• Private Tour
• Carbon Neutral

Immerse yourself in Oaxaca’s vibrant artistry. Witness black pottery crafted in San Bartolo Coyotepec, explore colorful textiles in Santo Tomás Jalieza, marvel at whimsical alebrijes in San Martín Tilcajete, and admire breathtaking clay sculptures by the legendary Maestro José García Antonio.

Destination

Oaxaca, Mexico

Category

Day Trips

Duration

7 hours

Transport mode

Car

Available languages

English, Español

Included

• Private guide
• Driver
• A/C Car
• Pick-up Included

Excluded

• Entrances tickets, meals and snacks

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Tanivet.

1. Meeting point

   You will be picked up anywhere in Oaxaca. Your local host will contact you regarding the exact pickup point.

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. 1.- San Bartolo Coyotepec

   It is the birthplace of one of Oaxaca’s most important artisan traditions—black pottery. An artisan will guide you through the crafting process and share the history behind this popular handicraft.

4. 2.- Santo Tomas Jalietza

   A chaming village known for its rich cultural heritage AND vibrante textiles tradition.

5. 3.- San Martín Tilcajete

   Experience a representative expression of cultura AND identity. Get involved in the magic of wood carving figures that will take you to a world of imagination.

6. 4.- San Antonino Castillo Velasco

   We will visit the studio of Maestro José García Antonio. Maestro José is a man that despite losing his visión, continues his craft demonstrating a remarkable degree of skills AND imagination

7. Lunch at Almú restaurant

   Enjoy Oaxaca food in a festive ambiance surrounded by a beautiful landscape

8. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Kathy

11 April 2025

We enjoyed one and a half days with Tanivet guiding us around Oaxaca. She is very knowledgeable about the city and the small villages and artisans. She knew just where to take us based on our interests and was a delight to be with! The best guide in Oaxaca!

John

4 April 2025

Okay with all the guiding services available you got to pick one. We are so happy we picked with locals in Tanivet. From pickup at our lodging location through touring artisan villages and craft shops through a wonderful Empanada lunch and then the ride home could not have been better. We have been there and done that. This tour exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend.That was FUN!

peter

25 February 2025

Highest rating. Guide and driver were personable, knowledgeable, flexible. Took us to a wonderful alebrije workshop that was not on the itinerary and really out of the way just because we asked. Great time, well worth it. Great tour

Eliza

15 February 2025

Tanivet and her colleague were incredibly kind, funny, and full of fascinating insights. This experience offers a unique opportunity to see highly regarded artisans at work. You’ll savor delicious traditional food cooked over an open fire, take in the passing landscapes, and gain a deep appreciation for the time, love, and effort poured into every part of this rich and meaningful day.Craft, Culture and Connection❤️

Brian🇺🇸 United States

6 May 2025

Tanivet was a great guide for us to do the highlights and hidden gems walking tour. She pointed out a lot of places for us to consider during the rest of our trip, and was a wealth of knowledge about Oaxaca, its cultures, customs, celebrations, neighborhoods, and history. She was so warm and welcoming and was a great way for us to kick off our time in Oaxaca. Highly recommend.Tanivet is one of the highlights!

Kathy

27 April 2025

We loved our tour with Tanivet yesterday. She was knowledgeable, patient, and shared fascinating facts with us. She speaks English perfectly well, and was patient with us trying to learn Spanish. I highly recommend her as a tour guide!What a fantastic tour guide!

John

24 April 2025

Tanivet was excellent, she is knowledgeable, friendly, and flexible. She was prompt and we were never rushed.Excellent guide

Holly

24 April 2025

We had an excellent time and a very full day on our tour with Tanivet and Enrique. They were both full of very fun facts and we learned a lot about the region. They were flexible to add in stops and change up the itinerary. They also answered a lot of questions for us about navigating Oaxaca. We felt very comfortable in their care!Tanivet is an excellent tour guide!

Amy🇺🇸 United States

19 April 2025

We used Tanivet for the night tour and the a few days later for the tour of Jalatlaco. She was terrific! She was on time, responded to questions easily, and overall very friendly. Tanivet is very knowledgeable and shared so much of the history of the city and surrounding area. We learned a lot. It is apparent that she has a passion for what she does. I highly recommend her as a guide. Make sure you've got good walking shoes because she will take you everywhere!

daniel🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

17 April 2025

We spent the better part of the day with Tanivet and a driver. She was knowledgeable and friendly. She checked in with how we were doing and if she was meeting our expectations throughout the day .Sheba’s extensive knowledge of Mexican history, particularly that of Oaxaca. We could not recommend her more highly !!Great guide in oaxaca

Denise

12 April 2025

Tanavet was amazing! Great communication even after we returned home! She has great historical knowledge and we enjoyed her local walks! We would definitely tour with her again!!

