In Mexico, everyone has an opinion about food, and they’re usually right. It’s family, memory, smoke, heat, and strong feelings about how things should be done. Recipes get passed down the same way other families pass down surnames, and everyone’s sure theirs is the original.

You’ll grind corn by hand for tortillas, see what actually goes into a proper mole (it’s a lot), and eat street food from places that have been feeding locals the same thing for decades. Some days it’s simple and comforting. Other days it’s loud, spicy, and perfectly chaotic.

Mornings start with markets coming alive before sunrise, the smell of chilies hitting a hot comal, the constant chopping, flipping, tasting. You’ll meet cooks who learned from their parents and grandparents, who cook by feel instead of recipe, and who can tell you exactly what each and every ingredient brings to a dish.

Some of what you’ll eat is rooted in ancestry. Some is fire and instinct. Regardless, you won’t just eat Mexico; you’ll leave smelling like smoke and chili.

5:30pm: Meet your Host and fellow travelers at your Start Hotel.

Get your first real taste of Mexico at a special welcome dinner, in a historic wine cellar with more than 3,000 labels.

Mexico’s best sommelier, and personal friend of the Salt Caravan team, hosts you for the evening – not something you’ll find on any booking site.

A personalized pairing of 'fancy' tostada, taco, or quesadilla with Mexican wines... not a bad way to start!

Forget breakfast at the hotel. Your tour leader, Yimnah, will take you downtown to a place locals really love. It's also a fave of our Mexican team member, Alex, who's a regular here with his family. That’s usually a good sign you’re onto the real deal. Bring on the chilaquiles!

Walk off breakfast with a guided stroll through some of Mexico City’s iconic landmarks. From the Zócalo, you can see the layers of Aztec and Spanish history beneath the modern city, which helps explain the flavors you’ll encounter along the way.

Lunch today is a street-food crawl with your host, Yimnah. This is her city, so you’re in good hands – and she’ll set the record straight on all those Mexican food myths.

She’s mapped out a special route just for your group, stopping at her favorite vendors for tacos, meat (some are surprising!), and seafood – chosen for the way they stick to traditional ingredients and cooking methods. 

With each bite, you’re tasting centuries of history – from pre-Hispanic origins to Spanish colonial times. Let that sink in for a moment...

Enjoy a free afternoon to carry on exploring the bits – or flavors – of this magical city that grabbed your curiosity. 

You might not be hungry after all that street food, so tonight we’re leaving the ball in your court. Either relax after all that walking (and eating!), or find yourself a local spot to enjoy a meal that suits your fancy.

At your hotel.

After breakfast, check out and head for Puebla – one of Mexico’s great food cities, where some of the most iconic dishes came into their own, most notably mole poblano and chiles en nogada.

According to local stories, many of these classics took shape in convent kitchens, thanks to the nuns of the 'new' Spanish colony.

You’ll take the long way to Puebla on purpose – a scenic mountain road into the cooler highland forests. Pause for lunch... and enjoy the view among the volcanoes.

Your lunch stop is a place where most tourists would never go – a rustic roadside shelter in the mountains. Lunch is something like quesadillas with hand-made tortillas, filled with local meats and veggies.

This is a tradition for local families, pulling over for simple, picnic food with a view – not the sort of place you’ll find on Google Maps or a food tour.

Our local team member, Alex, says this is the kind of memory that takes him back to his childhood.

It’s exactly how Mexicans eat on the road, and a nice little prelude to Puebla.

After checking into your next hotel, you’ll have a free afternoon to wander Puebla’s streets, and absorb the hyper-detailed Baroque beauty of this colonial city.

Dinner tonight is at a local fonda, Yimnah-approved, a fix for cravings of savoury antojitos, with sides of rich, chile-based sauces layered with nuts, seeds, and spice – adobo, pipián or mole poblano. Which is your fave?

But save some room – for dessert you’ll go somewhere nearby for traditional Mexican ice cream, made by hand with real ingredients and seasonal flavors.

It’s a world away from the mass-produced supermarket kind, and a very Puebla way to end the night.

At your hotel.

Use a little free time this morning to wander the streets of Puebla on your own. You don’t need a plan – just bring your curiosity.

Meet Aleyn, a local chef in the small town of Cholula. She joins you as a good friend of Salt Caravan, to share what a day in her life looks like – a moment you won't find listed anywhere.

