Tour Monte Albán "clasico"

Excellent Tour

Fun and informative. Excellent guide and Driver! Climb the stairs of an ancient ruin, taste Mezcal at a local distillery, watch artisans at work, delicious lunch with traditional cooking and finish at a chocolate shop.

Educational and insightful tour

Great experience with Luis, our guide, in Mt. Albán. It is a very interesting archeological site to visit due to the size and importance and Luis explained everyting clearly. Do not miss a visit to the Oaxaca Cultural museum where you find the treasures archelogist found in Mt Alban. Visits to the mezcal and the ceramic factory were also great. Bring a lot of water and sunscreen and be prepared to climb a lot of stairs

Angel was excellent.

The variety of cultural stops we made on tour and Angel, our guide is bi-lingual. He never seemed agitated, was very caring of the many elderly customers.

Excellent!!!

Excellent guide. Tour included Monte Albun, Mezcal tasting, balck pottery demo, wooden craft shop, and chocolate shop. The amazing lunch buffet was 225 peso. I was solo woman traveler. It was safe and wonderful experience. Highly recommend this tour. LOVED IT. Thank you!

Great tour

This was such a great tour! Thank you Luis and Benjamin! There was the perfect balance between interesting facts and history and freedom and time to explore. Luis is very personable, helpful and thoughtful. All the locations were chosen well and the van was comfortable. We got lucky with a good group too!

Great day!

We had a great day on the Monte Albán tour led by Luis. Our guide Luis was very informative and shared great information about the history of Monte Albán in particular. We were picked up in a small yet comfortable van, and our group was just five including us (six including Luis), which was a great size. The drive to Monte Albán passes by quickly, and provides nice views of the valley on the way up. Once at Monte Albán, Luis guided us through the first portion sharing plenty of backstory for about 30 minutes or so. Afterwards, we were given 50 minutes to explore the ruins, which are spectacular. The site is beautiful, and hard to capture well without being there in person. The history of the Zapotec, followed by Mixteca, civilizations that lived there is very interesting. This is the site where an amazing burial tomb was discovered. Would definitely recommend separately going to the cultural museum next to Santo Domingo church someday after or before to see the skull covered in turquoise stones and the other excavated artifacts. Following Monte Albán, there was a quick Mezcal tasting, followed by lunch at a buffet style spot (try the tlayudas - similar to a large crispier quesadilla sort of), then to an Alebrijes workshop to see the artisans making some of them, and an opportunity to purchase some if you’d like. You can also find plenty of Alebrijes all over the city of Oaxaca if you’d prefer. The end of the tour was capped off with a visit to the Barro negra (black pottery) shop of Dona Rosa. We were shown an example of how they throw the pottery by hand, and the craftsmanship behind it. Overall a great day and worth seeing, especially to visit Monte Albán and learn of its history.

Amazing Site and Trip.

Our tour guide, Angel was very friendly and knowledgeable about Monte Albán. We had a good time on this trip. Overall, we give it a 5 out of 5.

The Best

This wonderful tour was a fantastic value. Not only did we see the awesome ruins of Monte Alban, but we also went to two different artisanal workshops, getting a chance to see how carvers and painters create the delightful alibrijes and how Oaxacan black pottery is made, all for a very reasonable price. Our guide, Eloye, was knowledgeable and able to explain in both English and Spanish. He brought a lot of background information about Monte Alban that made us appreciate how sophisticated the people who built the site really were. Have to also give a thumbs up to our driver, who navigated some serious back roads with aplomb. We could not have been happier with the experience.

