By road, Ixtepec and Tonatico are about 522 miles (840 km) apart, or roughly 9 h 25 min of driving.
| Distance by road | 522 mi (840 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 9 h 25 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-185D → MEX-185 → MEX-145D → MEX-150D → MEX-190 → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MEX-95 → MEX-55 |
| Mexican states on the route | Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero, State of Mexico |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-185D, MEX-145D, MEX-150D, MEX-94D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 20.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
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 insurance | Required 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.
Driving Ixtepec to Tonatico: the shape of the trip
MEX-150D (131 mi) and MEX-145D (118 mi) carry about 48% of the 522 miles. It runs through 6 states: Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero, State of Mexico. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-185D, MEX-145D and MEX-150D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
Which roads connect Ixtepec and Tonatico
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-185D | 2–16 | 14 | Oaxaca |
| connecting roads | 16–17 | 1 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-185 | 17–39 | 22 | Oaxaca |
| local roads | 39–44 | 5 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-185 | 44–61 | 17 | Oaxaca |
| local roads | 61–64 | 3 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-185 | 64–122 | 58 | Oaxaca, Veracruz |
| connecting roads | 122–123 | 1 | Veracruz |
| MEX-145D | 123–241 | 118 | Veracruz |
| MEX-150D | 241–372 | 131 | Veracruz, Puebla |
| connecting roads | 372–373 | 1 | Puebla |
| MEX-190 | 373–388 | 15 | Puebla |
| local roads | 388–398 | 10 | Puebla |
| PUE 438D | 398–432 | 34 | Puebla, Morelos |
| MEX-94D | 432–470 | 38 | Morelos |
| connecting roads | 470–475 | 5 | Morelos |
| local roads | 475–482 | 7 | Morelos |
| MEX-95 | 482–498 | 16 | Morelos, Guerrero |
| MEX-55 | 498–521 | 23 | Guerrero, Morelos, State of Mexico |
| local roads | 521–522 | 1 | State of Mexico |
- Mile 81 of this route: Oaxaca → Veracruz (state line)
- Mile 309 of this route: Veracruz → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 424 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
- Mile 495 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)
- Mile 500 of this route: Guerrero → Morelos (state line)
- Mile 503 of this route: Morelos → State of Mexico (state line)
- Mile 510 of this route: State of Mexico → Guerrero (state line)
- Mile 513 of this route: Guerrero → State of Mexico (state line)
Stops between Ixtepec and Tonatico
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 296), Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 502)
- Nature and outdoors: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (mile 296), Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 502)
- Museums and history: Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla (mile 377), International Museum of the Baroque (mile 387), Chalcatzingo (mile 432), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 434), Xochicalco (mile 482)
Teatro Llave
In central Orizaba, the Gran Teatro Ignacio de la Llave hosts artistic and cultural performances, and its exhibition room shows temporary collections, mostly by artists from the surrounding valley.
Cañón del Río Blanco National Park
Protected as a national park by Mexico's government, Cañón del Río Blanco is a natural area in Veracruz state.
Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla
Behind the facade of Puebla's Santo Domingo church hides the Capilla del Rosario, inaugurated in 1690. Gold covers its walls, pilasters and vaults, and contemporaries hailed it as the eighth wonder of the New World.
International Museum of the Baroque
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.
Tonantzintla Observatory
The Tonantzintla Observatory in Puebla was home to the National Astrophysical Observatory directed by Guillermo Haro. Its main instrument, a Schmidt camera, was a wide-field telescope built for photographing the sky.
Chalcatzingo
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.
Las Pilas archaeological site
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.
Xochicalco
A fortified hilltop city that thrived between about 650 and 900, Xochicalco is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you can see the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpent with its carved reliefs, ball courts, an underground observatory and a site museum.
Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park
Protected as a national park since 1936, this area near Taxco centers on the Cacahuamilpa caverns, where a guided route of about 4 km passes chambers up to 80 meters high, decorated with flowstone and floor-to-ceiling columns.
More drives to Tonatico
- Valle de Bravo to Tonatico
- Zitácuaro to Tonatico
- Tlalpujahua to Tonatico
- Amealco to Tonatico
- San Juan del Río to Tonatico
- Tequisquiapan to Tonatico
From Ixtepec to other places in Mexico
- Ixtepec to Capulalpam de Méndez
- Ixtepec to San Miguel, Morelos
- Ixtepec to Tetela del Volcán
- Ixtepec to Otumba
- Ixtepec to Atlatlahucan
- Ixtepec to Tepoztlán
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Ixtepec to Tonatico?
About 9 h 25 min of driving without stops, over 522 miles.
What is the driving distance from Ixtepec to Tonatico?
About 522 miles (840 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 Ixtepec to Tonatico?
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 Ixtepec to Tonatico?
The U.S. State Department rates Oaxaca Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Veracruz Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Guerrero Level 4: Do Not Travel; State of Mexico Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Ixtepec to Tonatico use?
In order: MEX-185D, MEX-185, MEX-145D, MEX-150D, MEX-190, PUE 438D, MEX-94D, MEX-95 and MEX-55. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Ixtepec to Tonatico?
Closest to the road: Cañón del Río Blanco National Park (national park, mile 296, 0.5 mi from the route); International Museum of the Baroque (art museum, mile 387, 1 mi from the route); Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (national park, mile 502, 0.3 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 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: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place 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.