Oaxaca to Huasca de Ocampo Road Trip: Distance, Time & Stops

By admin, 13 October, 2026

Plan on about 5 h 17 min of driving for the 312-mile (502 km) trip from Oaxaca to Huasca de Ocampo, before any stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Oaxaca — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo — Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution; State of Mexico — Level 2, Exercise Increased CautionAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Hidalgo is the Mexican state that contains Huasca de Ocampo. See the full advisory for current details.
Benito Juárez National ParkSuchilquitongoTehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere ReserveTeatro PrincipalMuseo BelloXochitecatlTeatro Hidalgo Bartolomé de MedinaEl Chico National ParkOaxacaHuasca de Ocampo
Route from Oaxaca to Huasca de Ocampo with the 8 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance by road312 mi (502 km)
Drive time without stops5 h 17 min
Main roads, in orderMEX-190 → MEX-135D → MEX-150D → MEX-M40D → MEX-132 → MEX-88 → MEX-105
Mexican states on the routeOaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico
Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap)MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 12.5 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below8

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.

How the Oaxaca to Huasca de Ocampo drive plays out

MEX-135D (151 mi) and MEX-150D (69 mi) carry about 71% of the 312 miles. It runs through 5 states: Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-135D, MEX-150D and MEX-M40D. Of the 8 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

Roads you'll take from Oaxaca to Huasca de Ocampo

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–22Oaxaca
MEX-1902–75Oaxaca
MEX-135D7–158151Oaxaca, Puebla
MEX-150D158–22769Puebla
connecting roads227–2281Puebla
MEX-M40D228–27345Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, State of Mexico
MEX-132273–2774State of Mexico, Hidalgo
MEX-88277–29316Hidalgo
local roads293–2963Hidalgo
MEX-105296–30610Hidalgo
local roads306–3126Hidalgo
  • Mile 107 of this route: Oaxaca → Puebla (state line)
  • Mile 232 of this route: Puebla → Tlaxcala (state line)
  • Mile 255 of this route: Tlaxcala → Hidalgo (state line)
  • Mile 263 of this route: Hidalgo → State of Mexico (state line)
  • Mile 275 of this route: State of Mexico → Hidalgo (state line)

Stops between Oaxaca and Huasca de Ocampo

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Suchilquitongo (mile 19)
  • Nature and outdoors: Benito Juárez National Park (mile 7), Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (mile 116), El Chico National Park (mile 301)
  • Museums and history: Suchilquitongo (mile 19), Museo Bello (mile 208), Xochitecatl (mile 223)

Benito Juárez National Park

Mile 7 · National park · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Hikers heading just north of Oaxaca City reach Benito Juárez National Park, where trails cross roughly 2,737 hectares of pine and oak. La Coronilla, a moderate loop, runs about 5 km.

Suchilquitongo

Mile 19 · Archaeological site · 0.4 mi from the route

Tomb 5 at Cerro de la Campana, excavated in 1985, holds murals and stucco carvings ranked among the finest funerary art of ancient Mexico. The Zapotec site crowns a hill in the northern Etla Valley.

Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve

Mile 116 · Biosphere reserve · 7 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In 2018 UNESCO inscribed the arid Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, which spans Puebla and Oaxaca, as a mixed World Heritage site. A major center of cactus diversity, it also keeps ancient canals, terraces and dams.

Teatro Principal

Mile 207 · Theater · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

The Teatro Principal is a historic theater in the city of Puebla that is still active as a stage for performances.

Museo Bello

Mile 208 · Museum · 3 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Puebla's Museo José Luis Bello y González shows the collection of industrialist José Luis Bello y González and his son: paintings, Talavera, featherwork, furniture, porcelain, ivory, glass and metalwork from America, Europe and Asia.

Xochitecatl

Mile 223 · Archaeological site · 2 mi from the route

Xochitécatl is a pre-Hispanic archaeological site in the state of Tlaxcala. INAH runs it together with nearby Cacaxtla as a single zone, and the Xochitécatl site museum displays finds from the area.

Teatro Hidalgo Bartolomé de Medina

Mile 297 · Theater · 2 mi from the route

The Teatro Hidalgo Bartolomé de Medina is a theater in the city of Pachuca de Soto, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo.

El Chico National Park

Mile 301 · National park · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

In Hidalgo, El Chico National Park is known for towering cliffs such as Las Ventanas and Peña del Cuervo, popular with climbers, and forest wildlife including gray foxes, ringtails, armadillos, hawks, falcons and woodpeckers.

Once you reach Huasca de Ocampo

Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla

Waterfall · in Huasca de Ocampo

Basalt columns more than 40 meters tall line a ravine near Huasca de Ocampo, formed when lava cooled quickly on contact with water. Alexander von Humboldt described the Basaltic Prisms (Prismas Basálticos) after his visit in 1803.

More drives to Huasca de Ocampo

From Oaxaca to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Oaxaca to Huasca de Ocampo?

About 5 h 17 min of driving without stops, over 312 miles.

What is the driving distance from Oaxaca to Huasca de Ocampo?

About 312 miles (502 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 Oaxaca to Huasca de Ocampo?

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 Oaxaca to Huasca de Ocampo?

The U.S. State Department rates Oaxaca Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Tlaxcala Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Hidalgo Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; 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 Oaxaca to Huasca de Ocampo use?

In order: MEX-190, MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-M40D, MEX-132, MEX-88 and MEX-105. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.

What are good stops between Oaxaca and Huasca de Ocampo?

Closest to the road: Suchilquitongo (archaeological site, mile 19, 0.4 mi from the route); Xochitecatl (archaeological site, mile 223, 2 mi from the route); Teatro Hidalgo Bartolomé de Medina (theater, mile 297, 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 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.