A good tour, but be prepared and pack what you will need

The tour was great and compiled everything we were hoping to see and experience in one day. One-stop-tour if you will. We really wanted to see Monte Alban but also wanted to see how they made the Alebrijes and the black clay crafs. Our guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Monte Alban was absolutely knowledgeable and we got incredible amounts of information we wouldn't have been able to get on our own otherwise. The ruins can be climbed (this was a nice treat). The Alebrijes stop was nice to see and pretty impressive to see the process, the artisans carving and painting the little mythical characters are amazing artists. However the entire town works as a form of cooperative in an arrangement that prevents individual artisans to sell their crafts outside of the arrangements with the cooperative and for this reason we (along with most everyone else in the tour) found the prices of the alebrijes to be somewhat overpriced and unreasonable. I am not saying they are not worth whatever price the artist wishes to tag, is art after all. However, if you are leaving a $2000 USD piece of art out collecting dust and with legs and limbs missing piled along with other supposedly $300 USD or $1000 USD pieces (vs being protected if they are actually that expensive), it is evident they are not that well taken care of and the price tag is there only for the tourist who is willing to pay. The black clay stop was great, it was amazing to be in the place where one pioneer lady many years ago figured out this technique to give a black colour effect to an otherwise normal clay. The tradition has continued in her family and the crafts are beautiful and a nice stop for an array of souvenirs. A few things to keep in mind: (1) it was very hot and there is no shade (specially in the Monte Alban leg of the tour), an UV umbrella, a light long sleeve UV sweater, a shawl to cover your shoulders and or a big hat would be useful to have handy. (2) lunch with the tour is not until 2:30pm, so make sure to either have a good breakfast prior to the start of the tour and/or pack some snacks. Be mindful that no food is allowed inside the Monte Alban grounds, so time your nibbling accordingly. Also of course pack your water bottle (3) the tour is not "all-inclusive" (i.e. the entry fee to Monte Alban is an extra $100 pesos per person, lunch is also extra and there are no other places around the area to eat, so either pack a light lunch with your snacks or have cash ready for your lunch as this will be your only option otherwise. The buffet lunch is (if I recall correctly) $280 pesos per person not including drinks or beer and tips, if you opt for the lunch though, there is plenty of food to be had and everything was tasty. All an all a good tour, the main star of the show is monte alban and the knowledgeable tour guide.

Our guide did an absolute...

Our guide did an absolute wonderful job explaining everything to us! It really made the tour come to life!

Highly recommended tour

ELOY of Oaxaca Dreams travel agency (c/o Viator) was our tour guide. He was the best guide one could ever ask for: knowledgeable, professional, charming, had positive vibes. The tour itself was very interesting. Monte Alban tour gave us a little history lesson about the rich culture of the Zapotec people. The visit to the local art/ceramics/chocolate shops was icing on the cake. The Oaxacan lunch buffet was sooo good. So many dishes to choose from. At 200 pesos each person, it was a bargain. Loved the tour. (Wish the temperature was cooler.) Gotta give props to Oscar, our very good (and handsome) driver. Overall, I recommend this tour. Thank you again, Eloy & Oscar!!!

Great value - so much to see!

We saw so much in one day! The tour guides were so accommodating and friendly and seamlessly transitioned from Spanish to English. Monte Albán is huge and a bit strenuous; wear good walking shoes and sun protection. It was great to see local artisans and their work - bring extra money for purchases. Highly recommend!

We were disappointed in the tour.

I would like to recommend that you take an English speaking only or Spanish speaking only tour. Our guide, unfortunately had to keep going back and forth between Spanish and English. He did his best but often forgot to switch to English as Spanish was his first language. The tour guide seemed to know a lot about architecture and I would have liked to have heard it all in English. Unfortunately, we did not get a lot out of the tour but we did buy a good book about Monte Alban in the gift shop and will read it to find out the details that we missed.

Amesome!

It was an amazing tour and knowledgeable tour guide in both English and Spanish. Some EU foreign tourist that were English learners struggled to understand the guide but if you are well versed in English you should have no trouble with the guides English. We were picked up at 9 am and were back in the centro by 6 ish pm. The lunch option is not great but not terrible and is a hair pricey be sure to take cash. Overall totally worth the money and was a fabulous time.

