Local tour guide/driver in Oaxaca?

Hi again all,
Have been in touch with a couple of guides/driver in Oaxaca, and many are already booked for the date I need. Has anyone had a great experience with anyone in Oaxaca. Am looking to travel out to Tlacolula Market on Sunday 24th, Teotitlan del Valle, and maybe Milta........ another day San Bartole Coyotepec, Atzompa and Mt Alban( Dec 26).

Anyone know of great tour guide/driver that you could put me in touch with with reasonable rates..?
Plus, does everything close down on the 25th in Oaxaca for Xmas Day?
Appreciate the help.

If you can't locate one you will be able to find a taxi no problem that will be happy to do this. Just ask you hotel to get you someone and negotiate an hourly rate. I wouldn't miss Mitla if you go out that way. What I like to do is to go to Mitla first arriving at around 10:00 a.m. check out the ruins and church that go back to Tlatcolula. Although I like Teotitlan is it really quiet on Sundays. A lot of the weavers go to Tlatcolua. If you have a driver you can get around fast and you might want to add Yagul and Tule too depending on how ambitious you are. This is a route where you can really see a lot. Last, this can all be done with public transportation as well if you are interested.

Agreed, a private taxi or collective taxi driver could shuttle you around. Tell them your route and negotiate a price, or ask your hotel manager for a recommendation. Public transport is fine, and has much more reasonable rates, but less convenient. You could add some more destinations to your second day, unless you plan to spend a lot of time at each archaeological site. I don´t believe sites will be closed 25 Dec, but businesses may open later. I´m sure guided tour agencies could offer a package for you too; check the Alcala.

Just for comparison, here are some approx prices: public bus from Oaxaca to Mitla: 25 MXN; vs collective taxi from Oaxaca to Mitla: 40 MXN per seat; so if you were to hire a taxi for yourself, for a return trip to Mitla, I would estimate the price at 200 MXN per one way trip (basically the price of all five seats), or 400 MXN; plus add 100 MXN for each hour you want the driver to stop somewhere and wait. Local guides can be found at each site.

Atzompa is a small site, and won´t take more than an hour in my opinion, but there´s also a community museum below the site that´s worth a visit. Monte Alban, of course, is a much bigger site. Teotitlan del Valle also has a community museum that I liked.

I talked to a tour operator today, and they only charge 200 MXN for a day tour to Mitla, with several stops, for only 200 MXN (plus admission fees). Hard to beat that price if you´re pressed for time.

Wow... amazing information. Thank you so much!! The couple of people I've already been in touch with charge 400 pesos per hour and are basing all sites on an 8 hour tour approx.
As its a Sunday, I have decided I'm going to try to do Milta, Tlacolula Market, Yagul Ruins, and Teotitlan del Valle all in one day.
Then another day do Mt Alban, Aztompa and San Bartole Coyotepec
Do you have the name of the tour guide you spoke with/an email address at all?

Plus, do you live in Oaxaca? Have been trying to confirm accomodation I have booked at Casa del Sotano arriving on the 22nd and after 2 weeks I am yet to hear back from them via email... :)

This was just the first tour guide tout I ran into in the Alameda; they´re there every day. Perhaps it was San Tours. Mexicans don´t reply promptly by email. The price you were quoted may have been for a custom tour (although it sounds standard to me).

Don't miss a visit to the Tule Tree as it is fantastic.

As its a Sunday, I have decided I'm going to try to do Milta, Tlacolula Market, Yagul Ruins, and Teotitlan del Valle all in one day.

You can do this if you move along and I think it is worth it. When in Mitla and Teotitlan note how the churches were built on top of indigenous structures, it is quite amazing. Great view from Yagul.

Couple of comments on your other itinerary. You can do Monte Alban well in a half day. Buses depart direct from Calle Mina from Hotel Riviera Angel. I don't know if Arrazola is worth it anymore or not. I see less and less in the wood carving villages as buyers buy up the alebrejes or they are sold in Oaxaca City. A nice route after Monte Alban would be ex convento at Cuilapan, on to Zachilla, look at the tombs and check out the town, then over to Coyotepec. It is roughly a loop from Oaxaca City. This can easily be down with taxis, or colectivos.

