This is my most asked question about the Oaxaca coast – how to get there?! That’s because this remote area is surrounded by rugged mountains and there just isn’t a lot of info online. So I want to share what I’ve learned over the last few years about all the ways you travel Oaxaca to Mazunte, San Agustinillo, and Zipolite. I hope this clears up some confusion and answers how to get to Mazunte (and the other beach towns!)
UPDATE 2024 – the new superhighway between Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido is finally open, making this trip much faster and easier. Details below.
I wrote a similar post about how to get from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido in case you prefer to visit Puerto.
If you aren’t sure which Oaxaca beach you want to visit, check out my Oaxaca coast guide for the best beaches in Oaxaca for each kind of travel style.
Find lots more links to Oaxaca coast blogs at the end of this post.
Find Your Mazunte, San Agustinillo or Zipolite Hotel:
How to Get to Mazunte, San Agustinillo, Zipolite from Oaxaca: Method 1
Overland – Oaxaca to Mazunte: Fast NEW Super Highway
As of February 2024, I’m very happy to report the new Oaxaca-Puerto Escondido super highway is finally open! This highway cuts through the mountains and makes the previous 7 hour windy trip take only 2.5 to 3 hours to Puerto Escondido, and then an additional hour from Puerto Escondido to Mazunte!
The new highway starts at Barranca Larga, about an hour south of Oaxaca city. It’s modern and easy to drive with a few tunnels and a couple bridges. HOWEVER, please keep in mind it’s not 100% finished. This mostly means that some of the hills on the side of the road haven’t yet been secured to avoid landslides. During rainy season this year, this caused many landslides on the highway and traffic was slowed, or at times not passable. However, we are hopeful that during this dry season in 2024-25 (over fall-winter-spring) they will be able to finish those details.
If you are driving or taking this route during the dry season, it should be fine. But drive with precaution and watch out for any signs of construction and slow down to avoid accidents.
Once you arrive to the coast, you will exit the end of the highway at Ventanilla, just outside of Puerto Escondido. You will then continue east on the coastal highway until you reach the town of San Antonio, where you’ll find the turn off to Mazunte/San Agustinillo/Zipolite. There will be plenty of signs. The total trip from Oaxaca to Mazunte takes about 4 hours on this route.
This road can be driven if you are renting a car, or there are two modes of transport below you can choose.
Passenger Vans: Coatlanes: New Oaxaca-Puerto Escondido Highway, onward to Mazunte
These are 12-15 person modern passenger vans that make the trip between the Coatlanes station in the southern side of the Oaxaca centro, to the station in Zicatela, Puerto Escondido. This option is affordable at 300mxn and takes about 3 hours. The vans leave frequently during the day, but I’d recommend to buy your ticket at least the day before during busy periods.
Once you reach Puerto Escondido, you will then follow my instructions for how to get from Puerto Escondido to Mazunte, San Agustinillo or Zipolite here.
ADO First Class Bus: New Oaxaca-Puerto Escondido Highway, onward to Mazunte
This is the other option, taking the ADO first class bus from the ADO station in Oaxaca to the ADO bus station in Puerto. These buses are large and modern. Costs are around 300-350mxn and take about 3 hours. You can check schedules and prices on their website or their app. Buy your tickets in advance during busy seasons.
Once you reach Puerto Escondido, you will then follow my instructions for how to get from Puerto Escondido to Mazunte, San Agustinillo or Zipolite here.
Overland – Oaxaca to Mazunte/SanAgustinillo/Zipolite: Old Mountain Highway
If you want to visit some small traditional towns (like San Jose del Pacifico) or want to see more of the dramatic Oaxaca scenery, you can take the old highway from Mazunte, San Agustinillo or Zipolite to Oaxaca city. You will want to take a shuttle that runs to or through Pochutla.