Hard to hear our guide in the van

Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. However because his English was not very clear and we sat in the very back of the van, the road and engine noise made his speech almost unintelligible. Outside the van, his speech was still difficult for me to understand because he didn’t project. I believe the Spanish-speaking people on our tour had little problem when he addressed the group at our locations, outside the van.

Monte Alban tour with Eloy - fantastico!

Eloy was our guide and he was fantastic! We went to Monte Alban, and to eat, see pottery, chocolate and more. The van was Mercedes and fine, driver excellent too. Eloy was knowledgeable, friendly, attentive clear and patient. It was wonderful and amazing to have a true Zapotec guide tell us about his city, world, area, culture and ancestors! I would do it again in a heartbeat and the price was right! A great experience! JR

Great tour

Great tour, informative, Eloy was a amazing and lovely guide, several stops, defo worth while..................

Just Enough Narration

I can’t say enough good things about the nine-hour tour I just went on. The guide was very cordial. A tour of any pyramid in Mexico is a daunting task—because how does one present the information to visitors in two languages? The guide didn’t say too much, and he didn’t say too little. He also knew when to speak to people who had individual questions. Even resting in the air condition was very relaxing and well-timed.

Superb guide and outstanding historic remains.

Quality of Guide was outstanding, as he was a native Oaxacan who gave us a sample of his spoken language, the meaning of his civilization, its history and people's accomplishments over the 2,000 year-old history of its culture.

Incredible!!!

Eloy (guide) and Luis (driver) were both incredible tour guides to Monte Alban and Mitla. Eloy our guide was extremely knowledgeable and well spoken. Eloy’s history and direct knowledge of the Zapotec nation and customs is incredible and a must for anyone visiting Oaxaca.

Very enjoyable knowledge filled day

Some initial confusion over pick up as there was no contact the evening before. However the tour itself was amazing. Lots of interesting facts and details provided by the passionate and personable guide. Traditional Oaxaca buffet lunch was also very good. A long but very enjoyable day! Good value for money

Excellent tour guide, great sight at Monte Albon

The Oaxaca Dreams tour guide was excellent - clearly very knowledge about the history of Monte Albon, Oaxaca and Zapotec culture. He flipped fluently between Spanish and English throughout the tour accommodating all guests. We were collected from the hotel around 08:45 and arrived at Monte Albon at 10:00 - it’s only 30 minutes away so most of that time was spent collecting other guests. Had we known we could have happily walked to a different pickup point and saved at least 30 minutes - something we might check in future. Monte Albon is fascinating and we really benefited from having a guide. He talked through the history sketching out timelines and drawing details to explain the constructions throughout the Zapotec era. After 40 minutes guided tour we had an hour to explore independently. As we left the sight the car parks were completely full. Trying to visit independently especially if you are not early looked totally impossible. We would have preferred longer to explore ourselves and actually would have chosen a tour which only visited this sight but couldn’t find one. We imagine that this is a practical reality of how busy the sight gets combined with the impracticality of trying to run two tours in a single day. After leaving Monte Albon there were 4 stops - a wooden carving centre for regional souvenirs, buffet lunch (food was excellent and very Oaxacan) which was chargeable (450 pesos including drinks for two people), a black clay centre and finally a chocolate shop back in the historic centre. The tour was 8.5 hours in total with just 1 hour 40 minutes at Monte Albon. If you haven’t learnt about the wood, clay or chocolate then it’s a thorough tour. We would have preferred a different balance - however, we got everything we booked and must reiterate how great our tour guide was.

Eloy with Oaxaca Dreams is the best!

Our tour with Eloy and Oaxaca Dreams was phenomenal. We saw so much and had a lot of fun. Eloy was professional and prepared. The content of his tour was educational and informative. I highly recommend him and the tour company.

Eloy is the BEST!

Fabulous tour! Eloy, our tour guide, was the absolute best part of this tour! Not only was he wildly knowledgeable about Monte Albán, but also was and incredible ambassador for Oaxaca, its people, and its culture. He was so kind and incredibly personable. Eloy also provided fabulous information about great places to eat and visit - his recommendations led to some of the best food I have eaten in Oaxaca! This tour with Eloy is an absolute must during anyone’s stay in Oaxaca!

