Things to do in Oaxaca
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Huatulco Airport to Oaxaca: Private Minivan TransferYou get picked up at the arrivals gate with a nameplate, driven directly to your hotel in a private air-conditioned minivan, and pay a fixed price with no hidden fees. The driver knows your destination before you land, so there's no negotiation or confusion at the airport — just a smooth transfer that takes the logistics off your hands.Is it for me?Book this if you're landing at HUX and want to skip the taxi negotiation entirely — the fixed price and nameplate pickup mean you know exactly what to expect and where to go the moment you walk out of arrivals.
Oaxaca: Traditional Cooking Class & Local Market TourYou’ll join Minerva in Oaxaca for a real cooking class: start with a local market trip for fresh ingredients, then learn to make mole or tamales by hand over her wood stove. Taste snacks like quesillo cheese and grasshoppers, share stories with her family, and finish with mezcal and homemade dessert under the open sky.
Puerto Escondido: Surf Lesson with Flexible Beach & GoPro OptionYou’ll paddle out into Puerto Escondido’s famous waves with all equipment provided and a local guide who adapts to your level. Expect hands-on coaching, flexible beach locations depending on conditions, and optional GoPro footage of your lesson. It’s not about perfection—it’s about feeling the ocean for yourself.
Monte Albán Full-Day Tour: 5 Oaxaca Artisan WorkshopsA full-day guided tour from Oaxaca that combines a 1.5- to 2-hour hike through the Monte Albán archaeological zone with visits to four artisan workshops in surrounding villages—San Martín Tilcajete, Santo Tomás Jalieza and San Bartolo Coyotepec. A certified guide leads the entire day, hotel pickup is included, and you choose at checkout whether to add a traditional Oaxacan lunch. The itinerary may shift depending on local festivals or hotel pickup routes, and shared tours mean seats are reserved in advance.Is it for me?Book this if you want to combine archaeology with hands-on artisan workshops in one day—the shared van connects five stops including Monte Albán's guided hike and working craftspeople in their homes, rather than visiting sites separately.
Huatulco: Ocean Eco Tour with Marine Biologists & SnorkelingYou’ll head out from Huatulco with marine biologist guides who know where dolphins, turtles and even humpback whales hang out offshore. Listen to their sounds underwater, snorkel quiet reefs away from crowds, snack on apples and granola bars between stops—and come back with salty hair plus a few stories you didn’t expect.
Huatulco: Copalitilla Waterfalls Day Trip & Local LunchYou’ll hike through lush jungle near Huatulco to reach Copalitilla Waterfalls, swim in crystal-clear pools alongside locals, then share a traditional meal of handmade tortillas and regional dishes cooked over wood fire. With pickup included and a local guide leading you through coffee country, expect both adventure and warmth along the way.
Hierve el Agua & Mitla Full Day Tour: 6 Stops with GuideThis full-day guided tour of Oaxaca visits six sites across the region: the petrified waterfalls and natural pools at Hierve el Agua (two hours of free time), the archaeological zone of Mitla with a certified guide, a textile workshop in Teotitlán del Valle where artisans show the wool-rug process, a mezcal factory with tasting, the ancient Tule Tree, and a buffet lunch of traditional Oaxacan food. Hotel pickup starts between 7:30 and 7:50 a.m., and the tour runs 10 to 11 hours total. The guide speaks English or Spanish depending on the option you choose at checkout.Is it for me?Book this if you're arriving without a car—a shared van with a guide handles six stops across culture, archaeology, and nature, with two hours to explore Hierve el Agua at your own pace.
Oaxaca Sierra Norte: Guided Hike, Local Food & Private TransportYou’ll breathe mountain air on quiet trails above Oaxaca, share homemade breakfasts in Cuajimoloyas, and hike at your own pace through pine forests with a local guide who knows every turn. There’s time to laugh over lunch in a village kitchen before heading home tired but happy — it’s less about conquering miles than feeling part of these mountains for a day.
Oaxaca Food & Markets Tour: Taste tamales, tlayudas, tejateA 2.5-hour food tour of Oaxaca's Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets with a local English-speaking guide and lunch included. You taste traditional waters, tejate (a famous cocoa drink), grasshoppers, roasted meats, tamales, tlayudas and Oaxacan sweets at the stalls where they're made, moving between the two markets to understand how the region's cuisine actually works.Is it for me?Book this tour if you want to taste real Oaxacan food at the source—the stalls and vendors where locals actually eat—rather than in a restaurant. The guide explains what you're tasting and why it matters, so you leave knowing how to navigate the markets on your own.
