Estado de Oaxaca

Our first stop in the state of Oaxaca was a reserve protecting Green Military Macaws, or Ara Militaris. The birds often return to a canyon in this reserve for the night and it is possible to see them through a guided hike in the late evening. While the hike was hot but beautiful, we only saw 2 Macaws from our viewpoint.

Guacamaya Verdes

Next we headed into Oaxaca City. Our original plan was to make a quick 2 hour stop to see the Centro Historico and grab something to eat before heading to the camp site, then return the next day to fully explore the area. Well, due to some bad luck, during those first 2 hours someone managed to steal the bags we had tied down on top of the Landy. Most people we have met on the road have some similar story of things being knicked, and though it was just chance that it happened in Oaxaca City, it left us with a bad feeling and we didn’t return to the city later on.

Instead of exploring the city, we visited a few sites nearby. The first was the town of El Tule, which is home to the world’s largest tree as measured by tree diameter. We also spent a night at Hierve el Agua. These are rock formations that look like a static waterfall. There is a lovely hike around the area to see the formations from different views, and small water pools above that you can bathe in (or like us, just enjoy the view from). On the way back to Oaxaca we stopped in Mitla an archeological site which is famous for the mosaic like decorations on the buildings.

Hierve El Agua & Mitla

From the outskirts of Oaxaca City, we decided to head towards the beach for the first time since Christmas. Along the way we stopped in San Jose del Pacifico, best known for its magic mushrooms. Since this isn’t really our thing, we just had a quiet night and enjoyed the people watching 😀

Then we arrived on the beach of San Augustín. And we were so unprepared for the heat! After a couple months at elevation, we thought we might melt under the midday sun. The beach was in a protected bay, so we could swim in the water to cool down. The waves were still ocean waves and were exciting to body surf in.

San Augustín

After 3 days at the beach, we needed to cool down and decided to make our way towards Chiapas. Our last night in the state of Oaxaca was near the border and so hot we could barely sleep… time to head inland a bit! 3

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