Incredible experience!

Incredible experience. Our tour guide was very informative, effectively toggling between English and Spanish. He made a larger group feel like a much smaller one, answering all questions and providing a personalized experience. I would highly recommend booking this experience.

Fun and accommodating in a great way.

Our tour was perfect. I traveled with my mom who while active and healthy is a senior and the way they treated her was as if she was family. Incredibly accommodating while still keeping the flow with the whole team. Our guide Eloy was a wealth of knowledge and Benjamin our driver was just so kind. Highly recommend. 1 tip - take a snack or have a good breakfast. Lunch happens at 2p (which was delicious).

Monte Albán Tour

Oscar and Eloy were excellent tour guides. Very kind and friendly. They are too passionate about Oaxaca culture and history. Without a doubt, an experiencer activity that I highly recommend.

GREAT TOUR!

Gris was phenomenal. She was very informative throughout the whole tour and educated the group with great facts. I would definitely recommend this tour

Monte Albán Tou

Monte Albán Tour We enjoyed a very full day with a complete tour of Monte Albán then to an artesanal studio that produced Oaxacan Painted Wood Carvings, then to a delicious buffet of Oaxacan Cuisine, then to an artesanal studio that produced beautiful Black Ceramics and then lastly to a renowned Chocolate Factory. Eloi was a well informed and pleasant guide and the driver Cheque was also excellent.

Great experience - Thank you Eloy

Booked the tour through a nice local lady that sold tours on the main square in Oaxaca. Super easy and friendly welcoming when we followed her a few steps from the zocalo to the sales office. Next day, we got picked up right in front of our Airbnb by Oscar, the shuttle driver and Eloy our fantastic guide. All day, we were in good hands visiting 4 different activities: 1. Monte Alban (prestigious ruines of the Zapotecan people), 2. The craftshop where locals are creating the famous Alebrijes in Arrazola - magical place with plenty of colours where we found the animal that represent us the best. 3. The manufacturing site in San Bartolo Coyotepec of the black clay (barro negro) where famous Doña Rosa invented the procedure for these beautiful decorative pottery. 4. Back in the center of Oaxaca, we had the pleasure to observe the making of the famous Oaxacan chocolate - trials included 🫠 The tour took from around 10 in the morning until around 5 in the afternoon. For lunch, Oscar and Eloy took us to a local oaxacan restaurant where a buffet of traditional food waited for us. Even if it is impossible to try everything, the quality of the food and the presentation was great. We highly recommend to book this tour. Special thanks to Eloy - best guide]]!!! 🤩 P.s. we saw Eloy two days later in the street- he immediately recognized us and came over to greet us!!]

Amazing cultural expierence

My friend and I took 2 tours with Oaxaca Dreams. Both were fantastic. We especially liked our tour guides Adir and Eloy. Both were knowledgeable and passionate about the Oaxacan culture. We had an amazing experience!

Perfect first-day tour!

Guides Eloy and Oscar took us to see several of the things Oaxaca is known for: Monte Albán, an alebrije workshop, a black clay workshop, a chocolate shop, and a delicious restaurant. We learned so much at each place, and the timing was just right - relaxed time to explore. Highly recommend!

A glimpse of Zapotec past and present

Eloy was an passionate storyteller who slipped effortlessly between Spanish and English as he expertly guided us through the ancient site of Monte Alban, the Zapotec village of Cuilapan and a whistle stop through San Bartolo Coyotepec. Along the way, we met artisans in their workshops and did some light shopping, ending with a trip to family-owned chocolate factory. The tour is well-paced, starting with Monte Alban in the morning, afternoon visits to the workshops (out of the midday heat) and lunch at a home-style restaurant with delicious Oaxacan specialties. A lovely glimpse of Zapotec culture!

Our guide was so...

