Oaxaca is one of Mexico's most culturally rich states, home to 16 recognized indigenous groups, the archaeological capitals of Monte Albán and Mitla, and a coastline stretching from the surf town of Puerto Escondido to the calm resort bays of Huatulco. Oaxaca de Juárez, the colonial capital, is celebrated for mole, mezcal, and some of the finest regional cooking in the country.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Hierve el Agua
Hierve el Agua is a set of calcified mineral springs on a cliff edge above the Mitla valley, where centuries of mineral-rich water have left rock formations that look like frozen waterfalls. Two spring-fed pools sit right at the cliff edge, so swimming here means floating with the valley falling away below you. The site is run by the local community (San Lorenzo Albarradas / San Isidro Roaga), and getting there involves a stretch of unpaved mountain road, which is part of why it takes as long as it does for the distance covered.
Highlights: Cascada Grande - the larger of the two petrified 'waterfalls', a rock formation over 30 meters tall built up from mineral deposits, not actual falling water · Cascada Chica - the smaller petrified formation and pool area, generally quieter than the main pool · The cliff-edge pools - natural mineral pools where you swim with an open view down into the valley · The base trail below the formations - a steep path that lets you see the petrified cascades from underneath rather than just from the rim
Mitla and Árbol del Tule Combo
Mitla is a Zapotec and later Mixtec ceremonial site distinguished from other Oaxaca valley ruins by its geometric stone mosaic fretwork, thousands of individually cut stones assembled into repeating grecas patterns across entire building facades. The Árbol del Tule, a Montezuma cypress standing in the church atrium of Santa María del Tule, is one of the stoutest tree trunks in the world and is normally visited as a short stop on the road to Mitla rather than a destination on its own. Together they make an easy half-day pairing because the tree sits directly on the route east from Oaxaca city.
Highlights: The Hall of the Columns at Mitla - a palace structure whose interior walls are covered in mosaic stonework rather than painted plaster or carved relief · The underground tomb beneath one of Mitla's patios - a cross-shaped chamber that visitors can descend into · The Árbol del Tule - the massive cypress in the Santa María del Tule church atrium, worth circling to see how its trunk shape has been read as animal and object silhouettes by generations of locals · Mitla's Church of San Pablo, built directly on top of one of the original Zapotec building groups
Monte Albán
Monte Albán is the hilltop capital the Zapotecs built by leveling an entire mountaintop, and it was occupied and expanded for well over a thousand years, later used by the Mixtecs as well. Its Main Plaza is one of the most complete pre-Hispanic plazas in Mexico, flanked by pyramids, a ballcourt, and the arrow-shaped Building J believed to have astronomical alignment. It's the closest major ruin to Oaxaca city, which makes it easy to do as a half-day trip and still have the afternoon free.
Highlights: The Danzantes - carved stone slabs depicting contorted human figures, among the oldest carved monuments at the site · Building J (the Observatory) - the unusually oriented arrow-shaped structure standing apart from the plaza's rectangular grid · The Main Plaza's ballcourt - a well-preserved court for the Mesoamerican ballgame · Tomb 7 site marker - where a large cache of gold and jade offerings was found; the actual objects are displayed at the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca in Santo Domingo back in the city, not on-site
Teotitlán del Valle and Tlacolula Sunday Market
Teotitlán del Valle is a Zapotec weaving village where wool rugs are still made on traditional looms using natural dyes like cochineal (a red dye from insects raised on cactus pads) and indigo, and many family workshops let you watch the process and buy directly from the weavers. Tlacolula's market only reaches full scale on Sundays, when it becomes one of the largest regional tianguis in the valley, drawing vendors from surrounding villages for produce, prepared food, and a livestock section on the edge of town. Because the market is Sunday-only, this combination only works on that specific day of the week.
