Bus Puerto Escondido to Acapulco

Bus From Puerto Escondido Oaxaca To Acapulco

Puerto Escondido dining on the beach at Playa Principal

Alta Mar Buses run from Pacific Coast Oaxaca along Route 200 north and pass several interesting lagoons and beaches, among them, ten miles west of Puerto Escondido, a reserve called the  Manialtepec Lagoon.    At Manialtepec you find restaurants, boat tours through the mangroves, kayaking, and a barrier beach.

Roseate Spoonbill winter at Chacahua 

Lagoon

Further north. beyond the town of Rio Grande, find the road to the Pastoria and Chacahua Lagoons.  This huge area of mangroves offers bird watching boat tours, a crocodile farm for the protection of the lagoon crocs, and a barrier beach with rustic lodging.  Wintering birds that roost on the islands in Chacahua Lagoon include the stork and the Platalea ajaja, the Roseate Spoonbill.

Storks roost at winter nesting areas in Chacahua 

Lagoon in January

Further north on route 200, beyond San Jose del Progresso, the coast highway heads inland into the mountain towards the town of Pinotepa National. 

This is not a scenic road as views of the ocean are rare. The villages yield some interesting churches but otherwise the road to Acapulco is long and bland.

The road reaches Acapulco near the airport and continues to the resort beaches. 

Acapulco resort beaches along Route 200,

 the coast highway.

Beyond Acapulco the coast road continues north.  Local buses reach Pie de la Cuesta, about six miles north, a good place to find quiet lodging, camping, and access by frequent bus to the city and beaches of Acapulco.

Pie de la Cuesta is a barrier beach  that offers

 lodging and camping on the beach.  Buses run 

frequently to Acapulco's resort beaches

Puerto Escondido Map 

AltaMar Bus (The website lacks function)
Av. Oaxaca Esquina Cuarta Poniente Fraccionamiento Agua Marina
 Puerto Escondido, Oax. C.P. 71980
Tel. 01 954 10 4 25 81

   

Bus To Copper Canyon From Chihuahua

The Teleferico (cable car)  takes passenger from the canyon 

edge near the divisadero Train stop to a hill down inside

the canyon where a zip line ride is offered.

     


 Bus service reaches the Copper Canyon from the City of Chihuahua.            
                                                                                                                             Visit Us On Facebook

·        Rapidos Cuauhtemoc Bus

Estrella Blanca Bus offers bus routes into the village of Creel at the edge of the canyons via Rapidos Cuauhtemoc Buses.  The buses leave from the main terminal Central de Autobuses in Chihuahua for the five hour trip with a bus fare of 250 Pesos.  Trips start at 5:30 am and run until 2:30 in the afternoon.  The bus also stops in the City of Cuauhtemoc.

·        Creel, Village in Copper Canyon

The train station in the town of Creel

I like the town of Creel in the canyon for its bank with ATM, lodging, tour options, and its transportation.  The Casas Margaritas Hotel, just down the hill from the train station offers dorms and private rooms at budget rates, hot water, TV, WiF included.  Breakfast and dinner are also included with the room rate of 250-350 Pesos for a private room with bathroom.  Several tours are offered from the hotel, Cusarare Falls, Divisadero, Batopilas.

A few blocks west, find the Plaza Mexicana Margaritas Hotel on a side street.  Not much to look at from the outside but a good restaurant, nice setting, great patio, and 400-500 Pesos for a private.

Many other options for lodging are available in Creel including the Hotel Korachi at 200 Pesos, (no WiFi), and the five star Best Western Lodge at Creel at around 100 USD.

·        Tours

Tour options are many in Creel.  The Three Amigos consistently receive good reviews for their tours and rentals of equipment.  They are a friendly and helpful resource for trip planning.  Find them in the Center of Creel about a block west of the bank.     

·        Self Guide Tours

There are several day hikes and bike rides that can be done from Creel.

Tarahumara Indian women put 

on a demonstration of traditional 

dance in the town of Creel

 Bus service is available via Noroeste, just across from the train station.  The Noroeste bus goes west along the northern edge of the Urique Canyon to Divisadero, Posada Barancas, and San Rafael.  These stops will offer hiking along the canyon edge, views of three canyons, and trips down into the canyon.  Buses start at 10:30 am and run to 6:30.  The last return bus reaches Divisadero at 5:00 pm.  The bus fare is 60 Pesos one way for the 29 mile trip (44km) to Divisadero over good paved roads.

 After hiking, the return can be by the same bus line.  The last bus of the day from Divisadero to Creel is at 5:00 pm.  Afternoon buses: 2:00, 3:30, 5:00 pm.  Pay on the bus when returning.  (Check as you go because these schedules can change with demand)

The train stop at Civisadero offers views 

into three of the canyons of the 

Copper Canyon Park.Add caption

• Divisadero

Divisadero is the site of a new (2010) adventure park built by the Government.  The park includes a teleferico, (cable car)  zipline setup with a lengthy ride between two hills within the canyon, a rappelling experience over the cliff edge with all the equipment including hard hat, and a restaurant with great views into the canyons.  

There is also a hiking trail along the edge of the canyon that leads from the Divisadero Copper Canyon Train stop to the Adventure Park,  Parque De Aventura.  The hiking trail along the edge of the canyons from the Divisadero bus and train stop is three miles round trip.  Two miles beyond that there is the Areponapuchi train stop, Posada Barrancas, and the inns along the cliff edge.  

Lodging is available in Divisadero at the Hotel Divisadero Barrancas del Cobre just below the train station.  Find lodging also at Areponapuchi train stop, Posada Barrancas.