Luis Pablo🇲🇽 Mexico

11 April 2025

Muy buen inglés conocimientos amplio de la historia Muy bien

Chris

2 April 2025

Our family of 5 spent a lovely, full day with Tavinet and her driver Daphne travelling to Hierve el Agua. She gave us lots of insights into all of the areas we travelled, brought us to interesting places and introduced us to interesting people. She gave us lots of options for how to spend our day and was happy to answer all and any of our questions about anything we were seeing or questions we had generally about Mexico or Oaxaca. She and Daphne were enjoying showing us around - there was lots of laughter and fun to be had - it was like spending a day with an old friend. She has a wonderful spirit and brought a lighthearted enthusiasm to our experience. Would definitely recommend. Wonderful day travelling to Hierve el Agua

Pamela

17 March 2025

We are so fortunate to have chosen Tanivet to guide us on our tour of Monte Albán. Not only is she personable and an excellent English speaker, she has a truly unique perspective as a result of her father’s work—helping to preserve the natural treasure that is Monte Albán. Tanivet is highly recommended. Tanivet is a marvelous guide!

Lesley🇨🇦 Canada

14 March 2025

We were enlightened and delighted with Tanivet’s knowledge and stories of her hometown, Oaxaca. With her well honed experience and insights, we enjoyed a new and interesting side to this amazing city. Most informative

shannonmcnary

14 March 2025

Sharon

14 March 2025

We booked the Monte Albán excursion with Tanivet and she was amazing! Wow! Her personal history of spending so much time at the ruins as a child made our experience feel really special. It was like getting a personal tour with someone who knew the grounds intimately and had even been inside some of the tombs and tunnels where they no longer allow people to go. Tani even gave advice to other tourists there who had questions. She was so helpful! Tanivet let us customize our tour by offering a couple options for our last stop. Tanivet and Enrique made the entire day memorable. Enrique is an excellent driver and the ride was very comfortable. It was a truly enjoyable and educational day - we learned SO much from Tanivet! Truly impressive!!

Arthur🇺🇸 United States

11 March 2025

Tanivet is wonderful. She somehow knew what we would like to see and do and she exceeded our every expectation. She is very knowledgeable about Oaxaca and its people. Thanks for a great experience.The best of the best

Ashley

10 March 2025

My mother and I were most fortunate to have chosen Tanivet for the “hidden gems” tour. Tanivet is a phenomenal tour guide! She met us at our B&B, asked what we’d already seen in Oaxaca de Juarez, and then modified our tour plans to show us areas of town that we’d not yet visited and that we likely would not have discovered on our own. We wandered through El Llano Park (once a zoo!), toured Jalatlaco while taking in loads of great murals, stopped in a couple of stores selling art and handicrafts, sipped a refreshing aqua de chilacayota while sitting outside by a 300+-year-old coqui to tree. All the while, Tanivet shared fascinating information and/or history about what we were seeing, and she answered all of the random questions we came up with. Tanivet is extremely knowledgeable about Oaxaca de Juarez and surrounding towns. About twenty minutes into our tour, I remarked about how much I’d learned already! Additionally, Tanivet is warm, kind, annd thoughtful, and has a great sense of humor. We enjoyed our tour so much, that we immediately recommended Tanivet to a couple staying at our B&B. Now, I’m happy to recommend her to you! She is fantastic, and I would schedule another tour with her if I were still in Oaxaca de Juarez. Our time spent with her was one of the highlights of our trip. Thank you, Tanivet!Choose Tanivet!

