A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca & Chiapas - 14 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Mexico City

Welcome to Mexico! Upon arrival at the airport, you'll be met by your private driver and transferred to your hotel. After settling in, spend the rest of the afternoon getting to know Mexico City at your own pace. Discover the capital's many museums, monuments, galleries, and archaeological sites, or start your culinary adventure by visiting local markets, restaurants, and cafés. For a quiet stroll, put yourself in the locals' shoes and head to the authentic neighborhoods of San Angel, La Condesa, Coyoacán, or La Roma. 

Day 2: Tour the Mercado de San Juan: Mexico City's Gastronomic Heart

Discover the gastronomic roots of the Aztec capital today with a visit to the Mercado de San Juan. Famous chefs and local shoppers alike head to the city's renowned food market for the best quality produce, meats, and specialty foods on offer—from scorpions to lion meat.

Join your guide for a walk through the market's aisles, delighting your senses with the riot of colors and aromas. Taste exotic fruits, cheeses, jams, coffee, and other delicacies while you learn about Mexican cuisine and the market's history. Follow in the footsteps of a local's daily life as you sample more traditional treats like pulque (a fermented agave drink), tacos, and seafood tostadas.

Day 3: Transfer to the Airport & Fly to Puerto Escondido 

Bid the capital farewell as you transfer to the airport and catch a flight southeast to Puerto Escondido. Located on the pristine Pacific coast of Oaxaca, this laid-back beach town is known for its authentic center, cobbled streets lined with handicrafts, and a selection of breathtaking beaches. Take a stroll through the downtown to get a feel for the region's distinct culture, or head to the Benito Juárez Market to find a wide variety of local products and scrumptious street food.

Day 4: Manialtepec Beach Adventure

Today's adventure takes you on a horseback ride through idyllic fields to reach the isolated paradise of Manialtepec Beach. Upon arrival, you'll be welcomed with a glass of mezcal and sit down to a lunch of the region's favorite dishes—straight from the skillet of your hostess. After some free time to relax on the beach, explore the lagoon by kayak with a local expert, who will share the secrets of its remarkable diversity and rare flora and fauna. Enjoy a spectacular sunset before saddling up for the return journey by horseback.

Day 5: Free Day in Puerto Escondido

Today is free for you to explore Puerto Escondido at your leisure. Make sure to spend some time at the region's unspoiled beaches, where you'll find golden sands, turquoise waters, and swaying palms far from the typical tourist track.

Descend a flight of stairs to reach the small cove of Carrizalillo with its tranquil water perfect for swimming, or rent a beach chair and umbrella with the locals on Puerto Angelito. If you're looking for peace and quiet, make a beeline for Bacocho and its seemingly endless stretch of white sand. As evening falls, make sure to catch one of the area's colorful sunsets.

Day 6: Transfer to the Airport & Fly to Oaxaca

Spend one last morning in your beach paradise, then meet your driver for a transfer to the airport to catch a flight inland to the city of Oaxaca. Upon arrival, spend the rest of the day taking in all the colors and flavors that the city has to offer. Stroll along the colorful tourist walkway, where you will find many restaurants, mezcalerías, museums, and shops. In the Mercado de Benito Juárez, you can browse a great variety of handicrafts such as alebrijes, embroidery, textiles, and typical Oaxacan products such as mezcals, quesillo, mole, and chapulines. 

Visit the Textile Museum of Oaxaca or the Museum of Cultures—both with exhibitions that allow you to delve deeper into Mexican culture—or stop by the Ethnobotanical Garden. Enjoy a mezcal at an alfresco café, or sample the traditional hot chocolate drink that's a staple in Oaxaca. In the evening, hit up the town for a drink at a trendy bar, then grab a cup of esquite banquetero (Mexican street corn) on your walk back to the hotel.

Day 7: Hands in the Dough: Rural Cooking Workshop in Oaxaca

Today's excursion takes you into the rural countryside of Oaxaca, where you'll discover the authentic flavors of the regional cooking and learn a few special recipes for yourself. A Zapotec community will welcome you with open arms and teach you their culinary secrets as you prepare seasonal products harvested from family gardens and cooked over a traditional wood stove.

 

Guided through the process by your comidera (the community's best cook), try your hand at dishes like nicuátole (a custard-like dessert), handmade tortillas, empanadas, sopa de guías (pumpkin soup), segueza (corn mole), and atole (a creamy drink of maize, cinnamon, and vanilla). At the end of your cooking class, sit down for a convivial lunch to taste your creations.

