Oaxaca Explorer Ride

Discover Oaxaca's magical countryside on horseback. Mount our team of experienced horses and ride along ancient paths with exotic vistas in one of the world's most diverse ecosystems. Venture into a timeless way of life as we begin our ride along the cobblestone streets of Teotitlan that lead to the foothills and into the backcountry. Spend some afternoons touring the Oaxaca valley, or enjoy a massage, sauna, cooking class or just relax in the hammock.
The state of Oaxaca is located in the south of Mexico and straddles the Sierra Madre mountain ranges. Broad valleys and majestic peaks characterize this geographically challenging state and Oaxaca's microclimates are unique among the world's ecosystems.
Oaxaca is culturally fascinating as well with many diverse native ethnic groups and rich craft traditions. The city of Oaxaca has been declared a Cultural Patrimony of the World by UNESCO and the Zapotec village of Teotitlan, where this ride is based, is world famous for its hand-loomed rug weaving.
You’ll stay at a hacienda-style country home and at an elevation of 5,500 ft. both riding and sleeping are comfortable year round - even during the summer months. Next to individually catered daily rides you can enjoy cooking classes, bird watching, local fiestas and excursions to archeological sites and/or into the Sierra Juarez Mountains. Take some yoga classes especially designed for riders or experience a ceremonial native sauna known as temascal.
Endurance Rider’s Welcome!
The hacienda’s guides & horses regularly compete in endurance competitions, - taking two Best Condition Horse awards and one 1^st place in 2007 in the Mexican National Endurance Circuit, 40-mile category.

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Rates are ‘all inclusive’ all meals, 6 nights accommodation, beer or wine with meals, sunset cocktails,1 yoga class or massage, 5 days of riding.
7 days/ 6 nights   $ 1,650   Single + 0
2008 Dates:
01/27-02/02    02/17-02/23    03/23-03/29
04/20-04/26    05/11-05/17    06/08-06/14
07/27-08/02    08/24-08/30    09/21-09/27
10/19-10/25    11/08-11/14    11/23-11/29
12/10-12/16
... additional dates for 2 or more riders are available upon request
Small group supplement if only 1 rider $250

Airport: Oaxaca airport
- Mexicana, Aeromexico & Continental airlines all provide daily flights to Oaxaca. Same-day connections between Oaxaca and other US/Canadian cities are available flights through Mexico City.
Transfer: Included
Level:    Low intermediate  (special rides for beginners can be arranged with different guide)
Tack:   Mexican Vaquero, Australian or English saddles. Helmets are available.
Horses:  Quarter and Criollos mix
Min/Max: 2- 6 riders
Min Age: 12
Pace:  All paces
Note: not included are special courses such as 'Creative Writing', 'Fiestas, Food & Culture', 'Power Yoga'
 
Lodgings:
With only twelve guest rooms and a home-style atmosphere, the hacienda is the perfect place to retreat from your busy life. The hacienda’s design, by artist/owner Arnulfo Mendoza, creates a warm sophistication with adobe walls and rustic pine beams. Mary Jane decorated it with hand-loomed textiles, original art and Mexican antiques from their personal collection.  Immerse yourself in a traditional Zapotec village surrounded by ancient culture and stunning panoramic views.

