Discover Oaxaca
March 26th - April 2nd, 2026

The “Discover Oaxaca” Trip offers a potpourri of culinary and cultural activities, highlighting what makes Oaxaca a gastronomic gemstone. Relax in sunny Oaxaca while tasting all it has to offer. Throughout the course, we will visit local artisans, explore ancient ruins, learn about cottage industries, and of course, participate in hands-on cooking classes taught by Chef Kaelin Trilling and his expert staff at the beautiful Rancho Aurora, home to Seasons of My Heart Cooking School.

We combine the best of Oaxaca City and its surrounding countryside to fully experience Oaxacan life. In the charming historic centre of our colonial city, we will take in the flavours and sights, dining in some of Oaxaca's finest restaurants to experience contemporary and regional cuisine, get to know the best street food by going on a night time taco run to try the arrachera tacos, and stop at our favourite puestos (stands) in the market to try the tostadas and tlayudas.

 We tour the famed Mercado de Abastos to learn about typical Oaxacan foods and sample fresh ingredients. In the Etla Valley you will have a demonstration of the famous Oaxacan quesillo and see chocolate being hand ground on a metate. We spend the day with a family of rug weavers and taste pre-Hispanic tamales with them in their home. Try your hand at making handmade tortillas on our comal!

Each day of the course you will start by having breakfast at the hotel. Our transportation will pick you up at 9 am and our adventures in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca begin! Our mornings will be centred on visiting local artisan or cottage industries, such as rug weavers, potters, or cheese makers. In the afternoons we will head out to Seasons of my Heart for hands-on cooking classes. We will cook 6 traditional Oaxacan dishes and after that we will  enjoy the fruits of our labour each evening for dinner. Other days we will visit artists’ studios and hear them discuss their projects, and have an opportunity to buy their work. Each cooking class will build off the last to expand our culinary expertise. We will have evenings free to explore the city.

Itinerary*

• Day 1: Thursday, March 26th: Welcome! Take airport transportation to the hotel. Meeting at 5:00pm at reception’s hotel for an opening lecture with Kaelin and a cocktail. Then we head out to a restaurant to have our welcome dinner.
  

• Day 2: Friday, March 27th: 9:00 am pickup to Monte Albán with an expert guide. We will then depart to Rancho Aurora, home of Seasons of my Heart Cooking School for our first hands-on cooking class. We will have a cheese making demonstration, then we will eat an almuerzo of salsa de queso. We will continue on with the lecture about Oaxacan food and the dishes we will be preparing for the cooking class. After eating the meal we have cooked, we return to Oaxaca City to relax.
  

• Day 3: Saturday, March 28th: 9:00 am pickup for a visit to the Mercado de Ocotlán, a walking tour and tasting the famous empanadas de amarillo. We continue on to visit Santo Tomas Jalietza to see their backstrap loom weavings, then San Martin Tilcajete to see the wood carvers. We will have lunch at Almu run by Jacobo and Maria’s daughter Sabina and will end our day with a mezcal tasting. Evening taco run on the way back to Oaxaca, optional.
  

• Day 4: Sunday, March 29th: 8:30 am pickup to explore one of the most traditional markets in the Central Valley. Teotitlán del Valle is a village of Zapotec rug makers. After a tour and snacks at the market we will visit a family of local folk artists. We will have a rug making demonstration. We will go to visit their neighbor, a candle maker, to see a demonstration and her work. Then we will head on to El Tule to eat at El Milenario and look at one of the oldest trees in the world and visit their artisans market.
  

• Day 5: Monday, March 30th: 9:00 am pickup to head out to visit the family tomato farm in the Valley of Etla. We will continue on our journey to head out to visit the Studio of Oaxaca’s own lithograph artist. We will continue on to Seasons of my Heart for a chocolate making demonstration on the metate, followed by our hands-on cooking class.
  