Under her guidance, you'll browse the local market stalls, sniff out fresh ingredients, and taste whatever catches your eye. You’ll see firsthand how Puebla really eats.

This market is so traditional, you'll mostly just see locals, and you'll probably spot culinary students shopping for specialties only available from this region.

Next, you’re invited into the home of Aleyn, who's not just a chef, but also one of Puebla’s best chile relleno makers.

She’ll teach you how to make her legendary chile en nogada – a dish of stuffed chiles that blends indigenous and Spanish cooking traditions – and serve you up some rompope, a creamy, spiced drink the nuns used to make.

Roll up your sleeves, cook alongside her, and taste the results straight from the kitchen. You'll quickly see why cooking in Puebla is about more than just following a recipe.

The moment of truth! It's time to enjoy the meal you just whipped up with Aleyn. There's a special surprise for you, too!

You’ll probably need a break after all that hard work, so take the rest of the afternoon to do as you choose.

Yours to decide – now that you’ve got a feel for the real thing, you’re good to go exploring if you’re still peckish. 

At your hotel.

Now it's on to Oaxaca – one of Mexico's most food-loving regions, where ingredients are tied to the land and tradition.

Oaxaca is famous for mezcal and chocolate. But, also edible cacti, insects that have been part of local diets for generations, and fresh, stringy Oaxaca quesa pulled by hand. It might sound unusual now, but it all makes sense once you’re there.

But first, there's a stop along way...

This is far from your typical garden. It’s a wild, living memory of the desert – a memory that holds nine thousand years of human history.

A specialist guide will walk your group through the world’s densest cluster of towering cacti (some over 10 meters tall!) and hundreds of years old, that can surely be described as cinematic.

It becomes clear that the people here relied on cacti for food – first out of necessity and later as a choice – and the way they've managed this landscape is what's made farming even possible.

You’re not leaving this place just yet. Lunch is served in a little restaurante close by, with tastings of local cacti, flowers, fruits and even insects – all part of the region’s everyday cuisine, and heritage.

Don't worry, there’ll be chicken or another meat option on the table too, so no one leaves hungry.

Once you arrive at Oaxaca this afternoon, you’re free to hit the town on your own.

Your stomach may appreciate a break at this stage. But if you’re still in the mood to eat, head out to a local restaurante. More mole anyone? Yimnah has plenty of good suggestions.

At your hotel.

Time for a bit of craft. In the small town of San Bartolo Coyotepec, known for its black pottery, you'll see how the clay is shaped, polished, and fired to get that glossy black finish.

The local potters are more than happy to tell you how they've been doing it for generations. You won't find this exact style anywhere, not even in Mexico.

Something special for today – the only Michelin Guide restaurante on this trip, and one you'd be sad if you missed.

More like an outdoor, wood-fired kitchen in a village setting. Seasonal Oaxacan cuisine is the specialty here, including mole – but also memelas, blandas, and tlayudas.

All begin as freshly ground and pressed corn masa, but end up either thick and toasty, soft and pillowy, or thin and crunchy. Served with the same ingredients that have been plucked from the very garden you're dining in.

Ready for some Oaxacan folk art? Roll up your sleeves and paint your own alebrije in brilliant colors – a spirit animal carved from sacred copal tree wood. The artisans can tell you if there’s a special animal linked to your birthday on the Zapotec calendar.

Dinner is at your leisure this evening. Consider it your chance to catch up on any tastes you may have missed until now.

At your hotel.

Your morning is free – wander through the city, sip a coffee, or explore the side streets. Maybe a museum? Or even just relax at your hotel. It's your choice!

Go with whatever you're craving. Or if you're feeling indecisive, check with Yimnah about some lunch ideas for today.

After your little solo adventure, you’ll join the group once again for a mezcal tasting led by a local producer.

Oaxacan mezcal is so special it makes up 90% of Mexico's production. Terroir and agave processing, which includes a roasting step (hence the smokiness!), creates its surprising taste profile, ranging from sweet and earthy to tropical fruits and baking spices).

Can you believe the agave is actually part of the asparagus family?

A local restaurante-owner-chef opens their kitchen for a private food conversation, just for you and your Salt Caravan crew, cooking up dishes kept for friends – including Oaxaca mole and maybe some corn-based staples like tamales, tetelas or pan de elote – and the stories behind them.

