Cuernavaca to Huamantla Road Trip: Route, Stops & Safety

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Cuernavaca to Huamantla is 132 miles (213 km), about 2 h 30 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Tlaxcala is the Mexican state that contains Huamantla. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
El Tepozteco National ParkTepoztlán Ex Convento MuseumLas Pilas archaeological siteChalcatzingoConvento de Santiago ApóstolFormer convent of Saint Dominic de GuzmánInternational Museum of the BaroqueJardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de PueblaLa Malinche National ParkCuernavacaHuamantla
Route from Cuernavaca to Huamantla with the 9 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance132 mi (213 km)
Driving time, no stops2 h 30 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-95D → MEX-160D → MEX-160 → PUE 438D → MEX-190D → MEX-190 → MEX-136
Mexican states on the routeMorelos (Level 3), Puebla (Level 2), Tlaxcala (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-95D, MEX-160D, MEX-190D, MEX-150D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 5.3 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below9

Driving this route in a car with U.S. plates

Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP)Required: this route is outside the zones where U.S.-registered cars can skip the temporary import permit (Baja California, Baja California Sur and part of Sonora)
Mexican auto insuranceRequired for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you drive

Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.

What the drive from Cuernavaca to Huamantla is like

PUE 438D (34 mi) and MEX-160D (21 mi) carry about 42% of the 132 miles. MEX-95D, MEX-160D, MEX-190D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-160, MEX-190, MEX-136 are free federal roads (libre). It runs through 3 states: Morelos, Puebla, Tlaxcala. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Cuernavaca to Huamantla, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–44Morelos
MEX-95D4–95Morelos
MEX-160D9–3021Morelos
MEX-16030–4717Morelos
PUE 438D47–8134Morelos, Puebla
MEX-190D81–9110Puebla
connecting roads91–921Puebla
MEX-19092–10715Puebla
connecting roads107–1092Puebla
local roads109–12516Puebla, Tlaxcala
MEX-136125–1327Tlaxcala
  • Mile 55 of this route: Morelos → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 120 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)

Stops between Cuernavaca and Huamantla

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (mile 15)
  • Nature and outdoors: El Tepozteco National Park (mile 14), Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (mile 98), La Malinche National Park (mile 118)
  • Museums and history: Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (mile 15), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 45), Chalcatzingo (mile 47), International Museum of the Baroque (mile 92)

El Tepozteco National Park

Mile 14 · National Park of Mexico · 1 mi from the route

Eroded volcanic hills of the Sierra de Tepoztlán fill this national park, about half of which lies in Mexico City's Milpa Alta borough. A short, steep climb leads to the Tepozteco archaeological zone; wear good shoes, since the rocks get slippery.

Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum

Mile 15 · Museum · 0.6 mi from the route

Tepoztlán's Dominican monastery, built between 1555 and 1580, keeps original 16th-century murals in its cloister. Upstairs, the museum covers local daily life, faith, festivals and dances, and the complex is part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.

Las Pilas archaeological site

Mile 45 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Set inside a bathing park in Jonacatepec, Las Pilas was a ceremonial center devoted to water, where inhabitants built channels to collect and store underground water for irrigation; burials were found within the channel system.

Chalcatzingo

Mile 47 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

At the foot of Cerro Chalcatzingo in eastern Morelos, this early site is known for stone reliefs carved mainly between 700 and 500 BC, some among the region's earliest stone sculpture and several in Olmec style, spread across the hillside.

Convento de Santiago Apóstol

Mile 56 · Convent · 7 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the town of Ocuituco, the Temple and Ex-convent of Santiago Apóstol (Templo y Exconvento de Santiago Apóstol) belongs to the UNESCO-listed group of 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl, inscribed in 1994.

Former convent of Saint Dominic de Guzmán

Mile 57 · Convent · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In the town of Hueyapan, the 16th-century church and former convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán keeps original frescoes and moldings inside, around a modest cloister typical of its era.

International Museum of the Baroque

Mile 92 · Art museum · 1 mi from the route

Designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito and opened in 2016, Puebla's baroque museum wraps its galleries in curving white concrete walls beside a reflecting pond. Exhibits cover baroque painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theater and literature.

Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla

Mile 98 · Botanical garden · 2 mi from the route

On the Ciudad Universitaria campus of BUAP in Puebla, the university botanical garden covers about 10.7 hectares and was formerly named after Ignacio Rodríguez Alconedo.

La Malinche National Park

Mile 118 · National Park of Mexico · 6 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Tlaxcala's La Malinche National Park surrounds the inactive Matlalcuéyetl volcano, with pine, oak and fir forests on its slopes, hiking trails, birdwatching, and stone cabins and campsites at the Malintzi Vacation Center.

When you get to Huamantla

Museo Nacional del Títere

Museum · in Huamantla

On the main square of Huamantla, the National Puppet Museum (Museo Nacional del Títere) fills eight galleries with puppets from Mexico and abroad, including pieces tied to the Rosete Aranda family, whose company toured Mexico for generations.

More drives to Huamantla

From Cuernavaca to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Cuernavaca to Huamantla?

About 2 h 30 min of driving without stops, over 132 miles.

How far is Huamantla from Cuernavaca by car?

About 132 miles (213 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.

Do I need a permit to drive my U.S. car from Cuernavaca to Huamantla?

Yes. A temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) is required for a U.S.-registered car on this route, which is outside the zones where it can be skipped. Mexican auto insurance is required for every vehicle.

Is it safe to drive from Cuernavaca to Huamantla?

The U.S. State Department rates Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Cuernavaca to Huamantla use?

In order: MEX-95D, MEX-160D, MEX-160, PUE 438D, MEX-190D, MEX-190 and MEX-136. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Cuernavaca and Huamantla?

Closest to the road: El Tepozteco National Park (National Park of Mexico, mile 14, 1 mi from the route); Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (museum, mile 15, 0.6 mi from the route); International Museum of the Baroque (art museum, mile 92, 1 mi from the route). All stops are described above.

How we put this guide together

Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway mile markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route (roughly 2 to 7 miles depending on the type, farther for World Heritage sites): at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, with no more than five of one type, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place and city descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.

Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.