Hotels (6 nts). with Breakfast Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Oaxaca Culinary Experience, Oaxaca. Arrival transfer. Visits to observe cemetery vigils in the towns of Xoxocotlán and Atzompa. Oaxaca and Etla Valley Day of the Dead parades. Orientation walk and market visit in Oaxaca. All transport between destinations and to/from included activities.
Day 1: Oaxaca
El Día de los Muertos is a holiday in Mexico to honour and pray for loved ones who’ve departed. During this period in Oaxaca – centre-stage for Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico – cemetery vigils and street parades are not to be missed.
Day 2: Oaxaca
Day 3: Oaxaca
Set out to explore the culinary delights of Oaxaca with a local host. Learn how chocolate is produced at a grinding mill, and flip your own tortillas at a tortilla-making workshop. Continue to a local family's kitchen to taste an array of delicious Oaxacan dishes and chat with your hosts about traditional cooking methods and Oaxacan food culture. You’ll also have free time to explore the city and its surroundings.
Day 4: Oaxaca
Spend the day experiencing Oaxaca’s Day of the Dead festivities. Attend atmospheric vigils, photograph the boisterous parades, and learn about the spiritual significance of the holiday’s rituals. You’ll also get to sip your share of mezcal, Oaxaca’s signature spirit—made from a variety of species of agave—and enjoy an optional tour of a mezcal factory.
Day 5: Oaxaca
Continue exploring the captivating culture of the Day of the Dead. In your free time, choose to head to the nearby ruins of Mitla for a guided tour. One of Mexico’s best known archaeological sites, it is believed that Mitla was founded as a Zapotec burial ground. Or, wander among the plazas and pyramids of the Monte Albán ruins, a Zapotec site dating to the eighth century BC.
Day 6: Oaxaca
Enjoy the last of the Day of the Dead festivities. You may also opt to visit a nearby artisan community for a look at Oaxaca’s renowned traditional crafts, including pottery and handwoven textiles. Alternatively, learn how to prepare mole, the flavoursome Mexican sauce that comprises a famously inexhaustible list of ingredients.
Day 7: Oaxaca
Depart at any time.