Monte Albán tour with ruins, workshops & chocolate tastingThis nine-hour guided tour from Oaxaca takes you to Monte Albán, the most important archaeological site in the region, built by the Zapotec culture. You'll explore the ruins with a live guide in English or Spanish, then travel to San Antonio Arrazola to visit an ancestral mezcalería, watch alebrijes being made in a workshop, see black clay ceramics being shaped, and stop at a traditional Oaxaca restaurant for lunch. The day ends with a chocolate tasting at an authentic shop. Pickup is included.Is it for me?Book this if you're staying in central Oaxaca without your own car—pickup and drop-off mean you skip the taxi coordination between Monte Albán, the craft workshops, and Cuilapam.
Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua Hike, Mineral Pools & Mezcal TastingYou’ll wake before dawn in Oaxaca City for a sunrise drive to Hierve el Agua, sharing breakfast with locals before hiking past petrified waterfalls and soaking your feet in mineral pools. Walk through valleys with your guide, visit a Zapotec family for mezcal tasting, then end with a home-cooked lunch—leaving you quietly changed by Oaxaca’s gentle pace.
Oaxaca: Zimatan Street Food Cooking Class & Lunch with PickupYou’ll join locals in Zimatan village for a hands-on Oaxacan street food cooking class—with plenty of laughter over handmade tortillas and fresh salsas. Taste hibiscus margaritas while learning why corn matters here, then share lunch under the trees before heading back with new stories (and maybe smoky clothes).
Hierve el Agua from Oaxaca: Petrified Waterfalls & Natural PoolsYou're driven to Hierve el Agua's petrified waterfalls, swim in natural mineral pools, and have the option to hike to the main cascade—all in one half-day without stopping elsewhere. The 3-hour stay lets you move at your own pace instead of being herded through, and your air-conditioned vehicle handles the mountain roads both ways. Bring cash and swimwear; no card payments or restaurant stops along the route.Is it for me?Choose this if you want to see Hierve el Agua's unusual geology without arranging your own transport or timing—the fixed 3-hour stay gives you room to swim and rest instead of rushing, and the driver handles the mountain roads both ways.
Oaxaca: Street Art Bike Tour with Local Artists & WorkshopsYou’ll cycle through Oaxaca’s most vibrant neighborhoods with a local guide, stopping for murals, artist workshops, and organic snacks along the way. Expect laughter over coffee breaks, spontaneous chats with locals, and plenty of time to soak in both art and everyday life on this street art bike tour.
Traditional Oaxaca Cooking Class with Local ChefA hands-on cooking class in Oaxaca where you learn to prepare three traditional regional dishes—mole, handmade tortillas and chocolate tamales—from a local chef and cookbook author. The class runs 3.5 hours, is 100% practical, and includes all the food and drinks you make. Vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan menus are available on request.Is it for me?Book this class if you want to leave Oaxaca knowing how to make the dishes you've eaten there—the hands-on format and the chef's expertise in regional cooking mean you're learning techniques and stories, not just following a recipe.
Huatulco: La Crucecita Walking Food Tour with 7 TastingsYou’ll wander La Crucecita’s lively streets with a local guide, tasting at least 7 snacks from family-run stalls and markets. Expect laughter over new flavors, casual chats with vendors, and glimpses into daily life in Huatulco. You’ll leave full — not just from food but from all those small moments you can’t plan for.
Oaxaca: Art Walk & Cacao Tasting in Jalatlaco StudiosYou’ll wander Oaxaca’s colorful Jalatlaco streets with a local guide, meet working artists in their studios, try your hand at printmaking (and take your own piece home), then taste three different cacao drinks in Centro’s cozy chocolatería. Expect laughter, paint-stained fingers, and stories you’ll remember long after you leave.
Puerto Escondido: Dolphin & Whale Watching Boat TripYou're picked up from your hotel and taken to the boat at Playa Puerto Angelito, where a three-hour offshore trip takes you past Puerto Escondido's bays and into deeper water to see wild dolphins, humpback whales, sea turtles, and rays. Water and a professional guide are included; swimming with dolphins is possible depending on what appears. The boat returns you to your hotel by mid-morning.Is it for me?Book this if you want to see Puerto Escondido's marine life without arranging your own boat or timing — the guide knows where to go and when, and hotel pickup means you're not figuring out transport at dawn.
Oaxaca: Tule, Mitla & Hierve el Agua Day Trip with MezcalYou’ll stand beneath Oaxaca’s ancient Tule Tree, trace your fingers along Mitla’s Zapotec mosaics, taste smoky mezcal at a family distillery, and catch your breath overlooking Hierve el Agua’s petrified waterfalls—all with a certified local guide and easy pickup. This day trip weaves together history, flavor, laughter, and those small moments you’ll remember long after you’re home.
Oaxaca Small Group Hierve el Agua & Mezcal TourIf you want real Oaxacan flavors—fresh bread, smoky mezcal—and time to soak in those wild valley views at Hierve el Agua without big crowds or rushed stops, this tour nails it. You’ll meet locals who actually live here and taste things you won’t find in touristy spots.
