Oaxaca + Pueblawith Chef Diego Campos

We ask all guests to arrive in Oaxaca one day before the official start of the tour, for a little extra cushion in case of flight delays and time to settle in. Oaxaca International Airport (OAX) has nonstop service from Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles.

In the evening we gather for a relaxed Meet & Greet with Chef Diego Campos and Chef Richard Gruica: drinks, bites and a toast to the adventure ahead.

We begin with a hands-on printmaking workshop led by a local artist: design, carve, ink and print your own piece of Oaxacan-inspired art to take home.

Then, a private culinary tour through markets, local eateries and neighborhood stops: mole, quesillo, corn, chiles, chocolate and more. After lunch, a street-art tour reveals the city’s walls as an open-air gallery.

In the evening, a special introduction to Xandú, the Zapotec Día de Muertos tradition of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, where the dead are welcomed home and reunited with the living.

Our day begins beneath the legendary Tree of Tule, famous for the stoutest trunk in the world. We meet artisans who turn plants, flowers and insects into brilliant natural dyes and weave with techniques passed down for generations.

At a sustainable farm we join an abuela for hands-on tortilla making, and Chef Diego joins in for a farm lunch. At a boutique artisanal mezcal producer, we follow agave from field to bottle and taste at the source.

As evening falls, Oaxaca transforms. We join the Gran Comparsa and follow the music, Catrinas, brass bands and marigolds through the streets.

The morning is yours: sleep in, shop for textiles and crafts, or wander the markets as the celebrations continue.

In the early afternoon, a mezcal tasting at a favorite local spot explores agave varieties, regions and flavor profiles. Then a private Catrina face-painting experience with local artists. Wear black or darker clothing and let the colors take center stage.

Tonight we follow the music, the people and the energy: perhaps a neighborhood comparsa, a traditional muerteada or celebrations in the surrounding communities.

We leave Oaxaca for Chef Diego’s home state of Puebla, and the road becomes part of the experience. In the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, we walk through the towering cacti of the Helia Bravo Hollis Botanical Garden and visit the centuries-old salt works of Zapotitlán Salinas.

Lunch is the seasonal Mole de Caderas, shared with a local family and Chef Diego.

Before Puebla, we stop in Huaquechula, famous for its Ofrendas Monumentales, the multi-level white altars families create to honor loved ones. The evening in Puebla is yours.

Today we head to Atlixco, Chef Diego’s hometown. He guides us through the Zócalo and historic center, then up Cerro de San Miguel for views toward Popocatépetl, and to the historic San Francisco church and former convent.

In Tochimilco we explore the market with Diego and sit down to a lunch of the region’s traditional flavors. Back in Atlixco, we visit a local nursery in the valley that grows most of the flowers for Día de los Muertos, then a few bites and a drink at the Michelin-recommended Vica.

Tonight, Diego takes over the kitchen for Roots: A Homecoming Dinner, his story told through food.

We venture into neighboring Tlaxcala, where fields of maguey lead us into one of Mexico’s oldest culinary traditions. At a working hacienda we meet a tlachiquero, who harvests aguamiel, the sweet sap of the maguey, and follow its natural fermentation into pulque. And yes, we taste along the way.

Lunch at the hacienda brings fire, smoke and slow cooking, with barbacoa and mixiotes taking center stage, and Chef Diego in the kitchen with the local cooks.

A slow morning, then a private exploration of Puebla’s UNESCO World Heritage historic center: the Zócalo, the Capilla del Rosario, the Biblioteca Palafoxiana and the Talavera-tiled kitchen of the former Convent of Santa Rosa, traditionally associated with the creation of mole poblano.

The afternoon is yours to shop for Talavera, grab a cemita and explore.

In the early evening, a hands-on mole experience with a traditional Poblana cook, with Chef Diego cooking alongside us, flows into our farewell dinner.

Our main adventure ends today, with transfers arranged to Puebla International Airport (PBC). Until we meet around another table!

Mexico City add-on: we travel toward Mexico City with a roadside lunch along the way and check in to our luxury boutique hotel in Polanco. Tonight is Tacos & Tequila, followed by VIP Lucha Libre at Arena México, where you’ll leave with your own custom lucha mask.

In Coyoacán, we step inside La Casa Azul, the Frida Kahlo Museum, with a private art historian.

Then the Bugs & Beers Market Experience: chapulines, escamoles, maguey worms and Mexican craft beers. Bravery is optional, and the most adventurous guest wins the Fearless Fork Award.

The evening is yours.

With our private guide we explore Teotihuacan: the Avenue of the Dead, the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Lunch is in a spectacular cave restaurant set within ancient volcanic rock.

As evening falls, we raise a glass with the mariachis of Plaza Garibaldi, then gather for our farewell dinner. Salud, México.

After breakfast, private transfers to Mexico City International Airport (MEX) according to your flight schedule. Thank you for traveling with Chef Diego Campos, Chef Richard Gruica and The Gourmet Vacation. See you somewhere delicious.