4-Day Sierra Norte Oaxaca Pueblos Mancomunados Trek

This is the best way to hike through the Oaxaca mountains! Yes, it is more expensive than going on your own, for sure, but you get so much for what you pay for! You get picked up and dropped off from your hostel in Oaxaca, you get a local, knowledgable guide that will explain plants, animals, local culture and history to you, you get the cabanas provided at each village and that are spotless, cozy and romantic. You get served great food, prepared fresh with local ingredients at every meal (there's even vegetarian options). And the best sleep of your life in a quiet village, with a wood fire in your room if it gets cold. All that while encouraging the local community and not private/foreign-owned guided tours.

Visiting the Pueblos Mancomunados was easily the highlight of my 3 weeks in Mexico. The scenery and views are breathtaking, the wildlife stunning and the tranquility and pure air of the mountains such an antidote to the dust and roaring engines of the cities. But best of all was the warm welcome from everyone I met, not just my guides but the people who invited me into their home for a traditional Mexican lunch as part of the package and even villagers I met randomly in the street on my evening stroll. They seemed genuinely pleased to see me and everyone was patient and encouraging with my faltering Spanish. I highly recommend staying the night in one of the villages if you have time. I stayed in Cuajimoloyas in a comfortable, simple, spotlessly clean cabin with a good bed, warm shower and a fireplace which a man came to light for me (the nights are cold at this altitude and I was glad of the generous pile of madrone logs). A delicious dinner and breakfast, also included, were served in a little restaurant with stunning views and good Wi-Fi. I did two hikes, one about 10km to “Cueva Iglesia”, a majestic rocky outcrop with caves and bandit legend. Janet, our guide with excellent English, was incredibly knowledgeable about the plantlife, stopping every 10 minutes or so to pick a leaf and encourage us to smell it or rub it and then explain its uses, either culinary or medicinal, or sometimes both. Even a natural form of aspirin grows up here, which was handy for my slight altitude sickness- soon cured! My hike on the second day was from Caujimoloyas to Benito Juarez, about 7km through a beautiful valley with traditional low-impact farming on steep terraces, then through woods up to a wonderful mirador/viewpoint with a lookout tower and suspension footbridge. It was just me and my Spanish-only guide Esteban, a lovely gentle man, also very knowledgeable about wildlife. It was a bonus needing to communicate in Spanish - I learnt far more in 5 hours with Esteban than a 300-day streak on Duolingo! We met no one else on the whole hike apart from a couple of friendly farmers, probably because it was Monday. Last stop on my trip was a delicious lunch at Casa de Piedra, again with a lovely warm welcome from Jose and his family. They served me several dishes, including very tasty tamales. My driver, also from the village, then arrived promptly to take me back to Oaxaca. The whole trip was so well-organised: everything worked like clockwork and someone was always there to greet me and guide me to the next stage of my tour. I’m definitely coming back and I will book again with Expediciones Sierra Norte because it’s owned by the community and all the proceeds go towards helping sustain the way of life in these wonderful mountain villages, where there is no crime and everyone seems happy and content with their simple, low-impact way of life, living in harmony with nature.

This was an incredible experience! My partner and our two friends did a five day trek through the beautiful mountains of Oaxaca with these amazing guides. Everything was very well organized and so beyond our expectations! We have done multiple international treks without guides before so thought about doing something independently but felt so happy that we went with a guided trek. Not only did it save us enormous amount of time planning logistics but it added so much to our experience and learning. We went with a Spanish speaking package since we speak intermediate Spanish and it felt like an incredible immersion opportunity! Practicing Spanish by learning about local culture, ecology and history was an absolute dream. We had a different guide each day, from each new village stayed in. This level of local knowledge and connection was so valuable both in finding our way and in learning and connecting as we walked. The level of collective care and commitment to community in these villages is truly amazing! Everyone spends a whole year volunteering, every three years. This includes the guiding company, so several of our guides were on their volunteer year. It was such a fascinating model to learn about and really inspiring counter balance to the individualism I’m used to seeing as an American. We also took a molé cooking class which I cannot recommend enough! So amazing to learn in a family home and it was absolutely delicious. I am a lifelong vegetarian which often poses challenges for me traveling but the whole time people were so accommodating and made it so easy. Every place we were eating already knew from my registration and would have something vegetarian for me. The accommodations were comfortable, the food good, the people kind and open, the mountains absolutely with tons of biodiversity. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

We had a wonderful 3 day hike with Mario (and the local guides). Nature was incredibly beautiful (mountains, valleys, rivers, and more) and it was so nice to stay in the 'pueblos' and get to know from inside their living modes and culture. After 4 to 6 hours of walking we were always warmly welcomed in the villages with smiles, and good food. It could be a bit intense but it seems to be always possible to adjust pace and itinerary. We have now great memories, next time, we will extend a little bit the experience :)! We spend a great time with Mario, Casilda, Jonas! Mario is a very good guide and EN translator. We highly recommend this trip when traveling in Oaxaca (and Mexico)!

I did a 3-day hike through this company and absolutely loved it. Would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys hiking. I did it in Spanish, but I think they have some tours in English. Pros: - Beautiful hikes through pine and oak forests. Generally you hike in the morning/early afternoon, then do a late afternoon activity, such as a museum visit or pulque tasting. - Local guides were knowledgeable and friendly. - Food was delicious; yummy, home-cooked meals. The chocolate con leche I had in Amatlan was the best I've had in Oaxaca. My only regret is that I wish I could have tried the local trout at least once. - Accommodations in very clean, cozy cabins with electricity and hot water. My second night I had a fireplace and it was lovely. - Getting to know the history of the pueblos mancomunados was a very unique experience. I really enjoyed seeing the small museum in Amatlan and having Tino to describe everything to me. It's obvious he was very passionate about the history. - The pueblos themselves were lovely. Very quaint and peaceful mountain towns, with amazing views of the surrounding mountains. - The tours were very well-organized. I was concerned about my ability to climb uphill in the altitude, so they adjusted the last day of hiking (which would have been all uphill) to a different route that I could better handle. There was a snafu the last day when my transport back to the city didn't show up on time, but the guys at the office were really friendly and helpful in figuring out an alternative, I didn't have to worry about it at all. - This tour agency is owned by the pueblos mancomunados. Eco-tourism is something that is relatively new for the towns and something they are trying to develop. By using the agency, your money is going into the communities, providing jobs for locals and helping them build their tourism infrastructure. In terms of price, I've seen people say that you can do it cheaper by taking public transport there and getting a local guide once you're there. This is true, I suppose. I don't mind paying extra for the convenience and lack of stress, especially knowing that my money is going to a good objective. Also, keep in mind that cell phone service and wifi can be unreliable up there (I didn't have a signal the entire time I was up there), and most people do not speak English.