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Étaperia

Mexico in 19 days: Oaxaca, the Pacific and the Chiapas highlands, day by day

Nineteen days from Oaxaca to San Cristóbal: Monte Albán and its Danzantes, the three Dominican monasteries of the Mixteca, the Tule tree, Hierve el Agua, Puerto Escondido and Mazunte, the bays of Huatulco and the Sumidero Canyon.

Compiled by Kylian, updated on Sep 20, 2026

The walls of the Sumidero Canyon seen from the river, in Chiapas
  • 19 days
  • 57 places
  • 19 nights
  • fast pace
Start
Tuxtepec, Oaxaca
End
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas
Main transport
Rental car throughout, plus a night boat trip (lancha) on the Manialtepec lagoon and a lancha up the Sumidero Canyon
Recommended season
November to March is the dry season in Oaxaca and on the coast alike. The Manialtepec bioluminescence on day 68 shows best with no moon

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 19 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 31 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The itinerary preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 10

Down to the Pacific

Morning

The Barranca Larga-Ventanilla highway

The new highway has cut the journey from six or seven hours of curves to about two and a half. It is the biggest recent change for getting around Oaxaca, and it makes this coastal loop possible without losing two days to the drive.

Afternoon

Playa Zicatela

The Mexican Pipeline, one of the most powerful waves in the world, is for experienced surfers only. Swimming there is dangerous, but watching from the beach is worth the stop, especially in the late afternoon.

Puerto Angelito and Playa Carrizalillo

Two sheltered coves with calm water for swimming, Carrizalillo at the bottom of 167 steps. The lighthouse lookout ends the walk, with the sunset over the whole bay.

Good to know

The Barranca Larga-Ventanilla highway is a toll road, about 300 MXN by car, so bring cash. Swimming is effectively off-limits at Zicatela, with violent rip currents and waves several meters high: the beach is for looking at. Puerto Angelito and Carrizalillo are the only two sheltered coves in the area, Carrizalillo at the bottom of 167 steps.

Hotel · Night 10

Hotel Santa Fe, Puerto Escondido

A Puerto Escondido institution at the end of Zicatela, in a colonial-style complex opening onto the beach.

Address
· Av. del Morro s/n, col. Marinero, 70934 Puerto Escondido
Website
· hotelsantafe.com.mx (new tab)
Check-in
3:00 PM · Check-out 12:00 noon
Book this hotel (new tab) affiliate link

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €2.05 per day of travel

Billed in euros. If your card is in another currency, your bank converts at its own rate.

  • Secure payment through Stripe, bank card, Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the terms of sale, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 19 days

Buy

A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 2 business days.

The day-by-day rundown

19 stops, 970 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 The crossing of the Sierra Juárez The crossing of the Sierra Juárez Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  2. Day 2 Oaxaca, the Zócalo and Santo Domingo Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  3. Day 3 Jalatlaco, the markets and the art museums Barrio de Jalatlaco Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 Monte Albán and Atzompa Monte Albán Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  5. Day 5 The unfinished convent and the craft villages Cuilapam de Guerrero Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 The three Dominican convents of the Mixteca Santo Domingo Yanhuitlán Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 The Tule tree, the rugs and the sites of the valley Árbol del Tule Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 Mitla, the prehistoric caves and mezcal Mitla Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 Hierve el Agua Hierve el Agua Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  10. Day 10 Down to the Pacific Down to the Pacific Free
  11. Day 11 Mangrove, turtles and bioluminescence Laguna de Manialtepec Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  12. Day 12 Mazunte, Zipolite and Punta Cometa Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  13. Day 13 Tour of the Huatulco bays Tour of the Huatulco bays Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  14. Day 14 The isthmus of Tehuantepec Tehuantepec and the former convent Rey Cosijopí Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  15. Day 15 Into Chiapas, Tuxtla and the marimba Museo Regional del Chiapas Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  16. Day 16 The Cañón del Sumidero, by water then from above The Cañón del Sumidero, by water then from above Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  17. Day 17 The mudéjar Pila, then up to San Cristóbal La Pila and the center of Chiapa de Corzo Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  18. Day 18 San Cristóbal, amber and Na Bolom San Cristóbal, amber and Na Bolom Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  19. Day 19 San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán San Juan Chamula Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

1 day is free to read above. The other 18 unlock when you buy. Buy the itinerary, €39

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Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • Three climate zones in one leg: Oaxaca at 1,550 m (5,090 ft), temperate and dry; the Pacific coast, hot and humid all year; and San Cristóbal at 2,200 m (7,200 ft), where January nights drop below 10 °C (50 °F).
  • The Sierra Juárez crossing on day 58 and the descent to the Pacific on day 67 are two days of mountain switchbacks. Mist settles in the afternoon, so leave in the morning.
  • The Manialtepec lagoon bioluminescence on day 68 depends on the moon: the darker the night, the better it shows, and it all but vanishes at full moon.

Transport and permits

  • Rent a car for the whole leg. The new Barranca Larga-Ventanilla highway on day 67 puts the Pacific three hours from Oaxaca, against six on the old road.
  • You drive the coast from west to east, from Puerto Escondido to Huatulco, before turning north through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the only passage between the two oceans.
  • The Sumidero Canyon on day 73 is best seen first from below, by lancha from Chiapa de Corzo, then from above on the road to the miradores (viewpoints). Do both, not one or the other.

Formalities and safety

  • San Juan Chamula on day 76 strictly forbids photography in the church and on the square. The ban is religious, it is enforced and it is not negotiable.
  • Hierve el Agua on day 66 is run by the San Lorenzo Albarradas community and sometimes closes over local disputes. Check that it is open before you drive out.
  • The Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga on day 69 and the hatchling releases run at fixed times, under supervision, with no lights and no flash.

Budget and meals

  • Currency: the Mexican peso, roughly €0.05 per 1 MXN. Oaxaca takes cards everywhere, but the craft villages and the Mazunte beaches run on cash.
  • Big-ticket items: the Manialtepec night lancha, the Sumidero lancha, the Huatulco bays tour on day 70 and the Monte Albán and Mitla entries.
  • The craft villages on day 62, barro negro at San Bartolo Coyotepec and alebrijes at San Martín Tilcajete, are free to visit. You only pay for what you buy.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening and says where you spend the night, with the address and booking link for each place to stay. Timed-entry tickets are flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is compiled day by day, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Module, classic or complete itinerary: which one should I choose?

A classic is a short trip built to stand on its own, designed for a first visit to the country. A module covers one region in depth. The complete itinerary crosses the whole country, and buying it also unlocks each of its modules in your customer account.

Can I get a refund if the itinerary doesn't suit me?

No. It is digital content delivered right away, and you waive your right of withdrawal at checkout. To judge before you pay, every product page gives one full day for free and the list of every stop. After purchase, the guarantee applies: a closed hotel or a permanently closed place is corrected within 7 days, otherwise you get a refund.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

In the same country

This module is one leg of the full itinerary: Complete Mexico itinerary: 149 days, hotels and bookings

The complete itinerary

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