You’ll want to keep two things in mind when making the old highway overland trip from Oaxaca to Mazunte/San Agustinillo/Zipolite:
- This is a very windy mountain road with lots of switchbacks. Not quite as windy as the old highway route from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido, but won’t be comfortable for those prone to car sickness. Or at least consider bringing dramamine if you have a sensitive stomach.
- There is the possibility of running into a bloqueo. Bloqueos are road blockades that pop up around the state due to political protests. It’s not likely that this will happen, but there is no way to predict it. I once got stuck in a pretty tough one overnight on the route from Puerto to Oaxaca (not this route). It was frustrating and uncomfortable. However, it hasn’t stopped me from taking the old highway overland routes. You’ll have to decide how comfortable you are with the above two factors.
There are many of passenger vans that do this route. Almost all stop in Pochutla, and then you would take a local pasajero (a shared taxi-like truck) or a taxi to your final destination.
However, there is a company that runs a shuttle from Oaxaca to Zipolite and Mazunte.
How to Get to Mazunte, San Agustinillo or Zipolite from Oaxaca Overland:
Eclipse 70
Armenta y López 504
These are usually 12 seat passenger vans. Head to the station in the centro (see map above) to inquire about schedules and prices.
Total Trip Length: about 7-8 hours
How to Get to Mazunte, San Agustinillo, Zipolite from Oaxaca: Method 2
Flight – Oaxaca to Mazunte/San Agustinillo/Zipolite
If you prefer to fly, you can either fly to Puerto Escondido or Huatulco. The little beach towns of Mazunte, San Agustinillo and Zipolite are about equal distance between the two airports. Once you reach either of the airports, you will need to head to the bus station to catch a bus going in either direction or you can take a taxi direct.
Flying Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido:
There are two small airlines, AeroTucan and AeroVega that make this route that lasts about 30-35 minutes.
They have a website where you can search and book tickets.
Prices are currently around 2550MXN one way. This will vary depending on season and day. You can book and pay online.
I took an AeroTucan flight from Oaxaca city to Huatulco, but this is the same plane and very similar flight that they run into Puerto Escondido.
Keep in mind that these are very small planes with one pilot and a single propeller. You should be comfortable with this type of travel. The views are beautiful and it’s a short ride.
I found this blog post helpful with first hand experience and photos. (Note: the AeroTucan website has been updated and you can book online now)
AeroVega:
AeroVega is an even smaller plane, and a small business run by the pilot himself. You can make a reservation by calling or messaging below and paying him in cash. He speaks English.
You can call or send a Whatsapp message: +529545880062
I found this blog post super helpful for info about the flight and pictures. I also contacted the airline to double check current prices and contact info.
After flying into Puerto Escondido, you have two options to make it to your final destination – bus or taxi.
Final Leg – Bus:
You can take a taxi the short distance to the first-class ADO/OCC bus terminal in Puerto Escondido. Once there, follow my guide about how to get from Puerto Escondido to Mazunte, San Agustinillo, and Zipolite.
Or – Taxi:
A second option would be to take a taxi directly to your final destination in Mazunte, San Agustinillo, or Zipolite. Airport taxis tend to be quite a bit more expensive than regular taxis, so if you want to save some money, you could walk out the entrance of the airport to the main road and negotiate with a taxi there.
Total Trip Length: about 1:30-2:30 hours
Flying Oaxaca to Huatulco
AeroTucan
You can also book AeroTucan (see above) to Huatulco. I took this trip in May of 2019 and the views were incredible.
Final Leg – Bus:
You can catch a second class bus running to Pochutla or Puerto Escondido once you walk out to the highway from the airport. You will ask to get off at the crucero de Pochutla y Puerto Angel, and either catch a pasajero (a truck/bus) or a taxi from there.
Or – Taxi:
Of course, you can catch a taxi from the airport to your final destination of Mazunte, San Agustinillo or Zipolite. If you take an airport taxi, it will likely cost you a lot more. A more economic option is to walk the short distance to the highway (outside of the airport) and negotiate a price with a regular taxi. You can decide based on what you are comfortable with and how much luggage you have.
