Top Oaxaca Private Sightseeing Tours

We had such a wonderful morning with the Jimenez family. If you spend any time in Oaxaca or know the history of alebrijes, you quickly realize you’re learning from the descendants of the original artists who helped shape this incredible art form. What impressed us most is that they don’t gatekeep the tradition, they generously share its history, teach the techniques, and encourage everyone to create something uniquely their own. Our kids were completely engaged from start to finish, and watching them paint while learning about the cultural significance behind the art made the experience even more meaningful. Cesar was an excellent host and translator, making everyone feel welcome and ensuring nothing was lost in translation. He brought us water, drinks and a light snack. Coordination was very easy. Just 30 minutes from Oaxaca City, this is a relaxing and memorable way to spend a few hours. We left with beautiful pieces we painted ourselves, a much deeper appreciation for alebrijes, and memories we’ll keep for years. Highly recommended.

It was an amazing experience from pickup to drop-off. As two women traveling alone, my mother and I felt completely safe the entire time. Willy and Carlos were incredible tour guides who treated us like family from the moment we met them. If you’re looking to experience Mexico’s countryside in the most authentic way possible, I highly recommend this tour. These two gentlemen went above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable. Not once did we feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or anything less than welcomed. Thank you, Willy and Carlos, for your kindness, professionalism, and hospitality. You truly made this trip special. 🇲🇽❤️

We highly recommend this tour! Our group of 3 friends had a private tour with Irvin and had a perfect day! The tour was well-timed and a good mix of different types of activities. Irvin was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Great experience in Oaxaca!

We took Diego’s walking tour on our very first day in Oaxaca, running on little sleep after an early flight, and it ended up being the perfect introduction to the city. Starting in the Zócalo, where a large teachers’ protest was taking place, Diego did an excellent job explaining not only the history of Oaxaca but also the different perspectives surrounding the protest. Rather than offering a one-sided narrative, he thoughtfully explained both the benefits and challenges of the movement, helping us better understand the city, its people, and its politics. From there, we explored many of Oaxaca’s most iconic sites, including the Cathedral, Teatro Macedonio Alcalá, Andador de Macedonio Alcalá, Centro Cultural San Pablo, Iglesia del Carmen Alto, Mercado Benito Juárez, and Mercado 20 de Noviembre. Navigating the city center and the maze of protest tents would have been intimidating on our own, but Diego guided us through it with ease. One of the highlights was learning about Oaxaca's vibrant street culture. Diego explained the meaning behind the murals, protest posters, stickers, and graffiti that cover many of the city's walls. What initially looked like random street art became a fascinating window into Oaxaca's history, social movements, and community identity. The markets were another standout. Diego introduced us to local vendors, explained the significance of many regional foods and products, and even helped us order fresh juice and a traditional Oaxacan breakfast when we were absolutely starving from our flight. That small gesture made us feel less like tourists and more like welcomed guests. To top it all off, we finished at a fantastic local coffee shop, the perfect ending to a morning packed with history, culture, food, and local insight. By the end of the tour, we felt oriented, informed, caffeinated, and genuinely connected to Oaxaca. If you're visiting the city, especially for the first time, I can't imagine a better way to begin your trip than spending a few hours exploring it with Diego.

This is a brilliant way to learn how to cook a traditional Oaxacan meal with a vegetarian twist. Victor made us feel included, and happily shared his knowledge -: from going to the local market to select ingredients, to making and eating a wonderful meal including mole, rice, guacamole, tortillas, empanadas and fruit. Drinks included traditional chocolate, mezcal and Jamaica juice. Highly recommended.

This was an exceptional tour! My friend and I were the only people who booked on so we ended up getting a private tour (we were very impressed that they didn’t cancel!) Francisco was an incredible and very attentive guide! He answered all of our questions, offered to adapt the tour to best suit our preferences and gave us time to explore each of the workshops ourselves. We really appreciated the time he spent in the market with us highlighting different local foods - my friend loved the enchilada he recommended! All of the workshops we visited were amazing, and we were grateful to all of the artisans for sharing their skills and expertise with us. We’re backpacking for a few months with limited bag space/budget so we took the tour to learn more about the local artistic traditions rather than to buy souvenirs from the workshops (as much as we would have loved to!). We were initially a little nervous when we were the only two who showed up that we might seem rude if we didn’t make purchases, but we needn’t have worried as there was absolutely no pressure to buy from any of the workshops. We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone!

This trip with Oscar was an incredible experience into local tales, as well as exploring the stunning waterfall park itself. Oscar did a great job providing additional context and details to local folklore and culture. He was receptive to plenty of questions for those with curious minds. He was also helpful and encouraging when it came to traversing some of the more complicated sections of the trail. The food to conclude the excursion was simply outstanding.

I truly found this food tour was excellent! Perhaps the best of this type I ever participated in. Papi was terrific - knowledgeable, interesting accessible and patient. He brought me to many wonderful food stations and I sampled a wide variety of delicious Mexican food. He also shared important information about the history, culture and trends in Oaxaca throughout our time together. I highly recommend him and this tour to all travelers seeking Oaxaca culinary experiences (and much more…)