Our guide was so knowledgable and friendly. He even had so many recommendations for things to do in the city, like restaurants and shops. My favorite part of the tour by far was Monte Alban... I could just soak it up forever.

Great tour guide!

The trip and tour guide was amazing! Our tour guide was local from the area and had a ton of knowledge. Everyone was extremely warm, knowledgeable, and fun. I would highly recommend to others visiting the area!

The company good, the tour guide Eloy not so much.

The tour started great, the tour guide Eloy seems to be an amicable guy at the beginning. Strike One. After a an hour or so in Monte Albán Eloy just finished the tour at half of the place and told us to rendezvous an hour later. When asked what the rest of the tour consisted in, he told us that he wasn't sure what the other pyramids were for and sent us to read the plaques with the descriptions. That's the whole point of having a tour guide lol. Strike Two. When asked about the veracity of some information Eloy acted as he was offended while a person just asked if the info was collated or if the other versions of some story were true as well. So he started to ignore that person from that point on. Strike Three. He was asked by some tour company to give a ride back to one of the people on our crew and he denied her that service being overbearing, and skipping the conversation ignoring her in front of the rest of the 16 people in the tour. After that my girlfriend and I help the lady to get to her hotel because of the rudeness that he showed to us. Other than that, the tour is very complete, you go to pyramids, then to an alebrije shop and a barro negro pottery shop at the end. They also take you to some place in Zaachila to eat but I think that the Zaachila Gastronomical Market is better.

Great tour guides. Highly recommended!

The process of booking was super easy. We called Maribel and she booked 3 of us on our chosen tour immediately. Communication throughout was the process was very good, with pick up times being notified the day before and any delays where advised promptly on the day. The tours themselves were very enjoyable and the guides where highly informative and professional. Our guide Eloi was very knowledgeable and made our trip to Monte Albán very enjoyable and educational. Adeer (?) our guide for Hierve el Agua was also very knowledgeable and funny helping us to enjoy the trip. Both ensured the tour was presented in perfect Spanish and English so no one missed any of the information. If you take a tour in Oaxaca, I would highly recommend Oaxaca Dreams!!

A Must Experience Tour!

Out of all places for great food in Oaxaca, this was it! Our guide(Eloy) took us to various points of interest: Monte Albán, the making of alebrijes(hand carved wood figurines), lunch and the making of artesanías de barro negro(black clay). I was surprised to learn that our guide also speaks the native Zapotecan language. He was also very knowledgeable about the history of the structures in Monte Albán. 👍👍👍

Great day out

An excellent day of entertaining and educational commentary. Our guide was animated, enthusiastic and passionate about the history, culture and heart of Mont Alban and the Oaxaca area. The driver (Benjamin) made contact the night before to confirm our pick up at the hotel and arrived perfectly on time. We would highly recommend this group as professional and knowledgeable. The lunch was magnificent and a much welcomed surprise. Thank you

Lunch was from 3-4pm

Our tour guide Angel was struggling throughout the day. His historical facts and details felt very flat and pre-recorded and he frequently would close his eyes while talking and seemed to be fighting off shoulder aches and headaches and seemed like he was either too sick or too tired to be working. The tour started late, likely out of the company's control (our group was stopped by local police and harassed) in addition to the usual lateness picking various groups up. The day had no heart and no coherent story. If the point is history of Monte Alban and then local artisans, then why is the tour of the church included? It significantly prolonged the day and delayed lunch with not much additional experience gained. Even with the late start, we felt forced to hit every site and spend the preset amount of time at each, but because of this, we didn't leave Monte Alban until nearly 2pm. Then despite that, we still went to the alibrije workshop and the church before lunch. Everyone in the group was famished and hypoglycemic. LUNCH WAS FROM 3-4PM. This is honestly the heart of issue with the tour. It wasn't until we saw another Oaxaca Dreams tour group at the same buffet and later at the black clay pottery factory in Coyotepec late in the afternoon that it sunk in that they didn't care how late we were eating and it was all intentional. The only good point about our guide was that when we asked where we could get something to drink he introduced us to tejate (but we were hoping to have had time to stop in the church parking lot for agua frescas but unfortunately the exit was a different location). This was a tough, challenging day with no heart in it.

