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skjellyfetti

Mar 24, 2010, 4:22 PM

Post #1 of 8 (4042 views)

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Bus from Puerto Vallarta to Zihuatenejo or Puerto Escondido

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I'm looking for a bus or series of buses down the Pacific Coast from Puerto Vallarta. I've only been able to find one as far as Manzanillo. Ultimately I'm trying to get to Oaxaca, but just a slow meander by bus down the coast.

Anyone know of buses going down 200 or would I be better served getting going to Guadalajara and down to Oaxaca?

Thanks for the help.

Casa

Mar 24, 2010, 4:47 PM

Post #2 of 8 (4034 views)

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Re: [skjellyfetti] Bus from Puerto Vallarta to Zihuatenejo or Puerto Escondido

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Futura Services that route. Puerto Vallarta to Zihuatanejo. I am not sure if they actually drive down the coast the whole way or how they get there.

You can check it out on the Estella Balnca website http://www.estrellablanca.com.mx/VentaWeb/com.Eb/Eb.html

It looks like the bus leaves at 1300 and gets in at 0220 and the cost is 560 Pesos at least for the day I checked.

skjellyfetti

Mar 24, 2010, 4:53 PM

Post #3 of 8 (4030 views)

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Re: [Casa] Bus from Puerto Vallarta to Zihuatenejo or Puerto Escondido

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Thanks for the help! Do you think there's a decent chance if I hopped on that I'd be able to find something between Zihua and Puerto Escondido or something else that would ultimately get me to Oaxaca? (Not immediately, I know these are long bus rides and I don't want to do it all at once).

sparks

Mar 24, 2010, 5:21 PM

Post #4 of 8 (4027 views)

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Re: [skjellyfetti] Bus from Puerto Vallarta to Zihuatenejo or Puerto Escondido

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Ask at the bus station. That bus goes to Acapulco and I know it stops in Melaque and Manzanillo. There's not much to see from Manzanillo to Zihua except beautiful deserted coastline.

If you really want to stop in tiny beach towns in Michoacan switch to second/third class buses in Manzanilo or Tecoman

..... I see you were talking about further south but Vallarta to Zihua is 12-14 hours so you might want to break that up as well

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre

(This post was edited by sparks on Mar 24, 2010, 5:25 PM)

Casa

Mar 24, 2010, 5:33 PM

Post #5 of 8 (4017 views)

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Re: [skjellyfetti] Bus from Puerto Vallarta to Zihuatenejo or Puerto Escondido

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Estrella Blanca used to service that route also. Zihuatanejo to Puerto Escondido, not sure if they still do, it no longer comes up on their web site. So I do not know if they still have it. They had one trip per day. And I think it was about 10 hour drive or so. You could always call and ask them or send them an email.

raferguson

Mar 26, 2010, 5:30 PM

Post #6 of 8 (3949 views)

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Re: [skjellyfetti] Bus from Puerto Vallarta to Zihuatenejo or Puerto Escondido

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A common misunderstanding is that if you cannot find it on the web, it does not exist. Not true in Mexico. There are bus lines with no websites, bus lines whose websites do not give schedules, ........

There will be lots of buses running up and down the coast. Worst comes to worst, you might have to ride a second class bus for part of the trip, but I doubt it. The big bus stations are great, because you can walk around, read the boards, which usually include destinations, cost, and departure times. No Spanish needed until you buy a ticket. Some towns, mostly smaller towns, do not have central bus stations, so you might need to walk around to visit the various local bus lines storefronts and see what they offer.

I would plan my trip to minimize or completely avoid any night bus travel, for safety reasons. That is a general rule that applies double in that area. Besides, that way you see the scenery. First class buses are more comfortable and safer than second class, luxury buses even better.

A good strategy for bus travel in Mexico is don't worry about schedules or reservations, just show up at the bus station. If you don't see a convenient departure direct to your destination, take the next bus to a major city that is on the way to or near your final destination. You might end up changing buses once or twice, but you won't spend a lot of time waiting in bus stations. It helps to have some kind of map, so you can figure out which cities are on the way and which are out of the way.

I occasionally buy my bus ticket the day before, if it is not inconvenient, or if I need to catch a plane, or if I have a long way to go and want to be sure to have a seat on the luxury bus, but most people just show up and buy a ticket on the next bus.

A little flexibility goes a long way for travel, and that includes bus travel in Mexico. If you have extra time in your schedule, you won't get uptight if you can't find the bus you want leaving in the next hour.

Richard

http://www.fergusonsculpture.com

dmhaun

Mar 26, 2010, 9:06 PM

Post #7 of 8 (3928 views)

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Re: [skjellyfetti] Bus from Puerto Vallarta to Zihuatenejo or Puerto Escondido

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Yes, do your slow meander by bus down the coast. You will love it. There are, at least, local buses all the way down or take a cheap taxi to the next town. Think about going to Tehuantepic, then to Oaxaca. The Isthmus is an interesting part of Mexico. Not sure of bus service north, over the mountains, from P. Escondido or P. Angel. But ask around for the best way to Oaxaca. Check my website, www.Oaxacan.org
Buen viaje, David
.
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The Michoacan Net
Supporting the Arts in Michoacan
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Michoacan_net/

Peter

Mar 26, 2010, 10:34 PM

Post #8 of 8 (3916 views)

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Re: [raferguson] Bus from Puerto Vallarta to Zihuatenejo or Puerto Escondido

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A good strategy for bus travel in Mexico is don't worry about schedules or reservations, just show up at the bus station.
______

That generally seems to apply and has worked for me on many occasions. Right now expect exceptions to that during these next couple weeks around Semana Santa and other holidays when buses are goin to be full or very crowded. Also that there are fewer luxury class buses and non-stop buses (which are usually the Lux class) than the others. So there are times it may be worthwhile to know the schedules or plan trips for times other than holidays. But as a general rule of thumb there is usually not much of a wait in cities and larger towns if you are not too choosy about the level of service you will accept. Even the second-class buses are generally MUCH nicer than a typical Greyhound experience.