Bennett

10 March 2025

We had just arrived in Oaxaca and Tanivet was waiting at our Airbnb to meet us, couple with two adult children, for our walking tour. She kindly waited as we got settled and then off we went. I cannot say enough what a great way to be introduced to Oaxaca than by touring the city on foot with Tanivet. We knew very little of the town before we left home and gained so much knowledge of Oaxaca, its culture, its places of interest, and its people in three short hours. She is warm, funny, and kind, but most of all her wealth of local knowledge and ability to communicate (in English) was outstanding. We had not eaten lunch so mid-tour we asked if we could stop to get some food. She accommodated us by taking us to a small local restaurant to get tacos-simple and outstanding. I point that out because the tour while planned also allowed for flexibility. We all throughly enjoyed the tour and especially getting to know Tanivet. It was an outstanding way to start our travels in Oaxaca!Absolutely Book a Tour with Tanivet!

Karina

7 March 2025

Tanivet and Enrique the driver were fantastic guides for my family. We were able to customize our trip to Hierve el Agua, by stopping to see the Tule Tree, which is the oldest and largest tree in the world. Before Hierve el Agua, they took us to a 5th generation weaver in Teotitlan del Valle who showed us his process for creating beautiful rugs. Tanivet is extremely knowledgeable about the area being an insider and shared personal stories. Having her as a private guide was the best way to explore. Hierve el Agua and Surroundings

Laura

5 March 2025

My boyfriend and I spent an incredible day with Tanivet and Enrique. Tanivet was so knowledgeable about Monte Alban because she spent so much time there as a youngster because he father spent time at the site. It felt like a true insiders tour. The rest of the afternoon was very customizable and flexible. We visited an incredible alabrijes craft workshop, had an incredible lunch, and visited a woman-owned Mezcal distillery. She has a lot of knowledge about the evolving culture in Oaxaca and we learned so much. She was so kind and helpful. Trust Tanivet!

Phillip

26 February 2025

Enjoyed a three hour walking tour with Tanivet our first full day here. She was knowledgeable, personable and customized our tour to our needs. We appreciated that she took us to places we might not have seen, showed us the aqueduct and took us to some terrific artisan workshops. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience!Excellent Walking Tour: Oaxaca Centro

Chelsea

25 February 2025

Tanivet was a wonderful guide and Enrique was a great driver! Tanivet's knowledge of the region was on full display and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring Tule, Yagul, and Hierve el Agua—a tour that Tanivet customized just for us :) She even went so far as to bring us towels for Heirve el Agua, which was very appreciated. Highly recommend Tanivet!A fabulous day with Tanivet!

Vanessa

23 February 2025

Tanivet was a wonderful guide on beautiful Oaxaca! She took us around the Center, explaining everything we saw and experienced. She was also open to personalizing our tour, stopping when we wanted to stop, even to stop to shop a little bit, or just to rest a bit under the shade. She was also very patient and considerate of my 2 senior parents who walked slowly and tired easily. We could've walked the area by ourselves, but having Tanivet there to give context and history to everything, and to show us places we would not have thought of checking out, was great :) We would take this tour again when we go back with our kids!A wonderful tour of Oaxaca!

Katie

21 February 2025

Tanivet and our driver Enrique were very knowledgeable and accommodating. My husband wanted to go to San Bartolo and they made it happen. Tanivet added to the history of Monte Alban by telling stories about her childhood since her dad worked there. She and Enrique were also funny and had tips for the rest of our trip. Our only mistake was not eating enough at breakfast since the tour went into the midafternoon. Highly recommend! Next time we visit we want to do the street art tour with Tanivet.Great tour!

Jo

21 February 2025

Highly recommend! Tanivet and Enrique were professional, punctual, knowledgeable and personable. As the three of us were non-spanish speakers, their communication skills were excellent, clear & precise. They tailored our journey to our desires and abilities. A delightful surprise was their suggestion of an organic, from scratch traditional meal in one the local villages. They shared their knowlege of Oaxaca's history and cultural heritage. Unexpected discoveries!

Ronald

11 February 2025

Tavinet is an excellent guide and we enjoyed our walk through some nice neighborhoods with her. She is very knowledgeable about the city and its history and we learned a lot about Oaxaca as we walked. The story of the aqueduct that provided water to the town in earlier times was particularly interesting. The tour with Tavinet was definitely worth our money and time. Great Walk in Oaxaca

Olivier

28 January 2025

Tanivet was incredibly adaptable to our interests and her explanations were always interesting. Her good humour is a real pleasure. Thanks also to Daphné, our driver, for her communicative joy.Fabulous guide !!!

