How to Get Around South And Gulf Coast of Mexico

Flying is the practical way in: Oaxaca, Tuxtla Gutierrez for Chiapas, Villahermosa and Veracruz all have domestic connections, and the mountains make overland journeys long.

Buses are good — ADO and OCC run comfortable first-class services between the main cities — but the routes are winding and slow. Oaxaca to San Cristobal is around ten hours; Oaxaca to the coast is six over the sierra, and the road is notoriously twisting.

Colectivos and shared vans cover the villages and the craft towns, and are how most people travel locally.

A hire car helps in the Oaxaca valleys, where the craft villages and Mitla are close together. Mountain roads are slow, have severe topes, and landslides close them in the wet season.

Road blockades are a recognised form of protest in Oaxaca and Chiapas and can close a highway for hours or days without warning; build slack into any tight schedule.