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By land from Mexico City
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Flights into Mexico City are often less expensive than into Acapulco. Therefore, the overall cheapest option is usually flying into Mexico City followed by a 8-12 hour direct bus ride to Puerto Escondido. While this option takes longer, these buses are often more comfortable than the ones that depart from Acapulco and make less frequent stops.
Each evening beginning at 7p.m. the Estrella Blanca bus line has direct and semi-direct buses departing from Mexico City to Puerto Escondido.
From Mexico City, all of Estrella Blancas buses leave out of El Centro Camionero Sur. Bus lines departing from other stations, like the Cristobal Colon bus line, often take a considerably longer route to get to Puerto Escondido. You can get to el Centro Camionero Sur by metro from most parts of the city, including the airport (metro stop: Tasqueño), but if you have a lot of luggage or arrive during rush hours, a taxi may be better.
Options from Oaxaca City
By Air
The quickest and easiest way to get from Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido is to fly. Aerovega offers beautiful 20 minute flights over the Sierra Madre Mountains of Oaxaca for just over $100 each way.
Aerovega - (011) (52) 954 582 0734 from the U.S. or (01) (954) 528 0734 from Mexico or aerovega@prodigy.net.mx
By Land
If you want a more affordable option, there are suburbans/vans that can be contracted from the travel agents in the Zocalo in Oaxaca City that will get you to Puerto in 6 hours. This is the quickest of the land routes but because the route brings you from about 1,000 meters in Oaxaca City up to 3,000 m and back down to sea level within 300km as the crow flies, many claim that it's a hair raising experience going through the curvy mountain roads.
The regular buses that route through the town of Pochutla go a little slower. Those busses take about 8 hours and it's also a curvy route so it's advisable to take a 1st class bus and if you are at all prone to motion sickness, it's a good idea to take Dramamine at least a half an hour before you take either the bus or a suburban/van.
The only way to avoid the sharp curves of the mountain roads if you want go by land is to take a bus from the Christobal Colon bus line which departs from a separate bus station and routes through Salina Cruz. Their route goes around the steepest mountains and takes about 14 hours but is much less curvy.
Click here for a map and specific directions to the school in Puerto Escondido
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Puerto Escondido weather
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The months of June through September make up the heart of the rainy season and coincidentally the best season for big wave surfing. While it can rain torrentially during these months, it doesn't rain all the time. Usually it rains for two or three semi-solid days every couple of weeks. The rain can cool the air into the mid 70s and cause the coldest days of the year. It may also rain for an hour or two in the late afternoon one or two additional days each week but for the most part, summer is sunny and warm.
As the rainy season draws to an end in October, the skies clear and the temperature begins to drop. November through February, the skies are blue and temperatures range from 60s at night to 80s during the day.
In late February and early March, temperatures begin to climb into the 90s with clear skies. In June, the rain starts to fall again. It cools the air and moistens the soil turning everything green again.
Click here for CNN weather forecast of Puerto Escondido
What to do in Puerto Escondido
While surfing is one of the main attractions in Puerto Escondido, there are a variety of other activities in the area. There are "lancha" (small fishing boat) tours of nearby lagoons and wildlife preserves. There are hikes to waterfalls and thermal springs. There are also plenty of "lanchas" to bring you sport fishing, scuba diving, touring the coast or to just tow you around on inflatable "bananas." Protected coves like Carrizalillo provide great opportunities for snorkeling and swimming. Playa Carrizalillo with its gentle waves is also a perfect place for anyone to boogie board or learn to surf. Both snorkeling equipment and boogie boards are available to rent there for very affordable prices. If you already know how to surf, Playa Zicatela, "Mexican pipeline" provides one of the most challenging waves in the world. "La Punta," is also a quality surf break. Located at the southwestern end of Playa Zicatela, it's a long left point break great for intermediate surfers or for when the beach break becomes to big for the expert surfer's board or ability.
There are plenty of attractions in nearby cities and towns. If you want to get a feel for Mexico completely unchanged by tourism, there are many small Mexican and indigenous villages within an hour's drive of Puerto. In opposition Las Bahias de Huatulco, about 2 hours south of Puerto Escondido, has been developed as a huge luxury tourist attraction and now houses the western hemisphere's largest Club Med. The state capital, Oaxaca City is about 6 hours away by bus and 30 minutes away by plane. There are plenty of ruins, markets, museums and indigenous villages to visit there as well.
Click here for link to "Tours and Excursions"
Click here for link to "Surfing Services"
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A dazzling sunset during the "rainy season"
Fishing boats on Playa Principal
Tropical birds at a nearby lagoon
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