From Oaxaca: 2-Day Apoala Canyon Hike to Ponds & Waterfalls｜Mexico

Level Difficulty: Intermediate.
Day 1: APOALA CANYON.

12 Km on dirt and trail with varied terrain

We pick you up at your hotel early in the morning, we suggest 6.45 am and once ready we will drive 1 hour from Oaxaca City to Nochixtlán where we’ll have breakfast. After our meal we continue 40 minutes more by car to the community of Fortin el Alto where the hike begins.

The first part of our hike is on wide dirt roads that eventually become a trail that crosses through rocky areas, forest areas and small streams. Some highlights of this day are the spectacular views of this region and the trees, mainly oaks, loaded with Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides). Most of the route tends to descend until we reach the impressive Apoala’s Canyon where we will pause to admire it, rest and take pictures. The cabins where we will spend the night are very close to the canyon; once we have settled in, we will go to the center of the village to have lunch with Doña Aurora at Comedor El Centauro.

After lunch, you will have free time until 18:00 when we will have a palm weaving demonstration with Doña Irene and family at their home. Around 7:30 p.m. we will have dinner at a small restaurant next to the cabins.

Day 2: PONDS AND WATERFALLS.

Around 5 hours

Including hiking, swimming in the ponds and visiting the waterfalls.

Optional 1-hour hike before breakfast.

Before breakfast, it is possible to visit one of the attractions in Santiago Apoala, the devil's cave. A local guide will tell us part of the local legend that explains the name of this place where you can also see a sculpture carved into one of the walls of the cave, in the village they know it as the dancer. This visit will take approximately one hour.

At 8:00 a.m.; we will have breakfast, and then we will start the hike downstream to visit the beautiful natural pools where you will have enough time to swim and relax in the water. The return to the village is upstream through a small trail, we will take a break by the main waterfall where we will have time to rest and admire the beauty of the snake tail waterfall, which is the main attraction of the village. After some time at the waterfall, we will have to hike the steepest section of the route, about 1 kilometer of natural steps to the edge of the village. The scheduled time is 5 hours, but it can vary since the objective is to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and the river.

We will have lunch and prepare to return to Oaxaca City, the estimated drive back time is 2.5 hours.