Mexico  ·  Culture

Day of the Dead Oaxaca Tour: Día de los Muertos with Local Families

Candlelit cemeteries, marigold altars, sand tapestries, and time with host families in two villages outside the city, in the most enchanting place to experience Día de los Muertos.

Book Your Spot Talk to Our Team
Dates

Oct 30-Nov 3, 2027

Length

4 Nights

Group Size

Max 6

From

$2,700/pp

Activity Level

Easy

Let’s Adventure Together

Inside Our Day of the Dead Oaxaca Tour

Oaxaca has some of the most unique and vibrant Día de los Muertos celebrations anywhere, which makes this Day of the Dead Oaxaca tour something truly special. Families bake pan de muerto, build ofrendas with photos and favorite foods, and lay marigold petals that point the way home for the souls of loved ones.
We stay in the historic center and spend our days wandering streets filled with altars, flowers, and tapetes de arena (sand tapestries). We’ll join a candlelight vigil at a cemetery, catch lively parades, and spend time with host families in two villages outside the city as they honor their ancestors.
This four-night experience is designed to pair with our Oaxaca Culinary Retreat, with two free days in between, though you’re welcome to book it on its own. Just get in touch.

Retreat at a Glance

Is this retreat right for you?

How active, how pampered, and how social this trip feels, so you can pick the one that fits.

Activity

Easy

GentleChallenging

Comfort

Comfortable

RusticLuxe

Your Time

Group focused

Mostly togetherLots of time alone

Food

Oaxacan cuisineVillage home cookingPan de muerto
  • Woman with Catrina face paint and a crown of marigolds and red flowers, holding a bouquet of marigolds under a stone arcade
  • Crisp Oaxacan tlayudas topped with chorizo, quesillo, avocado, and tomato, with a bowl of chapulines and a lime
  • Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Oaxaca under dramatic clouds, with large agave plants in front
  • Row of hand-painted wooden crafts in pink, blue, and green hanging in a shop
  • Low view of a cobblestone street in Oaxaca with a red flame tree, colorful colonial houses, and a vintage car
  • Market shop in Oaxaca with hanging dried chiles and tall red sacks of chiles and seeds
  • Bright blue building painted with red flowers on a cobblestone corner in Oaxaca, next to a wall mural
  • Woven baskets filled with dried chiles and other spices at a Mexican market
  • Hands grinding a paste on a stone metate in a traditional kitchen, with a wood fire burning behind
Meet Your Hosts

Meet the hosts of your week.

Your week is led by Amy Heinemann, who has visited 142 countries and loves getting to know a place through its markets, and chef Anna Klimmek. They’re with you from the welcome drink to the last goodbye.

Amy Heinemann smiling beside an agave plant with a white church dome behind her

Amy Heinemann

Trip Host & Food Explorer

Amy is an avid traveler who loves hiking, food, and architecture, and her favorite way to discover a new place is through its markets and culinary traditions. Since leaving her corporate job in NYC, she has traveled the world and visited 142 countries.

Read Amy’s Story

Anna Klimmek smiling in a straw hat, glasses, and an orange scarf on a wooded trail

Anna Klimmek

Chef & Ceremonialist

Anna is a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef, a certified health coach, and a certified ceremonialist and outdoor mindfulness guide. As the founder of Happy Food MN, she brings food, ritual, and meaningful experiences together to help people live with more clarity and connection.

Read Anna’s Story

Welcome to Away Retreats

Let us handle it all.

“I loved learning about Balinese culture through the rituals, customs, and places we got to see and definitely think I wouldn’t have experienced these if I hadn’t gone on the retreat.”
– Brienne W., Bali 2025

Itinerary

Día de los Muertos, Day by Day

Everything is optional on all of our experiences. This is your retreat. You choose what you’d like to do each day.

  • Mornings: a relaxed group breakfast, then free time to explore the historic center, with its colorful streets, altars, and sand tapestries, on your own or with one of our hosts. It’s the perfect time to sample the special dishes found in Oaxaca only around Día de los Muertos.
  • Evenings: parades and celebrations fill the streets.