Itinerary
Day 1:  Afternoon pick up from the airport in Oaxaca and transfer to the finca. Settle into your room. Have a cool drink on the terrace and soak in the vistas of Teotitlan & its spectacular countryside that are yours for the next week. Meet your guides and horses before dinner. Every evening enjoy a cocktail before our dinners that feature fresh regional Oaxacan cuisine. Our local specialties are savory but never fiery although there is always a fresh salsa on the table for those who like it hot.
Day 2:  Hearty breakfast of fresh tropical fruit, yogurt, homemade granola, Oaxaca estate coffee or our famous hot chocolate along with a different hot & savory breakfast offered daily.
Meet at the stables just below the guesthouse where we match each guest to their horse. Today we head east to the Cuevita, a sacred ceremonial site to the native people of Teotitlan. These trails are lined with exotic vegetation and a gentle ascent offers excellent views of the southern Sierra Madre Mountains.
Passing ancient terraced hillsides we cross over a saddlepass - gateway to the foothills of the Sierra Juarez. The Pierda Azul Dam is a haven for water fowl, while a menagerie of livestock and birdlife congregate daily on its banks .  Riding parallel to the Rio Grande, this quiet dirt road lined with the yellow flowering Calaverita trees is a nice place to pick up the pace.  A "sit-down" picnic lunch is waiting along the grassy riverbanks of Teotitlan's own Rio Grande.
This afternoon we ride south skirting the western slope of the river, through dramatic volcanic rock groomed with ancient candelabra cacti. Farther along we enter the classic farmland of the valley; alfalfa fields, corn crops and open spaces for grazing.
... from October to May we ride in the morning and return for lunch. The afternoon is free to explore and then we finish the day with a sunset ride.
Every evening enjoy cocktails before dinner which always features fresh Oaxacan cuisine. Our local specialties are savory but never fiery but a fresh salsa is always on the table for those who like it hot.
Day 3:  Today’s ride is new to the itinerary with the destination being Matatlan, an important Mezcal-making village, just about 20 mile ride away. We wind through the valley on excellent footing - perfect to pick up the pace. We pass through the quiet craft village of Santa Ana del Valle before entering a stand of old-growth cacti. Turning south an area of fascinating rock escarpments is dappled with pre-historic caves dwellings. A narrow trail leads us to the top of Caballito Blanco, a true mesa with panorama views of the broad valley and grand sierras.  This area is the home to some of the oldest known civilization in the Americas. We ride right through the hamlet of Tanivet, famous for its organ cacti fences. As we near our destination the flat valley turns to rolling hills covered in blue agave plantations. Lunch awaits us in Matatlan where you learn how mezcal is made and of course taste the fine artisan varieties produced here.  A short car ride along the famous Pan-American highway leads us back to Teotitlan.  Approx. 5 hours
Day 4:   Today's ride explores the valley to the southwest and its unique geological formations left from dead volcanos.  Deep russet-colored earth carpets trails lined with native flora that lead to the remnants of the old Camino Nacional.  Worn paving stones still mark this long-abandoned road. Winding westward we’ll find the hidden entrance to an enchanting mountain pass - a geological and botanical feast for the eyes.  Sweeping vistas give glimpses of the narrow western arm of the Oaxaca valley.  A gentle descent into the valley leads to oxen lanes that turn into a goat path that traverses an ancient lava flow and ascends passing agave plantations to our destination for lunch - a narrow mesa that speaks of an ancient ceremonial site. Weather permitting we will picnic under the shade trees and soak up the views. 
From here the finca is in sight and a pleasant ride though sandy stream-beds and native farmland ends on the cobbled lanes of Teotitlan. We ride right by Teotitlan’s recently uncovered pre-Hispanic archeological sites.   Sunset cocktails before dinner.
Day 5:   We ride due south and into the foothills of Teotitlan’s extensive communal lands, its wide rolling hills the hunting grounds of eagles and Cara-cara hawks.  Crossing a dry gulley and moving in the direction of the neighboring village of Santa Ana del Valle the trail, ideal for a long canter, leads us to a spring-fed oasis and natural bird sanctuary.  The steady ascent ends on a forested slope, gateway to the village’s remote and virtually impenetrable backcountry. From this extreme eastern vantage point the views go for hundreds of miles. 
The earthen trail that divides the lands belonging to Teotitlan and Santa Ana is a perfect place to pick up the pace before turning north on the ancient road to Tlacolula. Massive stone mojoneras dot today’s ride, monuments to the ancient Oaxacan tradition of marking village borders.
Lunch is back on the terrace of the finca.   4 hours of riding
Optional afternoon excursion:
Explore the far points of the valley of Tlacolula. Visit the ancient archeological site of Mitla, famous for its intricate carved stone facades and the 2,000 year old cypress tree in El Tule – this is the widest tree on earth! Stop to see the early colonial church in Tlacochahuaya, decorated in a delightful native Mexican style.|
Choose between a hired taxi at $12 per hour or English speaking guide & driver at $25. Allow 3-4 hours
Day 6: The ride begins due south, passing Teotitlan’s colorful cemetery on the edge of town cobbled lanes give way to earth tracks that lead to a natural spring-fed wetland - a hotspot for native birdlife. The distinct hill of Dain Zaa, Zapotec for the Cloud Mountain lay ahead and houses one of the area's best preserved cactus groves. We pass stands of wild cane before turning our gaze to the west. We’ll spend the rest of the day on the communal lands that belong to the villages of Santiaguito and Machuilxochitl. Not only will be see traditional farming methods but we’ll explore these villages on horseback, both known for their wild cane fences, flocks of turkeys and adode homes. Leaving houses and streets behind the ride along a sandy river bed offers up-close views of the areas fascinating geology.  A short jog into the rolling foothills ends at a magical hollow embraced by mammoth freestanding boulders.  Weather permitting a sit-down picnic lunch awaits.  The journey back to Teotitlan crosses a series of arroyos, the dry open plains contrasting with lush gullies nourished by the rains. Finally the sound of hooves on cobblestone signals horses and riders that Casa Sagrada is not far away.
The afternoon is free to explore, enjoy a massage or traditional native Temascal  ( ceremonial herbal sauna )  Sunset cocktails before farewell Mexican grilled dinner.   6 hours of riding
Day 7  Hearty breakfast. Transfers to airport or hotel in Oaxaca if you are extending your stay to the city of Oaxaca, a UNESCO declared world heritage site where great shopping and beautiful colonial architecture awaits you.