• Day 6: Tuesday, March 31st: Free day to shop and relax. Pick up at 6:00 PM to go to Seasons of My Heart for a special dinner prepared by Chef Kaelin.
  

• Day 7: Wednesday, April 1st: 9:00 am pick up at the hotel to go to Central de Abastos, the largest Market in Oaxaca with Chef Kaelin to try and learn about the different ingredients used in the Oaxacan kitchen. We will continue on to Seasons of my Heart for lunch and our final hands-on mole cooking class and farewell dinner in celebration, get ready for music and margaritas!!
  

• Final breakfast at the hotel. Thank you for joining us. Have a great journey back home !

* * Hosts Shelley Wiseman and Seasons of My Heart cooking school reserve the rights to alter/update itinerary as needed * *

Accommodations

You will be staying at Hotel Casa del Sótano . The course is priced per double occupancy, or if you would like a single room, there is an additional cost of $546 USD. If you need extra nights before or after the course, we are happy to make the arrangements for you. You will pay the hotel directly for these nights, plus any other extra charges that you may incur.

Hotel Casa del Sotano
Calle de Tinoco y Palacios
414, Ruta Independencia,
Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oax
Phone Number: +52 (951) 516 2494

Cost

The cost of this 6.5 days, 7 night tour is $ 3,965 USD per person.

The cost includes double occupancy accommodations, most meals, all cooking classes and tours, local guides and transportation throughout the course. Two beers, house wines or non-alcoholic beverages with meals out are included in the price of the tour. Any other alcoholic beverages are at the expense of the participant. 

The single supplement is $546 USD per person. For this tour there is a 6 student minimum, we welcome you to invite friends and family. The maximum for this tour is 12. Airfare is not included. We highly recommend purchasing flight insurance as we cannot be responsible for cancelled airfare. Gratuity for our guides and hosts is not included in the price of the tour. Students often ask us what is an appropriate amount to tip, we suggest 10% as it is the going rate in Oaxaca.

What’s Included:

7 Nights Accommodation

Transportation:
All transportation for scheduled activities

Daily Breakfast

Meals as listed per day

Cooking Workshops

Food & Wine Tastings

Cultural & Sightseeing Activities

Special Talks

What’s Not Included:

• International airfare

• Taxis to and from airport

• Travel insurance - (We suggest Travelex)

• Personal expenses and gratuities

• Meals not mentioned above

• Optional activities during free time

Registration & Payment

To reserve a space, we need a first deposit of $965 USD per person, along with the registration form filled out.  If you would like a single room, the single supplement of $546 USD is also required at the time of your initial deposit. 

Link to fill out the registration form: https://seasonsofmyheart.com/tours-registration-form

A second payment is due November 15, 2025, of $1,500 USD per person (. The remaining balance ($1,500 USD per person) is due in full by January 26th.

After deposit, payments should be made via Zelle to Jacquelyn Sattler at Somhpayments@gmail.com .

Cancellation and Refund

If Seasons of My Heart cancels the course, all course fees paid directly to Seasons of My Heart and Shelley’s Table will be refunded. We try to allow as much time as possible for student registration before cancelling a course.  Please check with us to see how the registration is progressing before purchasing non-refundable airline tickets. We also strongly encourage trip insurance in case of unforeseen events.

Health Conditions & General Considerations

For the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of all our participants, please keep the following in mind when considering this course. Participants must be able to independently ascend and descend stairs, walk intermediate distances on uneven surfaces and be able to independently embark and disembark planes, boats, and buses. 

Any special health issues must be discussed first with the SOMH staff.  If you have recently changed your medications, please make sure that you have adapted to the changes and are fit to travel.

We recommend arriving a day or two earlier to get acclimated and enjoy the beautiful city before diving into the course. We have had the unfortunate experience that some students arrive late to the course due to delayed or missed flights. Additionally, many of our students choose to stay a few days after the course to have time to shop and explore. We would be happy to share the hotel contact information.