10 Days in Oaxaca and Chiapas: The Southern Mexico Route

Southern Mexico — Oaxaca and Chiapas — is a different country from the beach resorts and capital city. Indigenous cultures with continuous traditions stretching back to the pre-Hispanic period, Zapotec and Mayan ruins in active highland regions, and food traditions that predate the Spanish conquest. This 10-day route requires some overland travel and is best for travellers comfortable with slower, more engaged travel.

Days 1–4: Oaxaca City

Fly into Oaxaca City from Mexico City (1 hour, several daily flights). Base in the historic centre.

Day 1: Arrival and orientation. Walk the Andador Turístico, visit the Mercado 20 de Noviembre (the covered market with its famous smoke corridor where vendors grill carne and chorizo), and explore the Zócalo. Evening: mezcal at a bar on García Vigil.

Day 2: Monte Albán (8am start, bus from behind the second-class terminal). The Zapotec city on a levelled hilltop — pyramids, ballcourt, observatory, carved stelae. Back by noon. Afternoon: Santo Domingo de Guzmán complex (the church, the adjacent monastery with the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, and the botanical garden). Mole negro for dinner.

Day 3: Tlacolula Valley day trip — mezcal distilleries at Santiago Matatlán, Zapotec ruins at Mitla, the weaving village of Teotitlán del Valle, and Hierve el Agua (petrified waterfalls with views over the sierra). Full day.

Day 4: Free day in the city. Cooking class (see our Oaxaca cooking classes guide), textile shopping at the artisan market on Alcalá, or day trip to the villages of San Bartolo Coyotepec (black pottery) or Atzompa (green-glazed pottery).

Days 5–7: San Cristóbal de las Casas (Chiapas)

Fly Oaxaca → Tuxtla Gutiérrez (1 hour), then bus to San Cristóbal (1.5 hours). Alternatively, overnight bus from Oaxaca’s first-class terminal (10 hours) for budget travellers.

Day 5: Arrive and settle in. Walk the centre — Real de Guadalupe, the Catedral de San Cristóbal, and the textile market at Santo Domingo. San Cristóbal has a cool temperature (2,200m altitude) and a good cafe culture.

Day 6: Villages — morning at San Juan Chamula (the syncretic church; photography strictly forbidden inside) and Zinacantán (weaving cooperative). Both accessible by colectivo from the second-class terminal. Afternoon back in San Cristóbal for the Na Bolom museum.

Day 7: Cañón del Sumidero: bus to Tuxtla Gutiérrez (1 hour), then boat tour through the canyon (2 hours, ~MXN 250). The canyon walls rise 1,000m on either side of the Grijalva River; crocodiles, herons, and spider monkeys on the route. Return to San Cristóbal by evening.

Day 8: Transfer to Palenque

Bus from San Cristóbal to Palenque: 5–6 hours via Ocosingo (the more scenic route) or 7 hours via the highway. ADO and AEXA both serve this route. Arrive afternoon.

Day 9: Palenque

The archaeological zone opens at 8am; the jungle heat builds quickly, so arrive early. Key sites: Templo de las Inscripciones (Pakal’s tomb, 7th century, the best-documented royal burial in the Americas), the Palace with its distinctive four-storey tower, and the Grupo de las Cruces. The site’s on-site museum has the best carved panels. Combine with the Misol-Ha waterfall (35 km southwest, on the way back) if energy allows.

Day 10: Departure

Fly from Palenque (small airport, connections via Villahermosa or CDMX) or bus to Villahermosa (1.5 hours) for flights from there. Alternatively, continue east by bus to the Yucatán Peninsula if connecting to a longer trip.