Bus Travel in Mexico: Our Experiences and Tips!
During our trip through Mexico, we used buses booked via Busbud. Below you’ll find our honest description of each ride, along with practical tips for bus travel in Mexico.
Mexico City to Oaxaca with OCC
After our various bus experiences in Malaysia, it was now time for the real deal in Mexico. The bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca departed half an hour late, drove around the edge of the city for about 2 hours, and finally arrived more than 3 hours behind schedule. Along the way, we had several stops so we could use the restroom.
Tip: Bring coins for toilet use. Facilities are very basic.
Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido with ADO
The ADO bus left right on time, drove smoothly, and arrived punctually at our destination. There was a toilet on board, so we didn’t need to stop. The route from Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido is also beautiful, so don’t forget to look outside along the way!
Puerto Escondido to San Cristóbal de las Casas with OCC
This bus left on time but arrived an hour late, probably due to long breaks along the route. Two drivers alternated during the 13-hour overnight ride. There was a toilet available.
Tip: Bring a warm sweater. It gets quite cold at night, and we were chilly.
San Cristóbal de las Casas to Palenque with OCC
This ride was similar to the previous one. The bus had a toilet and departed on time. Along the way, we passed several police checkpoints and once had to show our passports. So keep them in your carry-on (which we recommend anyway). This route avoids Highway 199 due to roadblocks, so the journey is longer but safer.
Tip: Bring wet wipes to clean your hands after using the restroom.
Palenque to Mérida with ADO
We chose a daytime bus, though a night bus is also fine for this 9-hour ride. The bus departed on time and arrived about 45 minutes late.
Mérida to Cancún with ADO
Our bus was scheduled for 9:35, but never appeared on the board. After asking, we found out it wasn’t running at all! Luckily, we were rebooked (in Spanish only) at no cost, and left about an hour later than planned.
Tip: Have Google Translate on your phone. Without it, we would not have managed to get the rebook.
Bus Travel in Mexico, the Conclusion
Would we travel by bus through Mexico again? Absolutely! It was safe and a convenient way to get around. Still, driving a car also sounds appealing. We skipped it this time because one-way rental fees were extremely high. We did rent a car for one day through Sunnycars to explore around Mérida.
We also saved all bus terminals on our Google Maps Mexico list so we always had them handy.