Edward

27 January 2025

We recently had two separate tours with Tanivet to Hierve el Agua and to Monte Albán. They were both excellent tours. When learned a lot about the Zapotec and Mixtecos people in the Oaxaca. We would hihgly recommend Tanivet for any tours in that area.Tanivet is an Excellent Guide

Naomi

24 January 2025

We had an excellent experience with Tanivet. She was clearly motivated to help us see as much of Oaxaca as we could in the time that we had, and shared about her city with passion and energy. As a result of her tips and knowledge, we got much more out of our trip than we would have had we not toured with her. I recommend this trip for anyone who wants a local's understanding of Oaxaca city. Perfect way to see Oaxaca!

Emilie

21 January 2025

We had a lovely day with Tanivet and her driver Enrique. The tour visited all of the sites listed and added in a few additional quick stops. We ended up staying out for much longer than the tour advertised; the advertised time seems very short, in retrospect, but Tanivet and Enrique also made it seem that we could linger whenever we wanted (which we appreciated and took advantage of). Both Tanivet and Enrique were lovely people overall, and our conversations felt very relaxed. We were traveling with my kids, ages 9 and 11; and both considered it a great day and really liked Tanivet as well. Very pleasant day

Grenville

21 January 2025

Heidi

20 January 2025

We booked a full day tour with Tanivet and driver Enrico. We visited Monte Alban as well as the alebrijes town of Arrazola. The day was fabulous. Tami was super flexible, on time and adjusted to some last minute changes without any issues- she just made it happen. She is a Spanish teacher and was so kind with our attempts to speak. Tami knows her stuff! As a born and raised Oaxacana, she filled our day with history, fables, legends explaining symbolism and tradition plus the actual history of Oaxaca and Arrazola (the original Fantastical Animals/alebrijes town). What I really appreciated were her stories of her childhood spent exploring the ruins of Monte Alban (as the excavation was expanding) with her architect father. She provided some very interesting alternative theories of what was built and why (all of which made lots more sense than some of the more common and accepted explanations.) Her driver, Enrico, who also spoke good English, was so helpful and took us to a delicious barbecue restaurant for lunch. His car is lovely and so is he! (He also provided us airport services the next day.) Sometimes it is a crap shoot booking a private guide. You’ve spent the money before you know if you’ve made a good choice. However, with Tani, we made an excellent choice! Hope she is feee when you visit! Touring with Tanivet

Leisha🇬🇧 United Kingdom

15 January 2025

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour of the Jalatlaco area in Oaxaca. We had been up really early to get to Oaxaca from Mexico City, but as soon as we met Tanivet, her energy and enthusiasm gave me a second wind! The booking process and communication was excellent, and it was an easy spot to meet. The content of the tour was excellent, Tanivet has a wealth of knowledge of the area and culture which she very clearly communicated to us as she told stories about Oaxaca's history right through to the more recent street art. I can highly recommend this tour and I'm really pleased we did it at the start of our time in Oaxaca as it gave us a really good grounding and background. Fabulous walk with Tanivet

Colleen🇺🇸 United States

12 January 2025

A very informative and fun tour with Tanivet. She took us to places and artisans that we never would have found by ourselves and gave us a great overview of the history and important sites in beautiful and colorful Oaxaca. A wonderful tour of the gems of Oaxaca

Marcia🇺🇸 United States

11 January 2025

I had a wonderful time with Tanivet as we walked through the different neighborhoods of Oaxaca. She was knowledgeable, interesting, had a great sense of humor, and was really fun to spend time with. I highly recommend Withlocals. This is the third time that I’ve done a Withlocals tour and all of them have been amazing. Absolutely delightful!

Nadia🇦🇺 Australia

10 January 2025

We loved our tour with Tanivet and are so glad we did it. She is extremely knowledgeable and gave us so much information about Oaxaca, its history, architecture, different neighbourhoods and food. Excellent

MICHAEL🇺🇸 United States

7 January 2025

Exceptional experience with Tanivet (and her driver). Tanivet's deep knowledge of the area and its rich history made our time together especially meaningful. Tanivet was sensitive to our requirements and agenda. She has a warm engaging personality that helped make the day so special. Definitely exceeded our expectations!Memorable Day with Tanivet

Torrie🇨🇦 Canada

6 January 2025

Tanivet took us to an area of Oaxaca that we had not explored and showed us the hidden gems. She explained the history of the city and added her perspective. She also answered questions that we had and gave some great suggestions for restaurants. We were 2 adults with an infant and she was very accomodating. Highly recommend!Great tour

Holly🇺🇸 United States

23 December 2024

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour of Oaxaca with Tanivet! She is a sweetheart and gave us a lovely orientation to the city, and lots of helpful suggestions and advice. We stopped at a stand for a scrumptious lunch stop that we never would have known about or done on our own. We couldn’t have enjoyed our time with her more!Tanivet is a delight!

