Huauchinango to Actopan Road Trip: Distance, Time & Stops

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Huauchinango to Actopan is 76 miles (123 km), about 1 h 47 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Hidalgo is the Mexican state that contains Actopan. See the full advisory for current details.
HuapalcalcoTulancingo CathedralAqueduct of Padre TemblequeTemplo y exconvento de San Andrés ApóstolEl HilocheBasílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de GuadalupeHuauchinangoActopan
Route from Huauchinango to Actopan with the 6 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance76 mi (123 km)
Driving time, no stops1 h 47 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-132D → MEX-130
Mexican states on the routePuebla (Level 2), Hidalgo (Level 2)
Toll roadsMEX-132D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 3.1 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below6

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 Huauchinango to Actopan is like

MEX-132D (29 mi) and MEX-130 (19 mi) carry about 63% of the 76 miles. MEX-132D is a toll highway (cuota); MEX-130 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 2 states: Puebla, Hidalgo. Of the 6 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Huauchinango to Actopan, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–33Puebla
MEX-132D3–3229Puebla, Hidalgo
MEX-13032–5119Hidalgo
local roads51–7625Hidalgo
  • Mile 7 of this route: Puebla → Hidalgo (state line)

Stops between Huauchinango and Actopan

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Huapalcalco (mile 24)
  • Nature and outdoors: El Hiloche (mile 52)
  • Museums and history: Huapalcalco (mile 24), Tulancingo Cathedral (mile 26), Templo y exconvento de San Andrés Apóstol (mile 43), Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (mile 55)

Huapalcalco

Mile 24 · Archaeological site · 0.4 mi from the route

About 5 kilometers north of Tulancingo, the pre-Columbian site of Huapalcalco sits on the western slope of a hill called Tecolote.

Tulancingo Cathedral

Mile 26 · Cathedral · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Tulancingo Cathedral grew from a 16th-century Franciscan mission. The present church, designed by architect José Damián Ortiz de Castro and consecrated in 1806, has an unusual Neoclassical portico with Ionic columns and a triangular pediment.

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque

Mile 42 · Aqueduct · 14 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Built by Franciscan friar Francisco de Tembleque between 1554 and 1572, this 16th-century water system runs more than 48 km between Zempoala and Otumba. Its tallest arcade at Tepeyahualco reaches almost 40 meters, and UNESCO listed it in 2015.

Templo y exconvento de San Andrés Apóstol

Mile 43 · Museum · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Augustinian friars raised this 16th-century church and convent in Epazoyucan, Hidalgo; the complex keeps its posa chapels, open chapel and atrium, and its stonework mixes Plateresque carving with Indigenous tequitqui craftsmanship.

El Hiloche

Mile 52 · State park · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Bosque El Hiloche is a state park of about 100 hectares of forest in Mineral del Monte, Hidalgo, and one of the geosites of the Comarca Minera Geopark.

Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

Mile 55 · Basilica · 2 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Known locally as La Villita, the Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is a Catholic basilica dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe in Pachuca.

More drives to Actopan

From Huauchinango to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Huauchinango to Actopan?

About 1 h 47 min of driving without stops, over 76 miles.

How far is Actopan from Huauchinango by car?

About 76 miles (123 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 Huauchinango to Actopan?

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 Huauchinango to Actopan?

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

What roads does the drive from Huauchinango to Actopan use?

In order: MEX-132D and MEX-130. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Huauchinango and Actopan?

Closest to the road: Huapalcalco (archaeological site, mile 24, 0.4 mi from the route); Templo y exconvento de San Andrés Apóstol (museum, mile 43, 2 mi from the route); Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (basilica, mile 55, 2 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.