Fly into Oaxaca International Airport (OAX), where transportation to our boutique hotel in the historic center is included. Settle in with a welcome drink, then meet the group for our welcome dinner.

Over these three days:

  • Sunday, October 31: Xoxocotlán Cemetery. An evening candlelight visit to the vigil, with sand tapestries and brass bands.
  • Monday, November 1: San Gabriel Etla. A small ritual with our host family, building our own altars, gathering marigolds, then dinner, fireworks, music, and dancing.
  • Tuesday, November 2: Teotitlán del Valle. A tour with a local guide, shopping for offerings, and the cemetery at sunset with our host family.
  • Markets: visits along the way to gather flowers, fruit, and offerings for the altars.

After breakfast, transportation back to Oaxaca International Airport (OAX). Joining the Culinary Retreat on November 5? Enjoy two free days to relax in Oaxaca or visit another city in the region. We’re happy to help extend your hotel stay or arrange transportation.

Like the sound of this week?

Take a look at the rooms and hold your spot with a deposit. Questions first? Our team is happy to talk it through.

See Rooms & Pricing Talk to Our Team
Families wrapped in blankets sitting among candles and marigold-covered graves during an all-night Day of the Dead vigil
Families wrapped in blankets sitting among candles and marigold-covered graves during an all-night Day of the Dead vigil
Mexico

Oaxaca

What’s Included

  • Pre-trip & logistics support
  • Transportation to and from Oaxaca Airport (OAX)
  • 4 nights at a boutique hotel in the historic center
  • Welcome drink
  • All breakfasts
  • Three lunches and three dinners
  • Teotitlán del Valle village experience with a host family
  • San Gabriel Etla village experience with a host family
  • Local guides for both village tours
  • Candlelight visit to Xoxocotlán Cemetery
  • Roundtrip airfare to Oaxaca, Mexico (OAX)
  • Travel insurance (required, and we have recommendations for you to explore)
  • Remaining lunches and dinners (we’ll share our favorite spots)
  • Any meals during travel before or after you meet the group
  • Specialty drinks (smoothies or alcoholic beverages)
  • Additional activities or spa services
The Experience

What your days actually look like.

Here, days are shaped by the celebrations: quiet mornings among the altars, afternoons with host families in the villages, and candlelit evenings full of music, parades, and remembrance.

The Place

Woman dressed as La Catrina on a parade float covered in marigolds and papel picado, with trees behind

Oaxaca in Celebration

Around Día de los Muertos, the historic center fills with parades, ofrendas, and sand tapestries. The city welcomes you right away, with a deep sense of community and culture it’s proud of.

Courtyard plunge pool at a boutique hotel in Oaxaca, with painted murals of faces and hummingbirds, potted plants, and balconies above

An Artful Boutique Hotel

Our home is a boutique hotel in the historic center, a short walk from Templo de Santo Domingo and the Zócalo. Expect murals, locally woven textiles, a pool in the central courtyard, and a rooftop terrace with city views.

Market stall with baskets of dried chiles, fresh peppers, onions, peanuts, and green beans on a cobblestone lane

The Markets

We visit markets in central Oaxaca and in Teotitlán del Valle, where you’ll find the special things made just for these celebrations, like pan de muerto, marigolds, and sugar skulls.

The Villages

Cemetery path covered in a colorful carpet of flower petals, leading between decorated graves to a small yellow chapel

Teotitlán del Valle

With a local guide, we visit a Zapotec village where the celebrations are sacred and done the same way for generations. We shop for offerings, learn how Zapotec and Catholic traditions have merged, and visit the cemetery at sunset with our host family.

Corn husk tamales on a wooden board beside a clay mug of champurrado with a cinnamon stick

San Gabriel Etla

In this small town of about 500 people, we join our host family for a small ritual, build our own altars, and gather marigolds for an offering at the local cemetery. The night ends with dinner, fireworks, a parade, music, and dancing.

