Juan is not only an extraordinary tour guide but also an utterly delightful man. He has deep…read moreknowledge of Oaxaca which comes wrapped in a completely natural and comfortable manner. I wish we'd had another day or two with him. We had time to add on an additional couple stops and even had an earthquake during an excellent lunch!

Juan was an incredibly thorough tour guide. We used him for three days recently - one day at Monte…read moreAlban, one day at Mitla and one day to explore the artisan villages to the south of Oaxaca. His knowledge about the history of the area is incredibly deep. We learned so much and he was able to adjust his itinerary for us as he learned more about our interests. On an operational note, Juan was always really responsive via email, he arrived on time every morning and his car was really clean and comfortable. Strong recommend all the way around!

I would like to share with you our recent experience we had with Sr. Florencio Moreno…read moreTour date: February 6, 2021 What: Mezcal tour We are a party of five adults who are mezcal enthusiasts. After much online research, we engaged in conversation with Florencio about touring some palenques. As we all know, the COVID pandemia has created some difficult challenges but after Florencio made thorough research into the 'accessibility' of some these remote palenques, off we go. Florencio picked us up at our VRBO promptly at 8 am as scheduled. He has a comfortable van and he had plenty of ice cold water for us all. I will not get into the details of the trip itself (because you need to try it for yourself :-) but it was perfect. Cannot say enough great things about the whole day! Florencio is very, very knowledgeable about mezcal  (and many, many other  things about the area). He is absolutely 100% enthusiastic, professional, responsive and just an all around great guy. A true gentleman and a pleasure. I guess the best thing I can say about our mezcal adventure is we are DEFINITELY going to hire Florencio again next year for our 2022 Mezcal Expedition. Thanks again Florencio. You were awesome! Mark, Jonathan, Fred, Rachael & Barb San Miguel de Allende

Florencio isn't just a tour guide, he's a true local and academic…read more We had a fantastic day with him, learning about local Oaxacan culture, history, and archaeology. Though the tour options are endless, we chose to do one of the more traditional "hit the highlights" rounds. I wasn't anticipating enjoying our trip to a traditional Zapotec market as much as I did. If interested in true Oaxacan culture, I would highly recommend going with him to one. It's the sort of thing we would never have seen or learned about if we weren't with him. No one at this market was catering to tourists. All of the food was delicious and locally grown or made. And we got to see and hear people speaking in their native language instead of Spanish. We also explored the local church, and learned how local laws within Oaxaca truly work to keep the town safe and clean. A truly remarkable experience. Mitla was of course what we expected, however having Florencio's explanations and knowledge enriched the experience immensely. Every question I asked had a detailed, interesting answer, and Florencio often elaborated to include information about the most recent archaeology studies/papers. We of course also went to Hierve el Agua and Arbol del Tule. But the other hidden gem was when Florencio took us to a Mezcaleria. I'm hesitant to even write about this part because I don't want everyone to know this secret. We didn't go to one of the flashy roadside stands where they do tastings at the places with labels. We went straight to the source. Before the Mezcal gets bottled up with a fancy label, it's made at a local Mezcaleria and sold in bulk. The particular location we went to is owned by a 9th generation Mezcal maker and his son (10th generation). They warmly welcomed us onto their property where they had just finished working for over 14 hours in the fields. We were shown the different agave that they farm, and tasted it fresh (like sugar cane, only better). And then the Mezcal. Talk about pure. It's perfectly clear with tiny pearls on top when poured, and the flavor is incredible. We bought as many bottles as we could fit in our suitcase and now regret not bringing an extra suitcase. I recognize the hesitation tourists have with hiring a guide. It's hard to figure out if someone is taking you to tourist traps when you're not a local. Florencio is the real deal. While in the Zapotec market, he didn't expect or even offer to have us buy anything. However to support the market and the people, as well as satisfy his stomach, he bought tortillas and chapulines for himself. We knew that the Mezcaleria wasn't a tourist trap as well when we saw how remote and isolated it was. However when we realized that Florencio was also going to be a customer and buy for himself, we were even more impressed. For any tour in Oaxaca, we would absolutely recommend and return to Florencio.