Monte Alban was amazing

It was a good tour . Sone recommendations. Waiting until 330 pm to have lunch is too long . We were picked up at 0800 am and waiting until after 3 pm to have lunch is not ok .

Perfect day to Monte Alban with small group

We loved this tour - which is available in English or in Spanish. Oaxaca Dreams make sure that the group remains small which allows for a more curated experience. We were given plenty of information on Monte Alban which is a gorgeous and large site (we liked it better than Teotihuacan!) and then we had time to explore it on our own and take plenty of photos. After that, we visited a co-operative which makes alberijes (shaped and painted wood sculptures) followed by a traditional Oaxacan lunch with plenty of options (not included in the price of the tour but very affordable and the best food stop we have done in a tour so far). We saw an open air church from the 16th century before ending at a local black clay workshop and returning to Oaxaca.

Maravilloso, Beautiful.

Si quieren conocer la Historia de Mexico, deben de tomar este viaje. El guia hara su trabajo explicando a detalle la historia de Montr Alban, de su nombre y como fue abandono. Se hacen visitas a lugares para conocer de la cultura zapoteca y sus tradiciones. La elaboración de Alebrijes, la creación de el barro negro. If you are interested innlearning Mexican History, you must take this trip. Our guide is filled with knowledge about Monte Alban, the origins and the fall of this empire. You will make sevar stops to learn a bit more of the Zapotecan culture and their traditions, such as the creation of Alebrijes and the Black mud vases.

Monte Alban

Excellent tour. The first excellent English translation of any trip I’ve done this journey in Mexico. The tour guide was excellent. Attentive to different needs in the group and funny. Monte Alban stunning. I’d have been happy without the other stops which were more tourist shops. The lunch stop was great and well worth the additional 170 peso cost.

Great tour, great guide

Our guide Ángel was very kind, always ready to answer our questions. All the places we visited were interesting. This is a tour you will enjoy if you travel alone.

Thank you for a fantastic day!

I did this tour 9/7/2022 and it was beyond expectations! Eloy did a great job guiding the mixed group in Spanish and English! Value for money- this tour is a steal! Transport to Mount Alban (entry fee included), the alebrije coop in Arrazola, and the workshop and the Barro Negro workshop/coop in San Bartolo Coyotepec is included! I enjoyed the wide variety at the lunch stop (additional cost about $10); it was very clean and comfortable. I will do it again next year when I return to Oaxaca!

Amazing!

Hands down best tour. We don’t often use a tour service, but Eloy and his crew were absolutely amazing! Educational, entertaining and at inspirational. You can’t go wrong with Eloy!

Great tour guide, great tour

Thoroughly enjoyed the tour, we were picked up quite promptly as well. Tour guide spoke very good English and helped us learn not just about the Monte alban but the vegetation that grows there. The painted wood work and the the black clay sections were also cool as well. Only improvement I can think of is probably including the buffet in with the cost of the tour and draw up the new price. Seeing a higher price for the tour I feel would be better knowing that lunch is included in the price

Fun, interesting attractions, some felt a little shoppy

Was a nice tour, saw a bunch of interesting local attractions and the guide spoke English quite well. Mont Alban was definitely the highlight

Great tour - informative, interesting and tasty!!

The Monte Alban tour was wonderful! The tour company was called Oaxacan Dreams. First we toured Monte Alban with a very knowledgeable guide who made the history very interesting. He also told us a lot about native trees and plants on the site. Then they took us for lunch to a great buffet restaurant. The restaurant was so wonderful- all sorts of very tasty Oaxacan food, homemade. It was my favorite part of the tour! The only downside was that they stopped at several craft places for “demonstrations” but the main point was to try to sell you stuff. But the Monte Alban tour and the restaurant made up for the extra stops that we could have done without.