Or if you really like Monte Alban you might be interested in the new section that opened a couple of years ago over by Atzompa. I really like it. Whatever you do you should have fun. I have a trip coming up shortly to OAX as well and am looking forward to being back in town.

I´ve talked to a couple more tour touts. The one from San said their price was 300 MXN, but their tour was better than the one that cost 200 MXN! (As an aside, I had to confirm the price in both English and Spanish) Today I was quoted 250 MXN from another agency.

Great- incredibly helpful!!
Thinking I may wait until I get to Oaxaca and head to Alameda like you've suggested mclarjh on my first day there to try and arrange for following day (Sun) to Milta, Tlacolula Markets, Yagul, Teotitlan Del Valle and then anything in between that they suggest. 400 pesos per hour seems steep if I am to go solo with private driver for 7/8 hours

Then on Tues maybe I catch a direct bus like "mexico" suggested from Calle Mina from Hotel Riviera Angel to Mt Alban, then grab a taxi over to Atzompa -market day Tues 26th, catch another taxi to Cuilapan/Zachilla, Coyotepec then back to Oaxaca.... do you think I can easily do all this independently of each other/ catch as I go? Or do you think its better to arrange one guy from the Alameda and stick with them the whole day/ includes waiting time etc?

Does that sound OK as a plan? I speak very little spanish so could this be challenging for me to arrange in the Alameda by myself?

Many of the touts in the Alameda and along the Alcala speak English, so it shouldn´t be a problem. But my sense is that they think they speak English better than they really do, so confirm important details in writing (plus they all carry brochures with photos of the places you´ll be visiting). Fewer taxi drivers speak English, so list your destinations with wait times beside each.

There may or may not be private taxis at Monte Alban and Atzompa. One possibility is to walk between the two sites (I´ve done it), but it´s several km, so check a map, or consider asking a taxi driver to wait, or just wait until another tourist shows up in a taxi and hire them. The other places are all towns, so there´ll be lots of taxis around.

Out of curiosity this morning I asked an ADO-sitio taxi driver how much it would cost for an 8-hour trip to Monte Alban; Atzompa; Zaachila; Cuilapam; San Bartolo Coyotepec; and he replied 150 MXN/hour (or 1200 MXN/8-hour day). Of course you don´t get a guide for that price; but you can either hire one locally, or go without. If you do hire a guide at each stop, then you´ll nearly be spending as much as our original plan. I like doing these kinds of trips on my own and reading about them either before or later, but that´s me. You may be better off with a tour that includes most of the places you want to visit: cheap and easy.

Great- thanks so much for all your help mclarjh!! I prefer to do stuff on my own also. Not really a tour-type of gal and like to research a place before I go to it so not to rely on a tour guide so much.
Great- keep the amazing info coming!!! :)

You might consider reading ¨Sun Above, Sun Below¨ by Marcus Winter and Damon E. Peeler, published by INAH, Mexico City (2010). It´s a small book about astronomy, architecture and calendars at Teotihuacan and Monte Alban. I´m sure I read it at the Oaxaca Lending Library just south of Llano Park.

And I`m reminded that last week I attended a lecture about the grecas at Mitla; here you can read all about it (use Google Translate if needed): http://municipiodeoaxaca.gob.mx/municipio-de-oaxaca/prensa/robert-markens-expone-el-significado-de-la-greca-escalonada-de-mitla

Amazing again- thank you. Will read for sure.
You've mentioned that it's walkable from Mt Alban to Atzompa... is that correct? Am interested to checking out their market day on the Monday along with Mt Alban.

I just checked the distance from the Monte Alban to the Atzompa archaeological site on Google Maps; 8 km; or two hrs by foot. I´ve done it, but I´m familiar with the hazards, so you ought to be more wary. From the Atzompa archeological site you´d continue walking another km north to the community museum, and then another km to the centro, where I guess the market is. Most people would hire a taxi for the first leg, at least.

Hi again mclarijh.... am about to leave on my Mexican Adventure tomorrow and just wanted to thank you for all your great advice and knowledge- I've really appreciated it. Have a wonderful Xmas.

Maybe I´ll bump into you here. Feliz Navidad!

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.