Day 8: Explore Oaxaca: Tule Tree, Mezcal Distillery, Mitla & Teotitlán del Valle

Today's full-day tour starts outside Oaxaca with a visit to the millenary Tule Tree. With a circumference of over 148 feet (45 m) and an age of at least 2,000 years, this beloved Montezuma cypress is one of the largest and oldest trees in the world. Next, you'll head to a local mezcal palenque (distillery) to learn how the traditional Oaxacan spirit is made and sample some of the iconic agave-based alcohol.

Continue to the remarkable archaeological site at Mitla to discover the ancient ceremonial center of the Zapotecs, then end your day with a visit to a wool rug weaver's workshop in Teotitlán del Valle. Here you can meet the weavers and learn about the time-honored skills and wool-dying techniques that create these colorful symbols of the region.

Day 9: Tastes of Oaxaca Gastronomy Tour

The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda once said, "Mexico is to be found in its markets." Discover what he meant today as you meet your local guide and head to the organic market at El Pochote, located in downtown Oaxaca. Taste a cup of freshly brewed coffee before sampling some regional delicacies, including roasted grasshoppers.

 

Continue to Barrio de la Merced to explore the colors, aromas, and flavors of this busy market and taste some of their incredible empanadas. Afterward, work your way to La Reforma, a neighborhood that dates back to the mid-20th century, to find Itanoní Antojería y Tortillería and some of the best tortilla-based dishes around. Make sure to save some room for the final event: a tasting of Oaxaca's famously rich and creamy hot chocolate.

Day 10: Transfer to San Cristóbal de Las Casas

Meet your driver this morning and strike out on a long-distance road trip across the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas, passing charming Mexican towns and scenic landscapes to reach San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Fall in love with the town's architectural beauty and lush surroundings as you explore highlights like the 16th-century Baroque church of Templo Santo Domingo, the golden Catedral de San Cristóbal de Las Casas, and the historic city gates of Arco del Carmen. 

Day 11: Zinacantan Cooking Experince, Flavors of San Cristóbal Dinner 

Feel the sun on your skin, smell the smoke in the air, and taste the traditional dishes of a local town on today's half-day adventure. Begin with a walk to the Tzotzil community of Zinacantan, where you'll be welcomed into a local house to meet your hosts and see the kitchen where you will later prepare the food. If you visit during the growing season, you'll take an hour's walk to a nearby cornfield, learning all about the ancient cultivation cycles known as milpa. Harvest the produce for today's meal, then return to the house to get cooking! 

Return to San Cristóbal de Las Casas in the afternoon, where you can take some time to relax or explore before heading to a local restaurant for a five-course dinner showcasing the region's classic recipes. It's a relaxed and open atmosphere, where you can ask about the creation of each dish and interact with the open kitchen tasting. Savor the immersive culinary experience as you follow the process of each course and revel in the many flavors of Chiapas.

Day 12: Excursion to the Sumidero Canyon & Chiapa de Corzo

Rise early this morning to embark on an unforgettable adventure into some of Mexico's most unspoiled nature. Transfer toward Tuxtla Gutierrez to reach Cahuare, where you'll board a motorboat and travel for two hours through Sumidero Canyon. This imposing natural formation was formed approximately 136 million years ago and reaches heights of over 2,624 feet (800 m). At its floor, the mighty Grijalva River winds its way through lush vegetation. Pass dramatic waterfalls and caves, and keep an eye out for flora and fauna—like crocodiles, ocelots, and spider monkeys.

Continue to Chiapa de Corzo, one of the oldest cities in Mexico and home to the remains of a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican site. Located next to the Grijalva River, this magical town conquers travelers with its colorful traditions and beautiful buildings—like La Pila, a Mudejar-style red brick fountain, the church of Santo Domingo de Guzman, and the Museo de la Laca, devoted to the region's traditional lacquerware art. 

Day 13: Transfer to the Airport & Fly to Mexico City

Enjoy a free morning in the charming city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Take some time to browse the many local shops for souvenirs, or put your feet up in a sunny square for some of the region's renowned coffee or hot chocolate. When the time comes, your driver will transfer you to Tuxtla Gutierrez Airport to catch your flight back to Mexico City.

Day 14: Depart Mexico City

Spend your final morning in Mexico City however you please. When the time comes, your driver will pick you up for the transfer back to Mexico City International Airport and your departing flight. Safe travels and adiós a todos!

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