Mark🇺🇸 United States

13 December 2024

Tanivet was wonderful, super knowledgeable and the perfect tour guide for OAXACA. She grew up in Oaxaca and took us to many places off the beaten path in the city. Our visit to Monte Alban was special as she had a deep knowledge of and connection to the place. Her father an archeologist had worked on restoration of the site. She also made recommendations for dinners and special places to shop around the city. She really went out of her way for us. Thank you Tanivet!Two great tours!

Amy

2 December 2024

Our family of four had a great time with Tanivet visiting Monte Alban, Arrazola, and Atzompa. We spent a couple of hours at Monte Alban where we heard about the history and walked up and down a lot of steps! Then on to Arrazola to learn about Alebrijes and see them made by local artists, and to a tucked away pottery collective in Atzompa with gorgeous pieces at a great value. We even stopped for a delicious lunch and learned about some food traditions that were new to us. Tanivet was warm, welcoming, and knowledgeable, and we loved getting to know her! Lovely tour with Tanivet & driver Enrique!

judith

24 November 2024

We had such a lovely day touring Oaxaca with Tanivet. As a local, born and raised here, she had so much first-hand knowledge of the history of the area. A Spanish and English teacher, daughter of an anthropologist / archeologist and mother of an architect, she had cultural insights to add to every stop. She was incredibly flexible and allowed us to hand pick our stops, which was so appreciated given our little amount of time in the area. Highly recommend, we had the most fantastic day. A fabulous day with Tanivet

Stewart🇺🇸 United States

19 November 2024

October 31st, Dia de Muertos. Tanivet was just wonderful. She shared her love and knowledge of Oaxaca with us and also her personal journey. She took us on a magical panteon tour at Xoxocotlan. She took time to communicate with the wonderful families at the panteon. She assisted us with negotiating our way among the crowds. We truly appreciated her enthusiasm for her subject matter and are so privileged to have met her. Next time we're in Oaxaca we hope to see her once more.So personable and knowledgeable

Krystyna

19 November 2024

Tanivet is a lovely and enthusiastic local who welcomed us to the highlights of the city with a particular nod to the day of the dead celebrations. Would recommend Highlights of Oaxaca

Kerstin🇬🇧 United Kingdom

19 November 2024

We had a such a great day with Tanivet starting in Hierve de Agua where we explored at our own pace. We moved onto Mitla where Tanivet walked us through the key historical aspects and their significance. Following a delicious lunch, we had a fascinating introduction to traditional weaving in Teotitlán del Valle. We were also quite keen to see how mezcal is made, so it was great that Tanivet was able to customise our tour to include this. Overall a brilliant experience, tailored to our interests and needs. Tanivent was lovely and very knowledgeable, I highly recommend Oaxaca tours with her. Fabulous day exploring Oaxaca

Bev🇺🇸 United States

18 November 2024

Tanivet was an exceptional guide for our tour in Oaxaca. She showed us wonderful sites, was extremely informative, and spoke beautiful English. Tanivet has a passion and very educated that made the tour so interesting and fun. She also made the tour based on our personal interest. Our friend had her as a guide a year ago and recommended her to us. I will make sure anyone who goes to Oaxaca knows about Tanivet and With Local tours. Thanks Bev Johl An amazing guide!

Merryn🇦🇺 Australia

16 November 2024

My friend and I really enjoyed our 3 hour tour with Tanivet and thoroughly recommend booking a tour with her. She led us on an engaging and informative stroll through Oaxaca effectively responding to our interests. She also kindly went out of her way to help me out with a small request. Thanks Tanivet. Great tour!

Kaye🇺🇸 United States

2 November 2024

We were met at our Airbnb by Tanivet on November 1. Immediately I knew we were going to learn and have fun! She is kind, knowledgeable and has a good sense of humor. We spent 3 hours learning about History, Oaxaca, Dias de Muertos and our host. I highly recommend her. If I had time I’d book her again for another tour of anything!A walk through Oxaca with Tanivet