Experience Oaxaca: An Adventure Journey with iBestTravel
Writer Tim Wenger came to Oaxaca in search of mezcal and mole. Thanks to an off-hand recommendation, he ended up deep in the mountains and gained a whole new appreciation for the region.
A field of bright green agave plants stretches across the hillside, dozens of expertly planted rows a quarter-mile long standing in sharp contrast to the surrounding wild pine forest. The midday sun reveals some letters carved into the skin of one sharp agave branch and I lean in to get a better look. “Aquí estuvo Renada,” it says. “Renada was here.”
I wonder if she was a farmer, putting a knife to a branch, to pass the time. Or maybe, like me, Renada was a visitor, who was surprised to find herself deep in the Sierra Madre mountains of southern Mexico, far removed from the resort circuit and even the quiet beach towns of Oaxaca, on a historical hiking trail through the high country. While I refrained from adding my own name, I could understand the instinct to do something—anything—to mark the moment.
Oaxaca’s Signature Food and Drink
I’d anticipated an abundance of experiences in Oaxaca, but not this. For starters, I figured I’d mostly be interacting with agave in its liquid form, which, to be fair, I’d already overindulged in the night before. I surely hadn’t expected to be working off a mezcal haze out on the same trails once traversed by Zapotec traders and Spanish conquistadors. But at a certain point in any trip, it becomes time to stop expecting and start experiencing.
The state of Oaxaca is rich in coffee, agave, and agritourism. This is what brought us here from our home in Colorado. My wife, Alisha, owns a small seed company and is passionate about food systems. She hoped to learn from the region’s growers. Along the way, like most visitors to Oaxaca, Alisha and I wanted to eat mole—the sauce made of rich chocolate and dried chiles often served over chicken or enchiladas—and to sample mezcal, a smoky liquor made from agave plants. Hoping to dive deeper than most visitors, we blocked out a few weeks and rented a small studio apartment a few blocks off the Zócalo square in the state’s capital, Oaxaca City.
Connecting with the Land on Historic Trails
Two weeks into our time in the city, Jair, a bartender, told us about iBestTravel, an adventure tourism company founded by local mountain bikers Fernando Barnetche and Carlos Hernandez. The biking and hiking tours aim to preserve a network of historic trails that connect Oaxaca’s remote villages while protecting a vital piece of the region’s history.
The following morning, groggy from the night before, Alisha and I walked to the office and booked a guided hiking tour. Two days later, we headed with a guide and two other travelers into the Sierra Madre mountains. Barnetche and his team are continually adding new trail mileage to their system, discovering old paths that need ongoing use to remain intact. They also partner with local villages to provide meals, mezcal tastings, and cultural experiences to travelers. iBestTravel currently runs tours on 180 miles of trail throughout Oaxaca’s high country. Despite their efforts, Barnetche believes thousands of trails are yet to be uncovered.
The Mountains and Flora of Oaxaca
Eighty-five percent of the territory in Oaxaca is rugged, mountainous terrain dotted by small villages. Three distinct ranges—the Sierra Madre del Sur, the Sierra Norte, and the Sierra Atravesada—reach above 11,000 feet in elevation, separated by steep canyons and lush valleys that are home to more than 8000 native species of flora. For hundreds of years, these villages were connected only by rugged trails cut by animals and people moving slowly between them. Barnetche estimates that many of the trails have existed since at least the early 1700s, and that others yet to be discovered are likely even older.
Exploring Remote Locations with iBestTravel
According to Barnetche, “One of the most important things we do is bring people to locations that are not visited regularly by tourists. With this initiative of bringing people to more remote villages, we are able to spread the money in these towns that need it more.”
A Day of Natural Springs and Mezcal
The tour began with a stop two hours from Oaxaca City at Hierve el Agua, a collection of natural springs suspended in travertine rock outside the village of San Lorenzo Albarradas. Despite its name (“the water boils”), the springs are around 75 degrees, far too cool for a leisurely soak. After half an hour of exploring, we hit the trail on foot. It started with a steep descent, with switchbacks winding through the pine forest. After an hour, our guide, Yesi Rojas, paused at a fork in the trail. We departed from the known path and proceeded through a section of a wooden fence that had been opened for us.
A few sharp turns later and the trees gave way to a massive field of agave. The green arms of these plants stretched skyward as far as I could see, the stems of the oldest plants towering over six feet. The plants, our guide explained, were Espadín, the most common type of agave used in making mezcal exported internationally, including to the United States.
Conclusion: The Impact of Adventure Tourism
The sun had begun to set over the Sierra Madre by the time we returned to Oaxaca City. I felt exhausted but inspired. Days later, Alisha and I made a final visit to the La Cosecha Organic Market, bringing home a pound of mole paste and two liters of mezcal.
I loved the mezcal and mole; they made for excellent souvenirs. However, the referral to iBestTravel resulted in a profound understanding of Oaxaca and its people—an experience that I otherwise would have missed. It shifted my perspective not only on Oaxaca but also on my own travel values, highlighting the importance of immersing oneself in another culture and community.
