Oaxaca to Iguala is about 346 road miles (557 km): roughly 5 h 56 min at the wheel if you don't stop.
| Distance by road | 346 mi (557 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 5 h 56 min |
| Main roads, in order | MEX-190 → MEX-135D → MEX-150D → PUE 438D → MEX-94D → MEX-91D |
| Mexican states on the route | Oaxaca, Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero |
| Toll roads (as marked in OpenStreetMap) | MEX-135D, MEX-150D, MEX-94D, MEX-95D |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 13.8 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.
What the drive from Oaxaca to Iguala is like
MEX-135D (151 mi) and MEX-150D (43 mi) carry about 56% of the 346 miles. It runs through 4 states: Oaxaca, Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero. OpenStreetMap marks tolled sections on MEX-135D, MEX-150D and MEX-94D. Of the 9 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.
Oaxaca to Iguala: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-190 | 2–7 | 5 | Oaxaca |
| MEX-135D | 7–158 | 151 | Oaxaca, Puebla |
| MEX-150D | 158–201 | 43 | Puebla |
| connecting roads | 201–202 | 1 | Puebla |
| MEX-190 | 202–217 | 15 | Puebla |
| local roads | 217–228 | 11 | Puebla |
| PUE 438D | 228–262 | 34 | Puebla, Morelos |
| MEX-94D | 262–300 | 38 | Morelos |
| connecting roads | 300–304 | 4 | Morelos |
| local roads | 304–313 | 9 | Morelos |
| MEX-91D | 313–344 | 31 | Morelos, Guerrero |
| local roads | 344–346 | 2 | Guerrero |
- Mile 107 of this route: Oaxaca → Puebla (state line)
- Mile 254 of this route: Puebla → Morelos (state line)
- Mile 318 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)
Where to stop on the way to Iguala
- 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), Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (mile 213), Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 318)
- Museums and history: Suchilquitongo (mile 19), Museo del Valle de Tehuacán (mile 130), Historic centre of Puebla (mile 217), Las Pilas archaeological site (mile 263), Xochicalco (mile 289)
Benito Juárez National Park
Pine and oak forest covers about 2,737 hectares in Benito Juárez National Park, a short way north of Oaxaca City. Among its trails is La Coronilla, a loop of around 5 km at moderate difficulty.
Suchilquitongo
Locals call this Zapotec hilltop city Cerro de la Campana; it flourished between about 300 and 800 AD in the northern Etla Valley. Tomb 5, excavated in 1985, holds murals and stucco carvings counted among ancient Mexico's finest funerary art.
Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve
This arid valley straddling Puebla and Oaxaca joined UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2018 as a mixed site. It is a major center of cactus diversity and preserves ancient canals, wells, terraces and dams built to manage scarce water.
Museo del Valle de Tehuacán
Inside an 18th-century former Carmelite convent in Tehuacán, the Valley of Tehuacán Museum opened in 2002 and focuses on the history of corn and its ties to the valley's early peoples.
Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
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.
Historic centre of Puebla
Laid out from scratch in 1531, Puebla's UNESCO-listed core is a grid of tile-covered houses, colonial churches and the 16th–17th-century cathedral, with the old archbishop's palace that houses the Palafox Library, established in 1646.
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.
In Iguala itself
Museo del Ferrocarril y del Telégrafo de Iguala
Iguala de la Independencia has its own museum devoted to the railroad and the telegraph, the Museo del Ferrocarril y del Telégrafo.
More drives to Iguala
- Puebla to Iguala
- Pachuca to Iguala
- San Juan del Río to Iguala
- Morelia to Iguala
- Xalapa to Iguala
- Celaya to Iguala
From Oaxaca to other places in Mexico
- Oaxaca to Orizaba
- Oaxaca to Córdoba, Mexico
- Oaxaca to Cholula
- Oaxaca to Zacatelco
- Oaxaca to Chiautempan
- Oaxaca to Apizaco
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Oaxaca to Iguala?
About 5 h 56 min of driving without stops, over 346 miles.
How far is Iguala from Oaxaca by car?
About 346 miles (557 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 Iguala?
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 Iguala?
The U.S. State Department rates Oaxaca Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Puebla Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Guerrero Level 4: Do Not Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Oaxaca to Iguala?
In order: MEX-190, MEX-135D, MEX-150D, PUE 438D, MEX-94D and MEX-91D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Oaxaca to Iguala?
Closest to the road: Suchilquitongo (archaeological site, mile 19, 0.4 mi from the route); Jardín Botánico Universitario de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (botanical garden, mile 213, 2 mi from the route); Las Pilas archaeological site (archaeological site, mile 263, 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 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.