After breakfast at our hotel, we will hit the town for a 4 - 5 hour walking tour (including lunch) with our incredible local guide, Gabriel Sanchez. This tour strikes a balance between Oaxaca's historical past while also giving you some insider tips about the here and now in Oaxaca, with a particular emphasis on the small business scene. We will stop for lunch at a local eatery inside the market, loved by visitors and locals alike, before taking a couple of hours for rest, relaxation, or independent exploration.

Near the evening, we will take an engraving workshop and grab dinner with local Zapotec artists.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a light breakfast, we will begin an all-day tour outside of Oaxaca City.

Our first stop will be Mercado de Tlacolula and its surroundings. Here you will have the chance to buy and try the local specialties like barbacoa, goat soup, and tacos and sample local beverages such as pulque and tepache, accompanied by grasshoppers, and agave worm salt.

After snacking at the Mercado and buying ingredients for our lunch, we will go back to our friend Nelson Perez's kitchen and textile workshop to cook our lunch and see the gorgeous Zapotec weavings and learn about how they are made! 

On the way home, we will stop by the flower fields for get some beautiful pictures. For those interested in learning more about mezcal and mole, there will be an option tasting activity available. Otherwise, you get to enjoy a free evening. 

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast we will start an all-day tour to the nearby “Pueblo Mágico” (magic town) of Capulalpam, making some fun pit stops along the way. One of our stops will be to visit San Pablo Guelatao, the birthplace of Benito Juarez, México’s first indigenous president. 

We will then head to our friend Rogelio’s house to learn about “los molinillos” and the way in which they are used to prepare traditional beverages such as “el chocolate de agua”. This is one of our favorite "artistan stops" and we love spending time with Rogelio and his family and seeing their preparations for Muertos in addition to visiting his woodshop! 

Once we’ve completed our drive through the gorgeous Sierra Norte mountain range we will arrive in the misty town of Capulalpam. Here we will enjoy lunch at a local "comedor" before touring around this enchanting pueblo. We highly recommend the molé for lunch! 

We will wrap up our time in Capulalpam with a visit to the Clinica de Medicina Tradicional (Traditional Medicine Clinic) run by a cooperative of midwives, including our friend Reina, who will welcome us with open arms! Here you can use the temazcal for cleansing and purifying purposes (physical and spiritual) or opt for a relaxing massage. 

For those unfamiliar, a temazcal is a type of sweat lodge that originated within the pre-Hispanic indigenous culture in Mesoamerica. While many people use them today as an equivalent to the modern-day sauna, the traditional purpose of the temazcal goes beyond just the physical detoxification of the body. For those curious, this is the perfect place to get introduced to holistic healing practices, common to this day, in the indigenous communities of México and Guatemala. 

Upon bidding our friends in Capulalpám farewell we will begin the journey back to Oaxaca City! 

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

You'll have a morning and afternoon to explore the city. A list of fun activities will be provided. 

We'll convene in our hotel lobby in the early evening to make our own flower  headdresses and build our altar. 

After dinner, we will all meet at our hotel headquarters to hop in the van and visit a cemetery approximately 25 minutes outside of Central Oaxaca. Here we will respectfully observe the tradition of Día de Muertos and participate, whenever invited. By this point on the trip, we will have discussed the significance of Día de Los Muertos at length as well as cultural sensitivity tips to be mindful of during this beautiful and sacred time. 

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, we'll head to Hierve el Agua, the petrified waterfalls and natural springs. Here you can hike, go swimming, and take in the spectacular views of the Sierra Madre mountain range.

After our time at Hierve el Agua will stop at an authentic mezcaleria on our journey back to Oaxaca City! Here we will learn about the history of this beverage while dispelling some popular myths at mezcal! You’ll also see the step-by-step process of making this delicious beverage and even get to sit down for a tasting and some snacks! 

With an extra pep in our step, thanks to our visit to the mezcaleria, we'll head to the hotel to get ready for a night of  festivities. You'll get your face painted by local artists and spend the evening out exploring Oaxaca. 

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Once again we will spend the morning outside out of the city center on a guided tour of Monte Albán.

Monte Albán is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site located 6 miles west of Oaxaca City. Not only was Monte Albán one of the earliest cities of Mesoamerica. It also played an important role as the pre-eminent Zapotec socio-political and economic center for close to a thousand years. We will spend a few hours exploring this site and diving deeper into the history of this site and its significance not only in Oaxaca but in Mexico and Mesoamerica in general. 

After a morning walking around Monte Albán we will have built up a bit of an appetite so we’ll head straight to one of Oaxaca’s central markets. Here we will grab a table at one of our favorite little “comedores” to enjoy lunch at one of Oaxaca’s central markets for an authentic Mexican dining experience. 

After lunch, we will learn about Alebrijes, brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures and spirit animals. You will have the opportunity to design one of your own alebrijes to bring home. 

Afterwards, we will stop by to learn about black pottery, which is specialized to the region due to the clay only being found in the local area. 

We'll head back to the city and finish with our farewell dinner. 

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast at the hotel enjoy a relaxing day to rest or explore Oaxaca City on your own at your leisure. Likewise, we are also happy to assist you in coordinating any other tours or activities for you or to accompany you around town on this day! 

Included meals: Breakfast