Destinations
Oaxaca & Copper Canyon
Mexico's most revered food city, a train descent into the world's deepest canyon system.
Season
October - April
Terrain
desert
Fly into
OAX / MEX / CUU
Missions
1
The briefing
Oaxaca is where Mexican food culture is at its most concentrated - seven classic moles, tlayudas, mezcal from village palenques, and a market scene that has shaped the world's understanding of Mexican cuisine. The Copper Canyon adds one of the continent's great train journeys. Monte Albán above the Oaxaca valley is the most impressive pre-Columbian site most visitors have never heard of - a Zapotec hilltop complex of substantial scale and atmosphere. Book the scarce piece first in Oaxaca & Copper Canyon; everything else can wait a week.
Monte Albán above the Oaxaca valley is the most impressive pre-Columbian site most visitors have never heard of - a Zapotec hilltop complex of substantial scale and atmosphere. Hierve el Agua's petrified waterfall and the mezcal villages of the Central Valleys round out a genuinely satisfying cultural circuit.
The Chepe Express through Barrancas del Cobre - the Copper Canyon - is four times deeper than the Grand Canyon in places and has been carrying passengers since 1961. The train descends from high pine forest through tropical canyon floor in a single dramatic journey.
How to get there
Gateway airports: OAX, MEX, CUU. Build the rest of the trip around the arrival.
Book first
Flights - OAX, MEX → Stay close to the trailheads, not an hour of extra desert driving in Oaxaca & Copper Canyon → Operator - 4WD, permit, or canyon outfitter after the stay
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Missions in Oaxaca & Copper Canyon