the hefty plane ticket and fly directly into Puerto Escondido from Oaxaca, you’ll fly with Aerotucan. You can find out more about their services and flights here.

From Cancun

Cancun and Puerto Escondido are not close. In fact, they’re over 1500km apart (similar to driving from the UK to Poland!)

It is possible to travel from Cancun via car, but you would need to make some stop-offs along the way. But luckily, there’s plenty to see in between, so you’re in for one exciting road trip!

In summary, the best ways to get from Cancun to Puerto Escondido are:

• Fly – however, this is expensive. It will cost upwards of £250 ($300) for a one-way ticket, which stops off in Mexico City. You are best to book a flight to Mexico City, stay there for a while, and then either get the bus down or book a cheap one way flight from there.
• ADO bus – but direct from Cancun to Puerto Escondido takes 2 whole days! So this definitely isn’t the best option. If I was getting the bus from Cancun to Puerto Escondido, I would stop off in places like Isla Holbox, Merida, Valladolid and San Cristobal along the way. This breaks up the trip a little and you get to see some other incredible places.
• Road trip – Again, this takes a LONG time, but you can combine it with multiple stops. You can book your car rental here.

From Mexico City

In summary, there are three main ways to get from Mexico City to Puerto Escondido. 

• The easiest way is a 1.15-hour flight, costing around £50 ($55).
• Alternatively, you can catch an 18-hour bus, which may be cheaper depending on the time of year.
• The third and most popular option is to catch a bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca, spend some time in Oaxaca City, and then board the bus to Puerto Escondido.

If you need more specific information about travelling between Mexico City and Puerto Escondido, check out this post: Mexico City to Puerto Escondido (Backpacker Guide) 2023

From Huatulco

Huatulco is a another Oaxacan beach town, with 36 beaches and nine bays! It’s another incredibly beautiful part of Mexico.

If you’re travelling between the two locations, I recommend:

• Hiring a car. This is the easiest and most efficient way to travel between the two towns.
• Or by bus, as this only takes 2 hours and costs around £10 ($12). Remember to use this site for the cheapest bus deals in Mexico!

How to get to Puerto Escondido from Mazunte

Mazunte is a sleepy, little beach town on Oaxaca’s Pacific coast known for its tranquility and abundance of sea turtles. It’s actually one of Mexico’s ‘pueblas’ (magical towns), yet it’s still not on many backpacker’s routes!

The distance between the two is just under 75 km, and if you drive to Mazunte directly, it takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes.

But as a backpacker, hiring your own car isn’t always an option. When travelling from Puerto Escondido to Mazunte, there are another few options. These include:

• Colectivo (the most popular option)
• Bus
• Taxi

Want to add Mazunte into your backpacking trip? Check out this detailed post all about travelling between Puerto Escondido and Mazunte here.

Does Puerto Escondido have an airport?

Yes, Puerto Escondido has its own airport, so you can fly directly there. It is called Puerto Escondido International Airport, and airlines such as Aeromexico, Viva Aerobus and Aerotucan.

However, if you’re coming from Oaxaca, the flight down to Puerto Escondido is expensive, so you might want to opt for the bus. For more specific information on getting to there from Oaxaca, click here.

When you arrive at the airport, getting into the main town is easy. You can either jump in a taxi, or order a private van, with the most popular option being a taxi. Taxis in Mexico are safe, reliable and an easy way to travel. The journey shouldn’t cost more than £30 ($35) to areas like La Punta and Zicatela, and it shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes.

NOTE: There is no Uber in Puerto Escondido as of January 2023. Read my guide here for more: Is there Uber in Puerto Escondido? 2023 Updates

Want to hire your own car in Mexico? I highly recommend checking out this company, as I know first-hand how reliable, cheap and easy they are to use!

Is Puerto Escondido worth visiting?

Yes! Yes and yes again. Even if it means taking an 18-hour bus from Mexico City! If you’re backpacking Mexico, make sure Puerto Escondido is planned on your route.

It’s truly one of the friendliest, liveliest and best places to visit in Mexico, and it’s perfect for solo backpackers and digital nomads.