Day of the Dead Oaxaca tour night in a cemetery, with a grave outlined in marigolds and candles beneath a stone cross and white lilies

Xoxocotlán Cemetery

The Pantheon Xoxocotlán is known for its nighttime candlelight vigil, sand tapestries, and brass bands. We’ll wander through and take in a celebration that feels festive and deeply moving at once.

The Traditions

Arch of marigolds and cockscomb over a Catrina figure, woven baskets, and candles, set up as a Day of the Dead altar in a tiled courtyard

Ofrendas & Sand Tapestries

Families build colorful altars with photos and the favorite foods and drinks of loved ones, and artists create stunning tapetes de arena in the streets. Seeking them out is one of the joys of the week.

Basket of sesame-topped Mexican bread rolls beside tablets of Oaxacan chocolate and a clay jug of hot chocolate

Pan de Muerto & Seasonal Dishes

Sweet pan de muerto, spiced with anise and decorated for the season, shows up in every bakery. We’ll sample the special dishes you can only find in Oaxaca around this time.

Bunch of bright orange cempasúchil marigolds in afternoon sun against a painted orange wall

Marigold Offerings

Marigold petals line the streets to point the way home for the souls of loved ones. In San Gabriel Etla, we’ll visit a marigold field to make our own bouquets as an offering.

The Slow Moments

Sunny stone courtyard at a boutique hotel in Oaxaca with a long wooden table, an umbrella, and trees

Balance

Our itinerary balances unique cultural experiences with plenty of down time and time for independent exploration, so you can take it all in at your own pace.

Cobblestone street in Oaxaca strung with colorful papel picado

Explore with a Host

Free mornings are yours to wander the historic center. If you’d like company, one of our hosts is always happy to walk with you.

Colorful houses lining a cobblestone street in Oaxaca, with mountains at the far end

Two Days to Linger

Two free days separate this experience from our Culinary Retreat. Relax in Oaxaca or visit another city in the region, and we’ll help with the hotel and transportation.

Make It Yours

Oaxaca culinary retreat stop at a market stall where a cook presses memelas on a large comal under papel picado
Optional Add-On

Stay for the Culinary Retreat

These two experiences are designed to go together. Stay on for our Oaxaca Culinary Retreat, November 5 to 10, with market tours, a Zapotec cooking experience, and Hierve el Agua.

See the Oaxaca Culinary Retreat

Glass of mezcal with orange slices and a dish of chile salt on a wooden board

What to Do With Your Free Time

You’ll have plenty of open time on this retreat. Here are a few things we love nearby. None of it is required. Let us know what you’re interested in during your retreat, and we’ll help you plan it.

Treat yourself to a massage or spa time during a free morning. We’re happy to help you book it.

Try Oaxaca’s most famous spirit at a tasting in town. Just ask and we’ll help you set it up.

Ready When You Are

Save your spot, or just say hello.

Pick your room and hold it with a deposit, or book a quick call first. We’re happy to talk through the details, the group, and whether this trip is the right fit.

Choose Your Room Talk to Our Team
Where You’ll Stay

Choose your room.

We stay at a boutique hotel in the heart of Oaxaca’s historic center, with a courtyard pool and a rooftop terrace. Every room has its own private en-suite bathroom. All prices are per person, and a 25% deposit holds your spot.

October 30-November 3, 2027 | 4 Nights

Double Rooms

Hotel room with two double beds, woven bed runners, a blue wall, and a robe hanging on an open rail

SHARED

Deluxe Double Room

  • Two Double Beds
  • Private Bathroom
  • Shared with 1 Guest
  • Roommate Matching

Share a room with a friend or be paired with a roommate! These rooms have two double beds and lots of space.

Per person

$2,800

Reserve with $700 Deposit
Hotel room with two double beds, bamboo headboards, tan walls, and a window onto a painted mural

SHARED

Comfort Quadruple Room

  • Two Double Beds
  • Private Bathroom
  • Shared with 1 Guest
  • Desk + Extra Space

Share with a friend or be paired with a roommate. These rooms have two double beds, a desk, and lots of space.

