Getting from from Puerto Escondido Airport to Playa Zipolite

Traveling from Puerto Escondido Airport to Playa Zipolite by bus is your cheapest transport option, although the journey is quite complicated since it requires a few transfers. Firstly, you’ll need to take a taxi or shuttle bus from Puerto Escondido Airport to the city center, stopping at Transportes Delfines, the main bus terminal, which takes up to 30 minutes.

From there, catch a minivan or a bus to the town of Pochutla, which takes up to 1 hour and 20 minutes. Ask the driver if you can disembark at the San Antonio/El Cruce corner (you can choose to ride the bus all the way to the station, but it’s easier to begin your next leg from here).

Lastly, hop on one of the “colectivos” heading towards Mazunte, staying on board all the way to your final destination, Playa Zipolite. This last ride can take between 30 and 50 minutes, depending on how busy the traffic is and whether the driver makes any stops along the way. You can expect the total journey time by bus to be between 2 and 3 hours, excluding wait and transfer times.

*A colectivo is a shared, often open-air, truck with a tarp over the top and bench seats for 12-15 people. This is the local version of a public bus, and routes are usually posted in the front window.

The cost per person from Puerto Escondido Airport to Playa Zipolite by bus will be different for each leg:

-A shared shuttle bus from the airport to the city center will cost €5 (MXN 110) per person.
-A minivan or bus from Transportes Delfines to Pochutla will cost between €2.70 (MXN 60) and €3.70 (MXN 80).
-From there, the cost to get to Playa Zipolite (via Mazunte) will either be €0.90 (MXN 20) for a colectivo or €1.80 (MXN 40) for a shared taxi. It’s also possible to take a regular taxi from this point for €13.70-€18.30 (MXN300-400).

This means the most you’ll pay for the whole trip using public transport is €10.50 (MXN 230). You should plan to pay for all buses and colectivos with pesos unless booked online in advance.

While taking the bus from the airport to your destination in Playa Zipolite is by far the most budget-friendly choice, it’s also the slowest and least convenient. The trip requires several transfers, which is a hassle if you’re traveling with luggage, plus you may have to wait hours in between bus services, resulting in a journey more than twice as long as a taxi.

If you’re not under any time constraints, this option may be perfectly suitable; however, if you’d rather travel directly to your accommodation without the hassle of navigating multiple transport networks, a pre-booked private transfer is a much more straightforward option. A pre-booked transfer will also be air-conditioned.