We loved Puerto Escondido so much that we lived there for nearly two months! This blog is packed full of Puerto Escondido information, so be sure to check it out!

Where to stay in Puerto Escondido

Looking for the best places to stay in Puerto Escondido? I’ve written a guide on the best areas in Puerto, as well as the best hostels!

But if you’re specifically looking for La Punta hostels and hotels (where most backpackers stay), here are some of the best places:

• Bonita Escondida (££): if you want to party, meet friends and have a crazy time in Puerto Escondido.
• Casa Punta (££): for a fun, social hostel.
• Pacific Buddha (£): for those on a tight budget needing a hostel room in the heart of La Punta.
• Casa Terranova (££): for budget hotel rooms with a pool.

Getting around Puerto Escondido

Getting around Puerto Escondido is easy, and most commonly either by scooter, colectivo or taxi. It is possible to walk, but journeys like La Punta to Bacocho would take a couple of hours, and it’s HOT!

If you need to know the ins and outs of getting around, check out my post: Getting Around Puerto Escondido in 2023: A Complete Guide.

What is the best way to travel around Mexico as a backpacker?

If you’re backpacking Mexico, the best way to get around is by the ADO bus. I’m sharing this as I know first-hand how reliable, safe, clean and modern they are compared to some of the local Mexican buses.

Each time you need to book a journey, check the Busbud website. They usually have sales on, and reduce prices closer to the time of the journey (and if you book further in advance).

We used Busbud for all of our booking, and have no complaints. It’s also a lot easier to have your ticket as a PDF, rather than queing up in the crazy lines at the bus station!

I highly recommend checking out the Busbud website and booking your buses around Mexico here.

If you are planning your trip to include Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, my guide gives you all the tips you need: Oaxaca Day of the Dead: Insider Guide + Tips For 2023!

Best travel insurance for backpackers in Mexico

If you’re visiting Mexico as a backpacker, or even for a short vacation, it is so important to have travel insurance. And if you ended up on a post that’s called ‘epic party tips’, you know (just as well as I do) that you definitely need travel insurance.

Personally, I recommend SafetyWing. As a digital nomad and world traveller myself, I can confirm it is the best travel insurance out there. And one of the cheapest – they have deals that start at just $42 USD per month.

I know, I know, you’re thinking ‘but I can’t afford that!’. I was the same! It’s tough to fork out $42 a month on something ‘you might not need’. But what if something DOES happen? That extra Mezcal shot results in you falling down the stairs, or you eat something dodgy from a street food van.

If you need medical help at any point whilst in Mexico, you need travel insurance.

With SafetyWing, you’re covered on travel emergencies, basic medical costs and medical expenses throughout your trip, so you can travel without worry (at a backpacker’s price!)

Don’t even think twice about getting travel insurance for Mexico. Trust me, I have heard enough horror stories about backpackers who haven’t had insurance and have ended up in a lot of debt. Don’t be that person!

If you’ve been putting the job off because it takes a lot of time and effort to research the best travel insurance companies, I understand. That’s why I’ve done the hard work for you. Sign up for SafetyWing, and the job is done!

How To Get To Puerto Escondido: In a Nutshell

So, there you have it! Everything you need to know about how to get to Puerto Escondido.

When you’re planning a trip to Mexico, make sure you let me know over on Instagram or in the comments below!

If you haven’t come across my blog before, I write posts aimed at first-time backpackers on a budget. I’m currently backpacking Mexico with my boyfriend (read more here!), whilst creating guides and itineraries for you to follow in our footsteps!

Keep an eye out for more Mexico content, all written from a personal and realistic point of view. You can sign up for my newsletter and juicy travel updates here!

As always, thanks for reading and supporting the blog!

Happy travelling 🙂

Jennie x

Other Mexico posts:

• Puerto Escondido in November: Weather, Tips + More (2023)
• Can You Drink The Water In Puerto Escondido? 2023 Updates
• Turtle Release Puerto Escondido, Playa Bacocho (2023)
• 11 BEST Things To Do In Punta Allen, Sian Ka’an (Mexico)