Highlights: A family weaving workshop in Teotitlán - watching wool being carded, spun, and dyed before it goes on the loom · The Tlacolula Sunday tianguis - the market's food section for tlayudas and barbacoa cooked over open fire · Tlacolula's animal market area at the edge of the main market, active only on Sunday mornings · The Templo de la Virgen de la Natividad in Tlacolula, whose gilded side chapel is worth the short stop while at the market
San Bartolo Coyotepec and Ocotlán Friday Market
San Bartolo Coyotepec is known for barro negro, black pottery whose glossy black finish comes from a burnishing technique using quartz stones before firing, a method associated with the potter Doña Rosa in the mid-20th century. Ocotlán's market reaches its full size on Fridays and is where the town's ceramic families, including the Aguilar sisters known for painted clay figures, sell alongside general market vendors. The town is also linked to the painter Rodolfo Morales, who funded the restoration of Ocotlán's church and former convent.
Highlights: A black pottery workshop in San Bartolo Coyotepec demonstrating the burnishing technique that gives the pottery its shine without glaze · The Aguilar family ceramic workshops in Ocotlán, known for brightly painted clay figures · The Templo y Ex-Convento de Santo Domingo in Ocotlán, restored with support from Rodolfo Morales · The Friday tianguis in Ocotlán, smaller and less touristed than Tlacolula's Sunday market
Cuilapam de Guerrero
Cuilapam's main draw is the Ex-Convento de Santiago Apóstol, a 16th-century Dominican monastery that was never finished - its nave has no roof, so the tall stone arches stand open to the sky. The site is also historically significant as the place where Vicente Guerrero, an early Mexican independence leader and briefly president, was executed in 1831; a monument on the grounds marks this. It's one of the shortest drives on this list, which makes it easy to combine with another nearby stop rather than filling a full day on its own.
Highlights: The roofless nave of the Ex-Convento de Santiago Apóstol - the unfinished monastery's most distinctive feature · The cloister and surviving side chapels, which retain their original vaulted ceilings even though the main nave doesn't · The monument to Vicente Guerrero on the convent grounds, marking the site of his 1831 execution · Faded frescoes in parts of the convent that give a sense of how the interior was originally decorated
Yagul and Dainzú
Yagul is a hilltop Zapotec and later Mixtec site built as a fortified palace complex, with a warren of residential patios, a large ballcourt, and tombs cut into the hillside above the main structures - climbing up to them gives a wide view over the valley. Dainzú is an earlier and much less restored Zapotec site nearby, notable for carved stone reliefs of ballplayers that predate and resemble the more famous Danzantes at Monte Albán. Both sites see far fewer visitors than Monte Albán or Mitla, so you'll often have the ruins largely to yourself.
Highlights: Yagul's ballcourt - one of the largest in the Oaxaca valley, sitting below the hillside tombs · The hillside tombs above Yagul's main plaza, reached by a short climb that also gives the site's best valley view · Dainzú's carved ballplayer reliefs - stone panels showing figures in helmets and padding, among the earliest ballgame imagery in the valley · The unexcavated mound areas at Dainzú, which give a sense of how much of the site has not been restored
Apoala Waterfalls (Sierra Norte)
Apoala is a village in the Mixteca Alta, a region distinct from the central valleys where the other trips on this list are located, and it holds a place in Mixtec oral tradition as a site of origin stories tied to a sacred tree. The main draw is a canyon walk past waterfalls, including a tall cascade locally called the Cola de Serpiente, along with caves in the surrounding cliffs. Because it's the farthest and least developed destination here, it's usually done as a guided trip through the village's community ecotourism cooperative rather than an independent drive-and-walk outing.
Highlights: The Cola de Serpiente waterfall - the canyon's tallest cascade, reached by a hiking trail from the village · The Cueva del Diablo - a cave along the canyon walls that's part of the standard walking route · The canyon itself - dramatic red-rock cliffs that are part of what makes the Mixteca Alta landscape distinct from the central valley sites · The village of Apoala, whose community-run tourism office arranges local guides for the canyon trail
Pueblos Mancomunados: Benito Juárez and Cuajimoloyas
A network of Zapotec villages in the Sierra Norte that jointly manage their pine-oak and cloud forest land through a community tourism cooperative rather than private operators. The draw here is the forest itself and the infrastructure the villages have built into it: marked trails between settlements, ziplines, mountain-bike routes, and simple cabins. It's a mountain day out, not a ruins-and-market day out — cool, forested, and organized around guided activity rather than sightseeing.
