Salina Cruz, Oaxaca

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.

Get in

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).

• 1 Terminal de Autobuses ADO, Calle Primero de Mayo, Espinal. Modern and clean but small. This is where you catch ADO and OCC buses. 

• 2 Terminal de Autobuses Sur, Santa Rosa. Smaller bus station with buses departing about every 30 minutes. 

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.

• 3 Salina Cruz railway station (Estación de Salina Cruz), San Diego 287, Las Hormigas. A small station with basic amenities such as toilets, ticket office and vending machines. (updated Dec 2023)

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

• 1 Malecon, Av. Benito Juarez. Seaside promenade with sidewalks along the beach. Best sunset views in Salina Cruz. 

• 2 Zocalo (Parque Independencia), Av Manuel Ávila Camacho 64, Santa Rosa. Large central town plaza with walkways, park benches, and manicured gardens plus a large modern bandstand where bands play music on Wednesday evenings and local dance in the square. 

• 3 Faro de Cortes (Lighthouse), 70680 Ensenada de la Ventosa (take taxi to Restaurante El Faro). Lighthouse at top of rocky bluff over the ocean, excellent views of the harbor. You can watch freighters coming into the container port or oil and gas tankers to and from the Pemex refinery. 15 minute walk, uphill, on rocky terrain so wear appropriate shoes and bring water. 

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

Buy

• 1 Mercado 1 de Mayo, Av Manuel Ávila Camacho 530, Cantarranas. Daily 06:30 - 20:00. Traditional marketplace for the city. Wide variety of locally grown produce, regional artesanias, household items, and of course, the city's best selection of street food featuring authentic regional cuisine. (updated Oct 2023)

Eat

• 1 Restaurante Costa Brava, Benito Juárez, San Juan, ☏ +52 971 714 2441. Daily 09:00 - 20:00. Seaside restaurant with large outdoor patio dining area overlooking the beach. Traditional Mexican seafood menu with some Oaxacan regional dishes. M$250. 

• 2 Restaurante el Faro, Ensenada la Ventosa, ☏ +52 971 727 2122. Daily 11:00 - 18:30. Most scenic location in Salina Cruz, on the beach within walking distance of the lighthouse, somewhat remote and no parking. Food is traditional Mexican seafood. Full bar. M$250. 

• 3 7:15 Brunch, Av Manuel Ávila Camacho, ☏ +52 971 134 9165. M-F 07:15 - 23:00, Sa-Su 08:00 - 23:00. Best breakfast in town with fresh ground coffee and an excellent french toast. For lunch or dinner, they serve a coal black mole, rich in chocolate, coffee, and chile flavors. Head to the back for outdoor garden patio dining. M$150. 

• 4 Restaurant Cantón, Tampico 8, San Francisco, ☏ +52 971 132 0238. Daily 10:00 - 20:00. Chinese restaurant that also serves sushi, ramen and other Asian dishes. Inviting atmosphere and reasonable prices. M$150. 

• 5 La Shunquita, Malecón, Las Escolleras, ☏ +52 971 126 0982. Daily 09:00 - 19:00. Popular seafood restaurant between Escolleras beach and the harbor. Family friendly with a small pool for children. Lobster tails and ceviche are recommended here. M$200. 

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.

• 1 Gran Hotel Don Nacho, Carr. Ventosa,. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate hotel with modern updates. Clean, spacious rooms. On-site swimming pool and on-site restaurant. M$900. 

• 2 Hotel Mision San Jose, Calle Pacífico No.9, Cantarranas, ☏ +52 971 714 2215. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Upscale hotel with colonial decor, large, clean, comfortable rooms, on-site parking, swimming pool, on-site restaurant. M$800. 

• 3 Hotel Calendas, Av. Puerto Ángel 408, Santa Rosa, ☏ +52 971 714 4574. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Small, quiet, traditional hotel set around a central courtyard. Rooms are spacious and clean with hard beds and good quality funishings. M$600. 

• 4 Casa Mirador, Calle Monte Bello, Col. el Mirador El Mirador. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. Five comfortable rooms in a modern house with personal service. Infinity pool looking over harbor. M$1000. 

Go next

• Huatulco
• Puerto Escondido
• Chiapas
• Coatzalcocos