Salina Cruz

Salina Cruz is a port city and transportation hub on the Pacific coast of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Most visitors to the city are either engaged in the shipping business, or they're heading to nearby beaches for the surfing. Most travelers will find Salina Cruz to be a busy place that offers little charm or cultural value.

Understand
During the 19th century, the race was on to find the most efficient way to cross the American continent by whatever means possible. Geographically, the port is the Pacific side of the shortest land route across Mexico (the Isthmus of Tehuantepec). It is connected by railroad to Coatzalcocos on the Atlantic side (Gulf of Mexico). In the 19th century, the route was envisioned as a solution to the problem of how to ship goods across between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. A route crossing Nicaragua known as the Ruta de Tránsito became the preferred route in the mid 19th century and the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 made any alternate routes unprofitable.

The Mexican government has upgraded port facilities and has significantly upgraded the transportation infrastructure between Coatzalcocos and Salina Cruz with new, faster freight trains and new passenger facilities.

By bus
Several bus lines serve Salina Cruz including ADO, Estrella Blanca, and Sur. OCC operates several daily buses from Oaxaca to Salina Cruz, including some night buses. The 5-hour trip costs about M$350 (Oct 2023). ADO also operates buses to Coatzacoalcos for about M$400 for the 6-hour trip. Buses also serve coastal cities such as Huatulco. Unfortunately, a central bus station is not available in Salina Cruz so there are several company specific terminals scattered along the main highway into town (MEX-185).





By train
Salina Cruz is served by the Tren Interoceanico, a north-south passenger train connecting with Coatzacoalcos on the Golf of Mexico. While the line is mainly aimed at freight, a passenger train runs every other day in each direction with a journey time of just over seven hours. Frequency is expected to increase in 2024.



Get around
Salina Cruz is a fair sized city and you'll want to use taxis or Uber to get around, especially if you're unfamiliar with the area. A taxi sitio is near the Zocalo, though hotels will happily call a radio taxi for you or Uber generally works fine in town.

See






Do
Surfing is popular all along the Oaxaca coast, and there are several beaches around Salina Cruz where the surfers find tasty waves (mostly from March through October).

Beaches

 * Playa Abierta
 * Playa las Escolleras
 * Punta Conejo
 * Playa Azul
 * Playa Escondida

Surfing
The best surfing in town is around Punta Conejo. There are several surfing camps between Punta Conejo and Playa Brazil. Many of these provide surf guides to show you where the best waves and breaks are found and also provide lodging, meals, transportation and other services. They may provide lessons, but most assume you have some experience. The ones below are listed only because they have web sites (there are many more you can find locally).


 * Bungalows Punta Conejo
 * Las Palmeras
 * Salina Cruz Surf Camp
 * Wavehunters

Eat










Sleep
A large number of hotels can be found in the city, many clustering close to Avenida Tampico (a main artery between downtown and the highway heading out of town). Upscale hotels are moderately priced and a number of houses associated with surfing schools offer rooms for their clients.









Go next

 * Huatulco
 * Puerto Escondido
 * Chiapas
 * Coatzalcocos