An early rise for a morning trip to Etla market, just a little way out of town. Not like the big city markets, Etla still has that traditional market feel, with regional specialties and specific ingredients that are hard to find anywhere else (hint! the tamales here are to die for). Even some of the prep and cooking methods remain untouched here.

Welcome to Pati's home, another friend of Salt Caravan. Hopefully you're not too full after sampling market goodies, because you're about to have a Mexican breakfast you won't want to miss – especially if you're a cheese lover!

Pati, a local tortilla maker, is also a master of queso Oaxaca, the delightfully stringy, melty cheese that's like the must-have in all your main Oaxacan dishes. She's going to walk you through the making of it, so get ready to stretch that cheese.

But it wouldn't be right to have the cheese on its own, so you'll also get a lesson in making freshly ground corn tortillas, by hand, the way it should be. Once the hard work's done – it’s time to dig in. Enjoy!

Now let’s back it up with a chocolate class with a traditional chocolate maker back in Oaxaca. Important to know – you'll need to taste both the traditional and modern chocolate preparations in order to really appreciate it!

Oaxacan chocolate is usually mixed with cinnamon and sugar, but the most traditional way to enjoy it is as a hot drink made with water and chile. It comes straight from Aztec and Mayan traditions, not like any modern, commercial version you've tried.

You’ll likely be quite full, but if you’re dying to try more of the local food (we don’t blame you!) feel free to head out and find something delicious on your own.

With so much to see, do – and taste – in this city, we thought you’d like the rest of the day to explore for yourself.

Tonight, dinner’s on you. Head on downtown or, you can ask Yimnah about her local favorite local spots.

Breakfast at your hotel, or packed to-go for the flight – it’s time to head back to Mexico City.

Morning flight back to Mexico City.

After you arrive, visit a farm-to-table restaurante where the chef will take you on a little tour of the garden, pointing out the ingredients he uses and sharing how he puts a modern spin on traditional dishes.

Stay for a meal built around fresh, seasonal produce, and let the ingredients do the talking. You might find cecina (beef steak), cacti, tortillas and salsas on the menu.

You haven't been to Mexico until you meet a real-life wrestler and watch a lucha libre show. So this afternoon, that's what you'll be doing.

It won't be just a 'hello' and a handshake, it's a real meet and greet, and you'll join in a mezcal toast with your wrestler before the performance.

Mexico's own brand of freestyle wrestling by mask-wearing athletes – a mashup of extreme acrobatics, theatrics, and folklore – makes it impossible not to get caught up in the fun, whether it's you're first time or you're an obsessed fan!

You have the rest of the day to explore more on your own, or just put your feet up and relax for a bit -- however you wish.

Tonight, dinner’s on you. Follow your cravings…

It may not be obvious, but this is an edible landscape. At Teotihuacan, you’ll walk among the nopales (prickly pear) and native cacti with a local family – friends of Salt Caravan – and see how these plants show up in everyday Oaxacan cooking, connecting today’s kitchens with ancient ones.

Nothing too strenuous – just a curious look at how the land has fed people here since pre-Hispanic times.

Stay on at the cacti farm and enjoy a picnic-style breakfast just for your group (this can’t be booked anywhere).

Chat some more with the farmers about why nopal are such a big deal in Mexican cuisine – there are so many reasons, and you'll find the answers by being here.

It would be a shame to be in Mexico City and not check out Teotihuacan and the giant pyramids. Head over this morning, have a wander around with a specialist guide, and take in the massive Pyramid of the Sun. See if you can make sense of the mysteries that still persist there.

Find a bite to eat wherever you like in Mexico City but make sure you save room for your farewell dinner – it's going to be a special one.

Squeeze in some last minute sight-seeing back in Mexico City.

Before dinner, roll up your sleeves for a private cooking class organized especially for your group. Not your ordinary class, this one's being led by an expert from one of the region's most prestigious culinary institutions.

Secret's out. We’ve secured ‘after-hours’ access at the same special venue for a proper Mexican fiesta. Local seasonal dishes and drinks, music and dance... and a taste of our signature Salt Caravan cocktail. No reason to forget this night, or the trip, in a hurry. ¡ándele! 

At your hotel.

Your deep dive into Mexican cuisine has come to an end and it’s time to return home with a new set of culinary skills and a ton of inspiration… ¡Hasta pronto!

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