Traveling from Mexico to Acapulco Advice needed

From Pepe's you you take the periferico South until you get to Insurgentes Sur, that takes you to the toll road to Cuernavaca, there is a hairpin curve to the right mid way down the mountain that needs to be taken slow, go past Cuernavaca and take the toll road to Acapulco there is a town mid point that is Iguala, normal gas stop for most vehicles.

The periferico in Mexico City originally was a two lane on the center roadway and two lane on the lateral, some years latter they made both roadways three lanes, if you survive the transit on the periferico with out geting into an accident or scrape, you are lucky.

The Estado de Mexico and the Distrito Federal have the "hoy no circula"
that you need to be aware off, depending on the last number of the licence plate is the day that the vehicle does not move, and all foreign behicles do not move on Saturdauys, on days that the vehicle can move there is a time restriction from 05:00 AM to 11:00 AM when all foreign vehicles do not circulate, driving a big RV on the periferico is not advisable, you need to straddle two lanes so that the microbuses do not tear the mirrors off, and Mexicans suffer from "yo primero" me first and they get pissed when you go slow and hog lanes, as soon as they can they pass, cut you off and slam on the brakes.

navegator

Endure the coast route through the city. Yes there is a lot of traffic but I have tried four alternative routes and have gotten lost and pissed-off four times because nothing is marked. Wasted hours and hours of time. Easy does it on the malecon route take your time, ignore blaring horns and swirling buses and taxis.

Please heed Navegator!

Myself I would tend to go Mex 95 and use my San Juan del Rio bypass and go down through Oaxaca and then to the coast. Why?

Between Acapulco and Puerto Escondido, the route is boring as hell. With Oaxaca being a prime destination it tends to overwhelm the Acapulco route.

Once you reach the coast using Oaxaca turn NORTH on 200 to reach Puerto Escondido. This is a quirky town that is not over run with RVs. I love it. There is a tourist pedestrian street just north of the bridge south of town that has a wild myriad number of restaurants mostly Italian.

Going straight across Mexico 200 at the coast junction will bring you to Zipolite beach, which is funkier than hell and a favorite hangout. It's stare at old hippies and grin time. Refer to the Church camping book for specifics.

Heading south past Huatulco TAKE YOUR TIME! The road can have landslides around a blind curve or half the road taken by a cave in. This is no time to rush. Traffic is light.

Salina Cruz is hotter n snot. Summer and winter. Same for Juchitan and Tehuantepec. Hole up using the Church guide for an RV park.

Why hole up here?

You need to depart no later than 7AM the next morning. The isthmus of Tehuantepec has winds left to right so fierce they have a moniker: The Tehuantepecker.

Through the town of Ventana and southward beware of out-of-nowhere gusts to 30 mph. Better than 100 mph gusts in the afternoon. Marvel at all of trees at roadside growing at 45 to 60 degree angles against the wind.

Turn on Mex 190 at Tepanatepec.

Between Tepantepec and Tuxtla Gutierrez is marvelous scenery but the road is narrow, twisty, with several moderate grades. Note the gorgeous pink, salmon with black streaks home roof tiles.

Downtown Tuxtla, keep a sharp lookout for the signed right turn which avoids the forbidden six wheels or or more prohibition. The cops are ultra strict about violations. You want to head for the town of Chiapa del Corzo.

Then comes a long long long uphill grade. The weather is mild here.

I suggest marking your route via Google Satellite and then use street view to help lead you through San Cristobal de Las Casas, my favorite city in Mexico. Mex 190 is referred to as El Bule (el BOO-ley) as it passes through the city.

This is one city where I recommend staying a full two to three weeks. Go to the main plaza by taxi to join a tour to see Chamula and it's National Geographic grade experience. Find someone to lead you to Simojovel a city to the north with a wild west atmosphere buying and selling amber. It is MUCH warmer there so don't overdress. You will go by transport van bus and you definitely need a taxi to find the unmarked open air bus terminal on the north edge of San Cristobal. So much to do. Try the best coffee in Mexico at the cafe LA SELVA.

Above all get a recent copy of the CHURCH BOOK to guide you to RV parks and campsites.

Enjoy.

We have driven all of the routes through Acapulco and all are interesting and if you have done big city driving, very doable, even the Maxitunel.

Chiapas is incredible. We almost moved there instead of Zihuatanejo, but needed more ocean.

The winds on the isthmus of Tehuantepec used to give me nightmares until I realized that there was nothing I could do about them!

We have crossed both directions many many times and finally came to the conclusion that there was no predicting the winds. Night, morning, mid afternoon, all have a good chance of being OMG windy or OMG calm. We averaged 50% calm and 50% OMG.