David was a great host and gave us a great welcome introduction to the city. Highly recommend,…read moreparticularly in the first couple days in town to give better context and appreciations for the city.

This 2.5 hour walking tour offers a leisure walk around centro of oaxaca and history and…read moreinteresting facts of Oaxaca. Our tour guide Dijan (sp?) was Mexican but spoke fluent English. He was casual, helpful and offers many good facts and tidbits on Oaxaca..and if you want more info, he was happy to give you more information as well. At first I wasn't sure if the 2.5 hours was going to be too long for me, but the tour went by fast and I learned a lot more about life and living in Oaxaca than I ever did before joining the tour! It was casual, friendly and enjoyable. Everyone in the same walking tour group stayed the entire 2.5 hours tour! Definitely check this tour out. The tour was very available...meaning..they offered multiple tours a day...so...take some time out to learn more about this wonderful city in Oaxaca!

Did 2 tours with this company on consecutive days…read more Tour 1 went to a mercado, a collective of local artisans making and selling woven things, a knife maker ( totally interesting) and wood carving and painting. Marlena was the guide and was fabulous, along with this excellent tour. Tour 2 went to Monté Alban, Arbol de Tule, a swimming hole, a rug weaver, mescal factory and a buffet. Not good at all. Very commercial and the opposite of the first tour. Too many great restaurants in Oaxaca to eat a big meal at some out of town buffet at 5 pm. We sat that one out. Go during the week because Mexicans come here on the weekend and it's crowded.

We just took a 2 day tour to Apoala. We had a great time. Hiked about 4 hours each day, meals in…read morethe puebla. Jumped over a lot of rocks in the river, wear good shoes! Yves and Claudia have been doing this over 20 years and know the villagers and routes very well. We will be back for another tour in the future!

Yves and Claudia operate a truly exceptional service. Yves has an incredible wealth of history,…read morescience and personal connections to offer and made our day in the Sierra Norte the highlight of our two months in Oaxaca, and of the several extended annual vacations here.

We had a fabulous experience with 4 day hike with Expediciones Sierra Norte. The cabanas far…read moreexceed anything I have ever experienced on trails in the States, done right luxurious by hiking standards. Beautifully sited with great views, super clean, tiled floors with lovely hot showers and fires every night in April. The hikes are demanding but gorgeous with some amazing views. Temescal, trout dinner and pulque all highly recommended. Note- altitude sickness is real. If you live at sea level I highly recommend a couple of days at Mexico City altitude before venturing to the Highlands. Second note- I can't imagine this would ever happen again but the cabana at relatively low altitude Altamira (sp?) had just been fumigated for pine beetles in the rafters, sparking a bad reaction for chemically sensitive me but not for anyone else. Staff was apologetic and accommodating- we wound up spending the night in the Temescal room. If you are similarly sensitive and traveling to the lower altitude villages at the beginning of April, you might just want to check in about this.

My husband and I needed a break from Oaxaca city so we booked a two day, one night trip with Sierra…read moreNorte. It was wonderful! Antonio, a jovial and friendly fellow, picked us up at our house and drove us one and a half hours up to the mountains. We were not so much interested in hiking but in the life and community of the people. So our guide and translator, Celestino, led us around the villages explaining how ecotourism works for and benefits these people. He also went into much fascinating detail (in English) about the Zapotec culture. He is a treasure!! We had two interesting planned activities...cooking and eating a meal with a local senora and visiting a medicine woman. We were housed in a lovely private cabin with fireplace. Our meals were prepared by a local woman and were simple yet delicious. I highly recommend Sierra Norte. You will enjoy the mountains as you help the native people maintain a robust economy. PS...bring rain gear. Expect mountain showers at most times of the year.