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elenita

Aug 25, 2011, 3:02 AM

Post #1 of 6 (1990 views)

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Driving USA to Puerto Escondido

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We’re starting to gather up information regarding driving from the USA to Puerto Escondido in March. Interested in the SPEEDIEST and SAFEST route; unfortunately this won’t be a “beauty is in the journey trip”, just need a direct long haul (and plan to meander and take our time on return).
Details thus far... Will be driving a Nissan 4WD; have quite a bit of driving experience in Mex, though mainly in Oaxaca State, never from the States; happy to pay for faster toll road; willing to cross the border at any point, though leaning toward Texas- know the safety situation can change by March so taking that as it comes.
Looking like maybe meeting up with Mex 57 around Saltillo and following it south is a good option? Planning to avoid DF at all costs. Tossing up the DF-Acapulco- Puerto vs DF-Oaxaca-Istmus-Puerto routes, although less concerned about those as we’ve travelled them before, though mainly by bus. It’s the border to DF drive we’re really looking for thoughts on, and then which way to circumnavigate DF.
Guia Roja, AAA map, phone for calling up the Angeles Verdes or amigos on either side of the border, FMT and import permit and patience with topes etc , etc- we have.
Unfortunately going to have a fair amount of stuff packed in, and realize it’ll draw more attention. Basically would just appreciate any shared knowledge, insight and advice from the experienced folk out there. Gracias a todos, thanks in advance!

Vichil

Aug 25, 2011, 6:21 AM

Post #2 of 6 (1970 views)

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Re: [elenita] Driving USA to Puerto Escondido

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You do not need to go through DF any longer . Take the Arco Norte Queretaro Puebla and then on to Oaxaca or via Morelia tlacomulco Tula Puebla , It is all quota road, good road (They have a site under Arco Norte) then Oaxaca then done one of the road going to the coast.
We live near Guadalaajara and go to Oaxaca several times a year. We never had any problems on these roads.
Cannot help you north of Guanajuato as we do not drive to the States.

(This post was edited by Vichil on Aug 27, 2011, 3:59 PM)

RickS

Aug 25, 2011, 8:21 AM

Post #3 of 6 (1946 views)

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Re: [elenita] Driving USA to Puerto Escondido

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elenita, welcome to Mexconnect.

This site has a good search function that will give you past info on a couple of things you are inquiring of. Go to the top portion of this page and click on "Search Posts". Then put in something like "border crossing" to get all posts which talk about that. Be mindful of the 'date' of the posts as there are some pretty old ones that probably don't apply any more. Do the same for "Arco Norte" to get good info on the toll road that skirts DF from south of Queretaro over towards Puebla.

John Shrall

Aug 25, 2011, 4:58 PM

Post #4 of 6 (1887 views)

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Re: [elenita] Driving USA to Puerto Escondido

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You probably need to remove speedy from your requirements. Portions of the trip may go fast but it's not easy to get to Puerto Escondido.

I've driven to or through Puerto Escondido 3 or 4 times. I've always felt safe no matter the route so it boils down to choice of route. Your 2 options are to get to Oaxaca and cross the Sierra Madre's down to the coast. It's a pretty drive but very slow. The route is about 150 miles but takes a little more than 5 hours due to the windy roads crossing the mountains and can vary a lot based on the number of doble remolque's you encounter.

The other route is to take the cuota over the mountains from Toluca/Cuernavaca to Acapulco then head down highway 200 for the rest of the trip. We last drove from Huatulco to Chalpancingo and if I remember right, it took about 8 hours to drive from Huatulco to Acapulco with another hour up the cuota to get away from that nasty town. This route was a lot quicker to cross the mountains but you're still facing probably 7 hours on the 2 lane road with lots of topes.

On our last trip for fun and a change of pace we blindly took the advice of the Garmin Nuvi and went through Cuernavaca and then exited through the mountains to catch up with the road that gets you through Toluca. It was a beautiful drive especially exiting the forest at 9,000 feet with mountains all around the high valley.

There's pain either way so you choose the 5 hour 150 mile Oaxaca to the coast or the easy mountain crossing and a 7 hour drive on Hwy 200 to your destination. If you want to stop in Oaxaca then it's a no-brainer. There are only 2 roads from there to the coast and they're about the same adventure and will take about the same time. If you hate the mountains and trucks then you're faced with a long drive from somewhere near Cuernavaca or Taxco to Acapulco and then the coast road.

If I were going to do it again I'd probably go from Ajijic to Puebla (9 hours) and spend the night there, then a short 5 hours to Oaxaca (also a beautiful drive on the cuota) and then white knuckle the mountains for another 5.

Enjoy your trip either way. There's a lot of pretty country on the way and if you have the time, take the drive to Huatulco. It has about the best Pacific beach in Mexico and a huge infrastructure of resorts.

elenita

Aug 25, 2011, 5:52 PM

Post #5 of 6 (1875 views)

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Re: [elenita] Driving USA to Puerto Escondido

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Hey, thanks for the info folks! Arco Norte certainly looks a good option, especially if we were to head from there to Oaxaca and down to the coast. Have been searching through posts, just wanted to put it out there for anyone with additional specifics.
We've driven both the routes to and from Oaxaca City (personally would avoid the Sola de Vega trip in future) and the winding roads to Acapulco, plus too many trips down south past Huatulco to count. Puerto and surrounds are beautiful and unique, reason to be heading straight there. Perhaps "speedy" wasn't the correct term; just wanted to emphasize that we're really looking for the most direct and expedient road plan for this one.
Thinking Nuevo Laredo on toward Queretaro, skirting around Monterrey, SLP, etc.
Know that when I was young journeying with family thru other parts of Mex there were "auto-hotels" where one could pull the vehicle into a private overnight garage like space....anything like that exist along this route nowadays? Just looking for overnight peace of mind with a truck full of stuff.
Many thanks, keep it coming!

Goyo

Aug 26, 2011, 10:42 AM

Post #6 of 6 (1834 views)

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Re: [elenita] Driving USA to Puerto Escondido

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I think what you are calling auto hotels are known in Mexico as hotel de paso. They are normally used for trists but are often open for anyone. Sometimes on weekends not all are available for overnight, just 8 hour stays; ask about this before checking in or paying. Most are nice, some are not. One nice aspect is they usually have a form of room service 24 hours since they are often located at the outskirts of town with no nearby restaurants or abarotes. Don't expect too much in the rooms since the most important parts of these rooms are the beds and bathrooms. Rates can be very good for the value. I just stayed in a VERY nice hotel de paso in Navojoa Sonora (not on your route). Three nights, paid daily, no receipt, no registration, very secure, for $290/night. Motel El Peñon.