Nothing like finding a place to hide from the wind at a Pemex so we could get up really really early to miss the winds and find that they got stronger, not lighter.

The only time the bottom of my feet sweated was when a gust hit us and moved us over a lane and made us lean hard.

However, all is good, the shoulders on the highways are wide for obvious reasons.

How do the men keep their hats on???? One of life's great mysteries.

Correction on the town midway to from Cuernavaca to Acapulco is Cilpancingo, not Iguala, I was talking with my nephew about routes from the border to DF and that name stuck.

Personally I would discourage any one from travelling that route from Cuernava to Acapulco, today a bunch of students blocked both lanes with passenger buses and some private vehicles that they comandeered, one patrol vehicle from the highway patrol was burnt arround the town of Chilpancingo.

Acapulco is not as safe as it used to be, Mexicans that own condos and houses do not go by car or bus, they fly in and stay indoors at night no more disco dancing to many shootins from the narcos, I have been acused of giving false information and not knowing what I am talking about, I WILL NOT SEND A TOURIST IN HARMS WAY, one of my sister's in law's family own 3 condos in Acapulco, and they do not drive or go out to nightclubs any more when they go to Acapulco.

navegator

Yep. Gotta tread lightly in the Princess of the Pacific. My ingress and egress is solely by Mex 200 during the morning hours. I stay on the malecon. Stay overnight at one of the hotels on the north of the bay. Visit the market. When the sun falls to the horizon I stay indoors till dawn. Acapulco has the best COSTCO in southern Mexico. Needless to say I go to shop and not to play. The Jefe of the SSP in Petlatlan, told me not to drive between Zihuatanejo and Acapulco after 6:00PM because they and the military stop the heavy patrols.

Geez, getting old. I forgot to paste this superb wind forecast site into the long post above.

http://geoawesomeness.com/windyty-weather-forecast-map-reinvented/

Bet'cha can't spend just 5-minutes there :)

It was supposed to be inserted when "departing to cross the Isthmus"

Biggest and most annoying Tehuantepeckers occur Jan - March. If the forecast shows wind don't be surprised if Tehuantepec is hotter than the hinges of hell in January. Last crossing was in the middle of January and it was 105F during the day and 83F at night. I holed up at a Curtain on the parking space Motel -- you know the ones with black cottage cheese and gold sparkles sprayed on the walls and ceiling surrounding the mirror. It had a great air air conditioner. TV sucked. No local channels for weather...ahem...

Thanks everyone, finaly, I am not sure I want to go to Accapulco. Many say it is not safe and things are not getting better. I also checked 200 from Accapulco to Escondido and it seems to be more inland and not really on the coast? As you say, it looks boring.

From Oaxaca, the roads seem to be quite twisty to get to the coast? With a 34 feet RV?

Like every two lane non-toll road in Mexico that one is not a high speed highway. I've driven it many times and it does not have hairpin curves or wild grades. People who are unable to maintain a 60 mph average on Mexican roads complain but I find this route to be not challenging. Depart Oaxaca City at the crack of daylight and you will have plenty of hours left once you reach the coast. Anytime you can see two or more houses alongside the road watch for speed bumps anywhere in Mexico. I've driven my 40' 3-axle bus up and down that road. Going up is more of an experience because of the possibility of encountering an overloaded six cylinder dump truck struggling on 4 cylinders. You'll do fine.

For years we avoided Acapulco, and finally in the 90's decided to spend enough time there to explore it. We enjoyed ourselves and would/will return, but carefully.

The road from Acapulco to Puerto Escondido isn't boring, but there is minimal coastal exposure, it's a very long drive in one day. There is nothing particularly interesting along the way.

The road from Oaxaca city to the coast is amazing. The one that takes you to Puerto Angel goes through a cloud forest! Coffee plantations, banana plantations, it's gorgeous. It's also very windy and steep. We have done it a number of times and recommend it highly as long as you know that it's not a huge number of miles, but it's a lot of hours.

If you happen to be a plant person, there is a stand of amazing cycads (Dioon holmgreni) right along the side of the road. Details? Contact us.

Again, the road is an adventure worth taking. Just leave really early and plan on arriving for happy hour.

The road south from there goes by Huatulco, which has amazing beaches. Even Salina Cruz is worth seeing, it's a huge port.

It's all good. Even the most boring roads have cool things to see.

It's all good. Even the most boring roads have cool things to see.

:B El Paso southward for 150 miles? The Mexican version of I-5 in California from the Harris Ranch turnoff to Buttonwillow?













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