Highlights: Cuajimoloyas zipline circuit strung across the pine forest · Marked hiking trail connecting Cuajimoloyas and Benito Juárez through cloud forest · Community-run comedores serving trout and mushroom dishes when in season · Temazcal steam bath session offered through the local cooperative · Mirador viewpoints over the Sierra Norte valleys
Mezcal Route, Santiago Matatlán
Santiago Matatlán is the town most associated with mezcal production in Oaxaca, with small family-run palenques strung along the highway rather than a single winery-style estate. A visit here is a walk through the actual production steps — roasting agave hearts in an earth pit, crushing them under a stone tahona, fermenting in wood or clay, then distilling in either copper or traditional clay pot stills — followed by tasting what comes out of each stage.
Highlights: Earth-pit agave roasting (horno) demonstration at a family palenque · Stone tahona wheel used to crush roasted agave · Side-by-side tasting of copper-still versus clay-pot-still mezcal · Espadín versus wild agave variety comparisons · Town plaza and small mezcal shops selling direct from producers
Laguna de Manialtepec
A coastal lagoon a short drive west of Puerto Escondido, bordered by mangrove channels and known for two very different experiences depending on the time of day: dawn birdwatching among herons and kingfishers, and after-dark boat trips through bioluminescent plankton that glow blue-green when the water is disturbed. It's a low-key nature outing rather than a beach day, best suited to visitors happy to go out at odd hours for it.
Highlights: Nighttime bioluminescence boat trip through the lagoon · Dawn birdwatching tour through the mangrove channels · Mangrove channel paddling by kayak or small boat · Palapa restaurants on the lagoon shore serving fresh oysters and grilled fish
Chacahua National Park
A national park protecting a chain of lagoons separated from the Pacific by a narrow strip of dune and beach, reached from Puerto Escondido by a coastal road followed by a boat crossing rather than direct road access. Inside, mangrove channels hold crocodiles and abundant birdlife, while the ocean side has a beach break at the park's point known among surfers. The boat crossing itself is part of the experience, not just a means of getting there.
Highlights: Mangrove boat tour with crocodile sightings · Cerro Hermoso point break for surfing · Chacahua village and lagoon crossing by lancha · Long stretch of undeveloped barrier beach · Birdwatching along the lagoon's quieter channels
Bahías de Huatulco 9-Bays Boat Tour
A boat circuit departing from the marina at Santa Cruz that loops through Huatulco's nine bays, alternating stretches of open water with stops to snorkel over rocky reef in calmer coves. The appeal is variety in one outing — clear-water snorkeling, a beach lunch stop, and open-water passages where dolphins or turtles turn up — rather than any single standout site.
Highlights: Snorkeling stop at Bahía San Agustín · Beach and swim stop at Playa La Entrega · Órgano and Maguey bays as quieter alternative stops · Open-water passage near La Bocana river mouth where dolphins are sometimes spotted
Punta Cometa and Ventanilla Crocodile Lagoon
A pairing of two short outings near Mazunte: a boat tour through the mangrove lagoon at La Ventanilla, where crocodiles bask along the banks and a cooperative runs a small crocodile nursery, and Punta Cometa, a rocky headland reached by a short walking trail that marks the southernmost point in Oaxaca accessible on foot. Together they cover a slower wildlife stop and a scenic evening walk in a single afternoon.
Highlights: La Ventanilla mangrove lagoon boat tour with crocodile sightings · Cooperative-run crocodile nursery at La Ventanilla · Punta Cometa headland trail · Sunset viewpoint at the point of Punta Cometa · Mazunte beach for a swim before or after
Zipolite and Playa San Agustinillo Beach Hop
Two adjoining beach towns near Puerto Ángel with distinct characters: Zipolite, known for its clothing-optional stretch and open surf, and San Agustinillo, a smaller village beach a short walk or drive away that's calmer and better suited to actually swimming. Hopping between the two in a day gives a look at both without committing to an overnight stay in either.
Highlights: San Agustinillo's calmer swimming cove · Zipolite's beachfront restaurant strip · Turtle camp visits near San Agustinillo · Short coastal walk connecting the two beaches
Multi-day tours from Oaxaca
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
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Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Start early — most popular day-trip destinations get crowded by mid-morning.
Check return transport times before you leave — missing the last train or bus can be costly.
Carry water, snacks, and layers — weather and food options can be limited at smaller destinations.