Bus Zihua to Oaxaca City

I agree; flying is the better way to go. If you haven't found a place to stay yet, I highly recommend Casa Colonial. Centrally located and secure.

Thanks cleangene and frostbite it won't be until next year now but good to know. You flew back as well?

I will be doing the trip in 10 days time with a friend and a 2 year old... there *is* a bus through Acapulco that goes from here to there, booked all the way through that takes about 18 hours and costs $1200 pesos.

There is also, as already mentioned the option of flying all the way. The best ticket price I found for our dates was $2800 pesos, currently converting to about $215 USD.

We are doing a intermediate option and will be flying to Mexico City, taking the metro to the TAPO bus station (there is also a cab service that runs between the airport and bus station) and then hopping on a bus to Oaxaca. This option will have us at $1350 per person - just a smidge over the 100% bus ride and less than half the time. At TAPO, there are buses running all day long so we don't have to rush to catch a certain bus. Traveling with a 2 year old requires that flexibility!

When I first planned our trip, the options were completely different and the prices varied greatly... so if you aren't planning on going for a year, know that things might change. (A route that we planned on taking was canceled just 1 week before I went to buy tickets.) I went from window to window at the bus stations, called airlines, consulted friends, etc before settling on our best bet.

PS To make travel even easier, we are shipping our suitcases via Mexpost so we won't have luggage. It is a very economical option and gets there in 2 days. We are moving to Oaxaca, though, so our luggage is a bit bulkier - 4 large suitcases worth - than most.