                Itinerary subject to change!

  see slide show

Come on our Perfect Summer Riding Vacation. 
No mosquitoes and low humidity – what more can you ask for.
Our rainy season has come early this year and Oaxaca is already green and dazzling to the eye.  The brief but intense early evening showers have cooled down the temperatures making for comfortable riding even at midday.

NOTE:  The itineraries for Day 3 and 4 can be substituted for an overnight trek into the Sierra Juarez.  Riders give up some of the elegant lodgings and finest of Oaxacan cuisine to expore the remote backcountry of the high sierras. Riders are required to carry all their own personal items, very light packing is essential. Saddlebags provided. Rain gear is recommended.  
First Day:  We will trailer the horses half an hour away to Diaz Ordaz in the southernmost corner of the valle of Tlacolula and a short ride along a old pilgrimage route leads to the Zapotec village of San Miguel. This charming village is known for the colorful native dress of its women and its 16^th century church. This is the jumping off point to enter the Sierra Juarez. In 8 miles the trail ascends almost 5,000 feet!
With a grade this steep the horses can’t do much more than walk but it doesn’t much matter since the views are so spectacular and with the constant ascent every mile or so new vegetation appears. The forests will change from giant candelabra cacti to oak forests with flowering yuccas to dense pine forests cohabitating with massive agaves. 
The Sierra Juarez is an undulating mountain range characterized by a series of ridges at 10,000 ft that drop down to lush valleys nearing 7,000 ft..  The horses enjoy trots and canters along the five miles of gentle descent into the secluded hamlet of El Carrizal. The friendly inhabitants are new to eco-tourism but they are off to a good start with charming adobe cabins complete with comfy beds, fireplaces and hot showers. Riders will have to help with unsaddling, grooming and feeding their horses.   5 hours of riding
Meals in Carrizal are simple but cooked with produce from their gardens and their own farm fresh eggs. The ultra-pure tapped spring water is very safe for drinking.
Weather and energy permitting riders can explore the village on foot or take a guided hike to an interesting nearby landmark.

The following day:
Depending on the time of year we must descend to the valley of Tlacolula on the same single-track road although departing San Miguel we’ll return to Diaz Ordaz on a trail that follows wild cane stands crossing streambeds several times. The reverse experience feels very different and looking down into the valley and across to the southern Sierras is unforgettable. In Diaz Ordaz horses and riders make the short drive back to Teotitlan.
The other option it to ascend to the next ridge and follow it to the northwest, passing through the village of Llano Grande. Meandering along narrow trails in dense pine forests for about 5 miles we entre Cuajimaloyas one of Oaxaca’s pueblos mancomunados renowned for their ecological and social consciousness. For lunch we will visit friends at their beautifully preserved early 20^th century adobe home. Charming flower gardens distinguish with community
The days ride continues along this 2 mile-high ridge until we reach Benito Juarez,  the mountain village directly above Teotitlan.  Vehicle transportation will be waiting for riders and horses for an hour-long trip back to the finca and Teotitlan.   5 hours of riding today.