Oaxaca, a colonial gem in the south of Mexico.

Oaxaca (pron. wa-HA-ka) is a beautiful and safe provincial town nestling in the Sierra Madre Sur mountains of southeast Mexico.

Only a 45 minute flight from Mexico City, Oaxaca is a great town and you'll love it here!

Apart from our great classes and school activities, Oaxaca has masses to offer. It's a beautiful colonial town with great museums, archeological sites, an incredibly rich indigenous culture (16 different groups) many of whom still produce traditional arts and crafts.

In your spare time you can visit majestic archeological sites such as Monte Alban and Mitla or the hill top fortress of Yagul. The views alone are fantastic.

Oaxaca boasts a wonderful state museum with treasures from tombs, examples of jewellery, pottery and clothing stretching back to pre-hispanic times.

Our museums of Modern Art and Insitute of Graphic Arts host exhibitors from all over the world.

You can see how rugs are made, pots, fantastical animals and enjoy the town’s bustling markets.

There is also a thriving art community and there are many galleries. The picturesque main square is lined by cafes and great for people-watching over a beer or limonada!

On top of this, Oaxaca is set in lovely mountains and there are lots of eco-activities and sports available - paragliding, hiking, bird watching, cycling, rock climbing or swimming in outdoor swimming pools nestled in mountain villages. At night enjoy our fabulous bars, salsa clubs and restaurants .The food is incredible too! Oaxaca is famous across the country for it’s regional dishes – anything from quesadillas to moles!

A recent article from "The Alberta Teachers' Association Magazine" by Deirdre Swan (click for full article)

Getting from Mexico City to Oaxaca

You can get buses to Oaxaca from the TAPO bus station in Mexico City. There is a luxury bus called UNO which has 24 reclining seats and makes the 6 hour bus ride very comfortable. Costs and times are below. There is another coach, GL, which is also comfortable leaving from TAPO.

Taxi: Mexico City airport to TAPO bus station

On arriving ask a porter to take you to the taxi ticket office and wait. (If you speak Spanish, are confident or don’t have much luggage you may not need a porter). There, you tell the man behind the counter your destination (TAPO BUS STATION) and he will tell you how much the ticket is. Check your change!

Ask the same porter to take you to the taxi terminal. He will help you find a taxi. You should give him about 20 pesos. Another guy who has no apparent function will load your bags into the car. Why? A tip. Give him about 10 pesos. Then the taxi driver appears and asks you where you're going . Give him the ticket and ask him to take you to the TERMINAL UNO, if you are taking the UNO bus and TERMINAL TAPO GL if you are taking the GL bus. Lock the doors and when you get there check to see if it says UNO terminal. If it doesn't ask another porter to take you there. It's much safer to spend a couple of dollars on a porter than to get lost or mugge

Bus: TAPO bus station to Oaxaca bus station

Once in the bus terminal you'll buy your ticket and check in your luggage (they like to think that they are airplanes!) and help yourself to free coffee and tea if you are in the UNO terminal. Easy! The UNO are very comfortable, they have half the normal number of seats so you can lie back, stretch out. Both have the convenience of clean toilets (at least at the beginning of the trip).

Weather

First, average high and low temperatures only apply to a couple of hours at midday and late night/predawn.

Most of the day in the central valleys the temperature will be around 25º C (77º F) to 30º C (86º F). Remember, in the capital city of Oaxaca we are at an altitude of 1550 meters (5080 feet) above sea level which means that the sun is near and quite strong but that there will always be a significant difference in temperature out of the direct sun precisely because of the altitude. If you plan to be in exposed areas, such as Monte Alban, wear a hat and if you feel the heat just find a shady spot outdoors or rest indoors for a short time. After all, the siesta was invented to relax and enjoy the middle of the day.

At night in the city the temperature is always cool enough that you should have a light wrap if you plan to be out, especially if you are sitting around the zócalo with its trees, thick stone walls and portales which cause us to feel cooler than the actual temperature of the air.

There are a few nights, especially in January, when the temperature may get down to an extreme low of 5ºC or so but these are isolated occasions.

Just so are the extreme highs which may occur just before the rains begin. As a point of information, the highest and lowest temperatures recorded in the city of Oaxaca are 40.2º C (104.5º F) and 2ºC (35.6º F) - both one time events.

There may be two or three torrential rains, possibly even with hail in some areas, in April or May when warm humid air meets the cooler air but the rainy season usually doesn't get under way until around the middle of June and lasts until late September or the beginning of October. During this time the mornings and early afternoons are sunny and warm until the clouds begin to gather over the mountains and the showers quickly follow and as quickly pass on, leaving everything refreshed and gleaming. It is easy to see when the rain is approaching, but an umbrella or raincoat is advisable in case a shower moves faster than you do. Once in a while a soft rain will fall well into the night to nourish the earth and plants but usually the showers are brief and the sun comes back out to finish the day.

Free-time Activities and Night-life

If you feel like taking a break, you can go to the outdoor swimming pools and enjoy the sun and natural spring water. In the evening, you can sit and watch the world go by from the cafés on the shady tree-covered zócalo, listen to live jazz or try out the wide variety of bars, discos and salsa clubs Oaxaca has to offer.