The main focus of this week-long Mexican chocolate trip is to dive, as deeply and respectably as possible into the heart of cacao and chocolate. Cacao as a plant, a food, a medicine, and a god(dess). Mexican chocolate as a health food, as an ecological cornerstone, as political protest, as honouring ancestral traditions, and as a communal centre. We will explore the historical, cultural, and spiritual role of cacao, chocolate drinks and chocolate bars, chocolate pottery, cacao and other plants in the forest gardens, cacao as kin, and cacao and chocolate as a symbol of regeneration and resistance.
While we focus mainly on cacao and chocolate, they are not alone. We will also dive into plants and animals that allow cacao to thrive: pataxte (white cacao), coffee, vanilla, maize (corn), honey, and much more. We will learn about and taste this supporting cast with deep reverence for their role in the Mesoamerican diet and food forests.
Our various classes, meals, day trips and farm visits will ask you to not only proceed as a hospitable guest in a foreign land, but to understand that we might try, together, to learn differently, to not mine other culture’s traditions, but to honour them. You will be well cared for, but please understand travel is not meant to be easy, and so we ask for your well-earned understanding that this will be a week to learn, to be challenged, in the midst of the hospitality that Oaxaca has to offer.
Day 1: Airport Pickup & Orientation
- Welcome Dinner / Regenerative Travel Talk
Day 2: The Roots of the Food of the Gods
- Breakfast at Accomodation
- Extended Food of the Gods Chocolate & Maize Session (includes lunch)
- Rest: Overnight in San Jose Del Pacifico
Day 3: Cacao Food Forest Visit (Cacao “Rojo”)
- Breakfast at Accomodation
- Cacao Food Forest Field Trip & Chocolate Tastings
- Lunch in Mazunte
- Rest: Afternoon & Overnight on a Pacific Ocean Beach
Day 4: White Cacao & Sister Species Food Forest Visit (Cacao “Blanco”)
- Breakfast at Accomodation
- Cacao Blanco, Coffee, Vanilla, Honey & Beehive Farm Visits
- Lunch in San Jose Del Pacifico
- Return and Rest: Overnight in Oaxaca City
Day 5: Regenerative Chocolate at the Grassroots
- Breakfast at Accomodation
- Morning Free to Rest / Wander
- Regenerative Mexican Chocolate Talk & Tasting w/ local Chocolate Makers
- Lunch and Guided Tasting at Local Restaurant
- Educational Mezcal Tasting (Optional)
Day 6: Deep in Clay Chocolate & Pottery Session
- Breakfast at Accomodation
- Ceremonial Chocolate Pottery Workshop & Burn
- Traditional Oaxacan Lunch
- Metate-Made Mexican Chocolate Demonstration + Tasting
- Final Dinner & Fiesta
Day 7: Farewells & Drop off at Airport / Bus Station
Dates: November 17-23, 2019
Spring 2020 (Exact Dates TBD)
Location: Oaxaca City, the Oaxacan Pacific Coast, Oaxaca’s Sierra Sur
- Choose your own dates! Already have a group of travellers you’d like to venture with? You can contact us to select your own dates.
- Email us to inquire about and suggest future dates.
Cost: $1,200USD includes 15% Early Bird Discount until August 2019. $1,400USD thereafter. Flights not included.
Deposit: Payment can be paid in full or in three separate instalments. Securing your reservation includes a $500USD non-refundable deposit. The remainder must be paid in full two weeks before the first day of the trip.
Payment can be made via Paypal (+3% Paypal fee), or for Canadians through Interac e-transfers.
In-Country Transportation: Oaxaca Profundo Sessions covers all in-session transportation pertaining to the trip, as soon as you arrive at Oaxaca’s international airport (or bus terminal) until you depart. We’ll be taking a mix of shuttles and taxis.
Meals: All of your breakfasts and lunches, as well as your first and last night’s dinner/orientation are included in the price. These meals will also include Mexican and Oaxaca chocolate. Some of the daily activities will include food and drink as well. Your taste buds will thank you for indulging in Mexican cuisine. We are able to accommodate most speciality diets, we just need to know your dietary preferences at least a month in advance. Your dinners can be organized and purchased amongst yourselves, with an excellent selection of Oaxacan restaurants at your door!
Regenerative Tourism: We offer a fair wage to all of our cacao farmers and chocolate vendors, our drivers and staff, and ensure our trip partners are engaging in equally just practices.
Double Occupancy Accommodation (6 Nights): Our group will be staying at a highly-rated boutique bed and breakfast. Because the bed and breakfast is a small boutique establishment, rooms will be double occupancy. If you’re travelling with a friend you’d like to share a room with, please let us know. Single occupancy accommodation is available at an extra $200 USD
Clothing: We’ll be venturing to the Oaxacan coast for an afternoon of relaxation and swimming in the Pacific Ocean. Please bring any beach wear you might need to use. We will be spending a night in the high Sierras of Oaxaca. Bring one heavy sweater. We will also be spending some time in the jungle. Dress appropriately.
Support: We will have a local and foreign guides accompanying the group throughout our trip, offering participants their combined knowledge of the country, while making sure everything runs smoothly. In addition, Oaxaca Profundo Sessions staff are available to answer questions and assist with trip preparations.
Alcoholic Drinks: Oaxaca Profundo Sessions does not cover the cost of alcoholic beverages (*except where noted in itinerary)
Airfare: We’ve found that flights from the U.S. to Oaxaca range from approximately $500 – $1,000 depending on the airline and how far in advance you book. *Tip: If you are a more adventurous traveller and looking for a better deal, it is often more affordable to fly to Mexico City and take a bus or a separate flight to Oaxaca. We are available to help you arrange transportation to Oaxaca or put you in touch with a travel agent.
Flights from Canada often range between $500-1000 CAD, either to Mexico City or Oaxaca.
Personal Travel Insurance: We require all participants to have personal travel insurance. This will cover things like illness, trip and/or flight cancellations, theft, etc. We can help you arrange insurance with a provider. We will also require you to sign a liability waiver.
Gifts: While you will likely eat more than you can handle on this chocolate trip, there will be time throughout our days to purchase gifts. This includes Mexican chocolate, pottery, mezcal, and other souvenirs to take home for yourself or friends and family.
The Oaxaca Profundo Sessions: Chocolate Harvest Trip starts and ends at the Xoxocotlan International Airport in Oaxaca, Mexico. You get there and we’ll handle the rest. If you need help booking a flight, please contact us.
We ask that all travellers arrive before 5pm on the first day of our trip (Sunday, October 21) to ensure making our group dinner and orientation. It is sometimes wise to arrive the day before to provide time for delayed flights. If you choose to arrive a day early, we can help you arrange accommodation for the first night.
Fitness Level Required: Intermediate. We require you to have a fitness level adequate enough to be walking up mountain hillsides, swimming well in the ocean, and walking sturdily across the cobbled streets of Oaxaca’s villages.
Packing: As part of the pottery tour, you will be going home with a medium-sized, traditional Mexican chocolate jarra or pitcher, so please ensure that you have enough space in your carry-on luggage to accommodate this. The pottery will surely be damaged if packed in a checked-luggage bag.
Vaccinations: Routine vaccinations, Hepatitis A and Typhoid are suggested by the US Center for Disease Control. If you are travelling from a country with Yellow Fever, it is mandatory that you have a Yellow Fever vaccination.
VISA: A VISA is not required for citizens of the United States if travelling to Mexico for under 180 days. If you are a citizen of another country you can check VISA requirements here.
Passport Validity: In order to enter Mexico, your passport must be valid for at least 90 days following your departure date. You must also have at least one blank page in your passport.