Per person

$2,800

Reserve with $700 Deposit

King Suites

Bright king room with a slatted wood headboard, a pink throw, cane chairs, and an open bathroom beyond

SHARED

King Suite

  • King Bed
  • Private Bathroom
  • Shared with 1 Guest
  • Balcony over the Pool

Share a king bed with a partner or friend, with a balcony that overlooks the pool.

Per person

$2,700

Reserve with $675 Deposit
Bright king room with a slatted wood headboard, a pink throw, cane chairs, and an open bathroom beyond

JUST FOR YOU

King Suite

  • King Bed
  • Private Bathroom
  • Just for You
  • Balcony over the Pool

Enjoy a king suite all to yourself, with a balcony over the pool.

Per person

$3,800

Reserve with $950 Deposit
Room full of smiling students at a community event in Oaxaca, with a man speaking into a microphone
Room full of smiling students at a community event in Oaxaca, with a man speaking into a microphone
Oaxaca

Youth Empowerment

Give Back

Every trip gives back!

A percentage of profit from this retreat goes straight to Oaxaca Youth Empowerment, the principal U.S. funder of Centro de Esperanza Infantil. The center supports nearly 600 students in Oaxaca by paying education costs, providing meals, offering tutoring and psychological services, and sharing cultural enrichment activities.

A few common questions

We are here for Every Question

“…Beautiful experience and Lindsay is meticulous at ensuring you have the best time.”
– Lorina O., Away Retreats 2025

Deposits are refundable for 10 days.

More than 120 days before the retreat: 50% refund, less the deposit.
90 to 120 days before: 25% refund, less the deposit.
90 days or fewer: no refund, but we can apply your deposit to a future Away retreat.

Travel insurance is required and helps protect you if plans change.

A 25% deposit reserves your spot, and the remaining balance is due 120 days before the retreat starts. A payment plan is available on every retreat, as long as everything is paid in full by then.

Yes! It’s your retreat, and you get to choose. Every activity is on the menu, with no pressure to join any or all of them. No one will ask where you were at breakfast.

Yes! There are options for vegetarians, pescatarians, omnivores, and carnivores alike, and gluten-free diets can be accommodated too.

Check the current CDC recommendations for travel to Mexico before you go.

Yes. While it’s nice to unplug, many of us have lives at home that need some communication. There’s WiFi in the rooms and around the hotel.

If you’d like to book one of the many activities offered around Oaxaca, we’re here to help. A few options:
Massage or spa services
Walking the historic center
Mezcal tasting

As experienced travelers who’ve learned to expect the unexpected, we require travel insurance. It helps protect your investment and covers things like illness, injury, family emergencies, travel delays, lost luggage, or trip interruptions. Since retreat payments follow our cancellation policy, it’s best to buy a policy shortly after booking. We include a recommended provider in your confirmation email.

Late October and early November mark the start of Oaxaca’s dry season, so expect sunny, warm days in the mid 70s to around 80°F (24 to 27°C) and cool evenings in the 50s°F (10 to 15°C). Oaxaca City sits at about 5,000 feet (1,550 m), so mornings and nights can feel crisp. Bring layers.

You’ll receive a full packing list before you go. It includes things like layers for cooler evenings, dresses, shirts, shorts and pants, a sun hat and sunglasses, hiking boots or walking shoes, and activewear for excursions, and not much else!

Most of the week involves easy walking on cobblestone streets, through markets, and around the villages. Some evenings run late, with parades, a candlelight cemetery visit, and a festive night in San Gabriel Etla, so plan on a few late nights and relaxed mornings. Oaxaca City sits at about 5,000 feet (1,550 m), so take it easy on your first day.

Strands of marigolds hanging over the iron window grilles and doorways of a white and mint green gallery, with an orange bench out front
Strands of marigolds hanging over the iron window grilles and doorways of a white and mint green gallery, with an orange bench out front
Mexico

Oaxaca

Have a question before you book?

Let’s explore the world together

We love talking about travel. Send us a note, and someone from our team will be in touch, usually within a day.

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