Total Trip Length: about 1:30-2:30 hours
More Oaxaca Coast Guides:
Complete Oaxaca beach guide, choose the best beach for your travel style.
1 Week Oaxaca coast itinerary
TRANSPORTATION
How to Get to Puerto Escondido from Oaxaca.
How to Get to Mazunte, San Agustinillo, and Zipolite from Oaxaca.
How to Get from Puerto Escondido to Mazunte/San Agustinillo.
HOTELS & AIRBNBS
San Agustinillo & Mazunte Hotels:
- Monte Uzulu – beautifully curated design hotel
- Zazil – boutique hotel with stunning view
- Bianni Beuu – ocean view large rental home for groups in Estacahuite
Puerto Escondido Hotels:
- Casas Maria Matilda – architect designed rental homes
- Casa del la Tierra – eco-friendly luxury tree house
- Casa Baba – La Punta boutique hotel with pool
- Blater – beachfront hotel with rooftop pool
- Villasol – hotel and beach club
- Casitas by the Sea – design lovers rental home
Huatulco Hotel:
- Villas Fa-Sol – oceanfront boutique hotel
OAXACA CITY
And tons of Oaxaca city posts here.
Find Your Mazunte, San Agustinillo or Zipolite Airbnb or Hotel:
Pin it for Later!
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Cliff Hoberman
Hello:
What is the best way to travel to Playa Mazunte from San Diego, Ca.?
Thanks,
Cliff
Susan Ripley
Hi Cliff – you’ll want to search for flights into either Huatulco or Puerto Escondido airport. From there, you can follow my directions above from each airport to Mazunte.
If you are finding flights are too expensive to either of those airports, you can purchase a flight to Mexico City, and then take a domestic airline from Mexico City to Huatulco or Puerto Escondido (you can try searching Interjet, Volaris, Aeromar, or VivaAerobus for those domestic flights).
Doug
Thanks for this useful information! Note one additional option for travel between the beaches and Oaxaca City is Lineas Unidas who run at time of writing 5 daily shuttles to/from the beaches using 12 pax vans. They have an office/station on the main street directly across from the papeleria where Eclipse stops so both options are now available. Cost as of today is $270MX.
Susan Ripley
Hi Doug – great to know! Thanks for passing along the info. Will have to check that out on my next trip out to the coast.
Hawk
My girlfriend and I are hoping to make a trip to Mazunte, and at looking through this guide became a bit overwhelmed with the options. I think that I would plan on flying, to which airport we don’t have much preference as they seem to be roughly equivalent in my searches price-wise, but the bus/taxi ride after that is just really throwing me off. How much would it cost to get a taxi (roughly) from either of these locations to Mazunte? Is it difficult to do the busses? We’re young, so on a pretty precise budget, but want to be comfortable. Anyways, maybe I’m overcomplicating. Also have been considering renting a scooter to not only get from the airport to Mazunte, but also to get around the area, is this a bad idea?
Susan
Hi there Hawk,
Sorry for the slow reply. A taxi won’t set you back too terribly. I only took one once from the Huatulco airport to Mazunte, and I can’t quite remember what it was as it’s been a couple years. I want to say something like 800-900 pesos (though again, don’t quote me!). Walk out to the highway from the airport to get a lower rate (it’s not a far walk at all, they are tiny airports). Buses are easy as well. Just ask to get out at the crucero (look above in the post for which crucero, depending on which airport you are arriving from). Save the phrase in spanish so you have it handy. Keep your Google maps open so you can see your progress as you approach where you need to hop off. Once at the crucero, you can grab a taxi to make the rest of the journey easier. Don’t be intimidated, you’ll be fine! Renting a scooter is a fine option as well, or a rental car works fine too. That way you can hop around easily between different and more remote beaches. Have fun!