Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan Road Trip: Where to Stop on the Way

By admin, 3 October, 2026

The Wayro route from Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan is 105 miles (169 km), about 2 h 35 min of driving without stops.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Morelos — Level 3, Reconsider Travel; Guerrero — Level 4, Do Not TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Guerrero is the Mexican state that contains Ixcateopan. This route passes through a state at the advisory's highest level. Read the full advisory before you plan this drive.
Tepoztlán Ex Convento MuseumLagunas de Zempoala National ParkPalace of Cortés, CuernavacaXochicalcoGrutas de Cacahuamilpa National ParkMuseo de Arte Virreinal de TaxcoChurch of Santa Prisca de TaxcoTlayacapanIxcateopan
Route from Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan with the 7 stops listed below (blue dots).
Distance105 mi (169 km)
Driving time, no stops2 h 35 min
Main roads, in orderMOR 2 → MEX-160D → MEX-95D → MEX-95 → MEX-92D
Mexican states on the routeMorelos (Level 3), Guerrero (Level 4)
Toll roadsMEX-160D, MEX-95D, MEX-92D
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 4.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below7

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 Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan is like

MEX-95 (37 mi) and MEX-95D (17 mi) carry about 51% of the 105 miles. MEX-160D, MEX-95D, MEX-92D are toll highways (cuota); MEX-95 is a free federal road (libre). It runs through 2 states: Morelos, Guerrero. Of the 7 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
local roads0–33Morelos
MOR 23–74Morelos
connecting roads7–81Morelos
MEX-160D8–2113Morelos
MEX-95D21–265Morelos
MEX-9526–359Morelos
MEX-95D35–4712Morelos
MEX-9547–7528Morelos, Guerrero
connecting roads75–772Guerrero
MEX-92D77–825Guerrero
connecting roads82–831Guerrero
local roads83–10522Guerrero
  • Mile 69 of this route: Morelos → Guerrero (state line)

Stops between Tlayacapan and Ixcateopan

  • Right off the route (under 1 mile): Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (mile 16), Museo de Arte Virreinal de Taxco (mile 83), Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco (mile 84)
  • Nature and outdoors: Lagunas de Zempoala National Park (mile 26), Grutas de Cacahuamilpa National Park (mile 71)
  • Museums and history: Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (mile 16), Palace of Cortés, Cuernavaca (mile 35), Xochicalco (mile 42), Museo de Arte Virreinal de Taxco (mile 83), Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco (mile 84)

Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum

Mile 16 · Museum · 0.5 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.

Lagunas de Zempoala National Park

Mile 26 · National Park of Mexico · 8 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

Seven lagoons, three of them permanent, sit among pine, oak and fir forest above 3,000 meters in this park, decreed in 1936 on the Morelos–State of Mexico line. Hiking, horseback riding, camping and rowboats are popular here.

Palace of Cortés, Cuernavaca

Mile 35 · Fortified palace · 2 mi from the route

Begun in the 16th century, the Palace of Cortés in Cuernavaca now holds the Museo Regional de los Pueblos de Morelos, reopened in 2023. Out on the east terrace, Diego Rivera's mural on the history of Morelos is back on view.

Xochicalco

Mile 42 · Archaeological site · 5 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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

Mile 71 · National Park of Mexico · 4 mi from the route · side trip; actual detour depends on access roads

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.

Museo de Arte Virreinal de Taxco

Mile 83 · Museum · 0.4 mi from the route

Housed in the historic Casa Humboldt in Taxco, the Museo de Arte Virreinal shows colonial sacred art recovered from the Santa Prisca parish church, along with permanent exhibitions on Alexander von Humboldt and the town's history.

Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco

Mile 84 · Church building · 0.4 mi from the route

Silver baron José de la Borda paid for Santa Prisca with the bonanza from his San Ignacio mine in Taxco, and the church was dedicated in 1759, the same year his nearby house on the plaza was finished.

When you get to Ixcateopan

Ixcateopan

Archaeological site · in Ixcateopan

Some 36 kilometers from Taxco in the rugged mountains of northern Guerrero, the ruins at Ixcateopan de Cuauhtémoc belong to a city that served as an important regional ceremonial center.

More drives to Ixcateopan

From Tlayacapan to other places in Mexico

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan?

About 2 h 35 min of driving without stops, over 105 miles.

How far is Ixcateopan from Tlayacapan by car?

About 105 miles (169 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 Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan?

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 Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan?

The U.S. State Department rates Morelos Level 3: Reconsider Travel; Guerrero Level 4: Do Not Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Tlayacapan to Ixcateopan use?

In order: MOR 2, MEX-160D, MEX-95D, MEX-95 and MEX-92D. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Tlayacapan and Ixcateopan?

Closest to the road: Tepoztlán Ex Convento Museum (museum, mile 16, 0.5 mi from the route); Museo de Arte Virreinal de Taxco (museum, mile 83, 0.4 mi from the route); Church of Santa Prisca de Taxco (church building, mile 84, 0.4 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.