• Train Transportation to Divisadero

The Copper Canyon Train will arrive at Creel on its way west from Chihuahua at about 11:30 am.  You can take the train to Divisadero from Creel for 240 Pesos.  The train will arrive, however, later in the day at Divisadero and could cut the day hiking short.

Taking the train for a return to Creel from Divisadero can also present problems because the train's arrival at Divisadero from the west end at Los Mochis can vary by an hour or two.  It is best to ask the vendors at the station if the train has arrived yet.  If it has passed, there is the bus option for a return to Creel.  The train from the west usually arrives at Divisadero between 1:30 and 3:30 and on certain days there are two trains, a first class and a second class, economy train.  On other days, the first and second class trains are combined into one train.

              The train stop at Divisadero offers a

       walk way to the  teleferico with views into 

       three of  the canyons of the   Copper 

       Canyon Park.

Lodging in Divisadero at Hotel Divisadero Barrancas or in Areponapuchi is always an option.  

• Cusarare Falls.

Another good day hike or bike ride in the Copper Canyon area can be done from Creel, a trip to Cusarare Falls. 

·        From Creel

There is a shuttle from Creel,  Transportes Cusarare Choguita, that makes a regular run the 14 miles to Cusarare and beyond.  The shuttle starts from the road just across from the train station near the small, Estrella Blanca Bus station.

Take the shuttle bus down to the vicinity of Cusarare Cascade and hike in the cascade area.

 Start a hike back and hail the shuttle along the way or pre-arrange a taxi pickup at the end of the day. Cabs are available in the center of Creel.  

A map is needed this are as there are many dirt roads and trails.  The main trail out of Creel follows the road, however, as it runs down past the lake and into Cusarare.  

The train stop at Divisadero offers 

lodging with views into three of  

the canyons of the Copper Canyon

 Park.

 Lodging in Cusarare   360-588-1290

·        Tours to Cusarare

Check with the "Three Amigos" tour agency on the man street of Creel for transportation options, maps, vehicle rentals etc.  

Check also with the Casas Margaritas Hotel next to the church in Creel Center for tour options to Cusarare.

  I booked a tour to Cusarare with Casas Margaritas and they put on a good tour with a visit to the mission church, the valley of Hongos, a cave dwelling, and the Cusarare Falls.

Bus to Zacatecas

Cathedral and Cerro de la Bufa
 in the background

    Bus to Zacatecas

      From Aguascalientes I took a bus from the central Camionera north to Zacatecas, another colonial city built during the peak of silver mining activity.  Zacatecas is about 70 miles north of Aguascalientes and takes about two hours to reach.  Two ruin sites and a church were of particular interest to me, one ruin site is built directly on the Tropic of Cancer, the northern limits of what is deemed the tropics.
      ETN buses run regular service many times daily for 145 pesos for the 2-hour trip.  This works out to be two pesos per mile for high-quality, first class service.

      Zacatecas churches are of interest because of the opulent interiors built when gold and silver mining made the city rich.  The churches were built of pink stone, often pink volcanic cantera  which gives the historic center of Zacatecas a sense of cohesiveness, no building more impressive that the baroque cathedral in the center of the historic district.

     The Cerro de la Bufa and several other hills surround the old section of the city which is built in a low area within the surrounding gold and silver mines.  These eighteenth century mines provided riches for the construction of many now preserved buildings.
      Nomadic people lived in the area 10,000 years ago and at around 2000 BC built more permanent settlements in what is now called Zacatecas after the Zacateco Indians who among others such as Nahuatl speaking Chicamecas lived in the area when the Spanish arrived.

Santo Domingo Church

     The local indigenous people had been mining the area for years but the Spanish took that over soon after they discovered silver on Cerro de la Bufa.   By 1550 the town that grew around the mining operation  was well established.

      In the 1960s the city built a cable car called El Teleferico that runs from Cerro El Grillo to Cerro de la Bufa.  At the top of the la Bufa hill a statue commemorates a 1914 victory by Pancho Villa during the 1910 Revolution.  El Grillo, the hill opposite, is the site of the Eden Mine, one of Zacateca's most successful operations.  The mine started producing silver in the 1580s and continued to operate until the 1960s. The mine now hosts tours

     Two entrances to the mine are open for tours and one offers a short train trip to the gem museum, and the start of a walking tour into two levels of the mine.
The La Bufa hill at the opposite side of the Teleferico ride offers a museum that chronicles the battles fought in the area during the 1910 Revolution and the 1926 Cristero War.  The top of La Bufa offers a great view of the city of Zacatecas and can be reached by road, by a walking trail, or by the cable car. There is a zipline ride available at the top of the hill La Bufa.


     The cathedral, Zacateca's most notable building was first built in 1657 on the base of an existing indigenous ruin, as was the custom of the Spanish colonizers.  A second building was built in 1612 and in 1729-1754 the building now on the site was constructed.

     Another notable church with carved and gilt alter pieces is the Temple of Santo Domingo  built in 1746.  The eight side altars are carved wood in Churrigueresque style covered with gold leaf.  The nearby Pedro Coronel Museum houses the artists work and his collection which includes work by Picaso, Degas, Dali and others.
     From Zacatecas, the Chihuahuenses Bus, a division of Estrella Blanca Bus, reaches  the 40 miles to Somberete where a local bus serves to the town of Chalchihuites.  From there, cabs reach the ruin of Alta Vista, an intriguing ruin claimed by researcers to be a solar observatory built directly of the Tropic of Cancer.




Alta Vista Ruin Next