A FORAY INTO THE NATURE, CUISINE & CULTURE OF OAXACA
Take in Oaxaca’s rich culture, cuisine & nature over 7 full days & 8 nights as we forage and dye deep in the verdant Sierra Sur mountains & explore the art of natural dyeing and artisanship of the region.
Alissa Allen, veteran mushroom dyer and founder of Mycopigments, will be joining us from Seattle, Washington, to lead our forays & mushroom dyeing workshops with local guides and artisans.
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In the misty mountains...
Located halfway between Oaxaca City and the Pacific Coast, high up in the mountains, the famous town of San Jose Del Pacifico sits on a ridge of mixed pine forest, adorned with mushrooms, from the wool products to the murals, wood carvings, and more. The mountains are abundant in mushrooms and medicinal plants.
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Forage by day...
With Alissa, Ari, and local guides, we'll learn about hthe local flora and explore the rich variety of dyeing mushrooms that the mountains have to offer including phellodon (blue) and dyer's polypore (gold/green). We'll experiment with what we find, and create a rainbow of color during our time together.
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Feast by night...
We are grateful to have such a talented chef and friend, Ariadne Pinacho providing a true culniary experience during our nights in the mountains, and days in the field. Experience both Oaxacan cuisine as well as a new generation of culinary creativity to nourish our bodies and souls.
Our trip will be book-ended in the cultural and foodie mecca of Oaxaca City with most of our time immersed in the mountains and valleys, exploring the diverse edible (and dyeable) landscape with our Zapotec friends, sharing generations of knowledge from nature to traditional cooking, natural dyeing, fiber arts, and more.
Itinerary Highlights
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Day 1: Check in and meet your fellow foragers and dyers and enjoy a group dinner at one of Oaxaca’s top restaurants
Day 2: Visit the Ocotlan Market, enjoy traditional Oaxaca cuisine, and stop by a few artisan villages known for weaving and embroidery on our way to mountains. Evening dinner by Chef Ariadna and presentation from Alissa on dyeing with mushrooms.
Day 3: Foray in the mountains of San Jose for dye mushrooms lead by Don Carlos with a campo lunch made by Dona Carmen. Later, we’ll set up our ID table and dye studio to play throughout the week. -
Day 4: Foray and lunch with a local artisan community and mushroom dye demonstration with Alissa. Optional stop in town with a relaxing evening and dinner by Chef Ariadna.
Day 5: Foray in San Sebastian with local guides to complete our foraging to create a rainbow of color. Spend the afternoon playing in our dye studio or stop in town to see local crafts. Optional Full Moon temazcal that evening onsite.
Day 6: Morning workshop with local artisan to learn the process of turning wool into yarn with lunch and an afternoon to exchange natural and mushroom dye knowledge. Enjoy dinner in town. -
Day 7: Medicinal plant foray with local herbalist in the morning and an afternoon back at homebase to finish dyeing any remaining naked fibers that you have.
Day 8: Say goodbye to the mountains, stopping in the black clay village of San Bartolo Coyotepec, and an afternoon in Oaxaca City with final group dinner to celebrate our time together.
Day 9: Depart hotel with a rainbow of mushroom color and lasting memories.
**Option for day-long weaving workshop with traditional Zapotec weavers in Teotitlan.
*All meals are included starting with dinner on the night of August 15 through our last night together on August 22 with accommodations provided through August 23rd.
** You can put your mushroom dyed yarn to use with a 6 hour hands-on weaving workshop with Dr. Sam, Leonora, and his incredible family in Teotitlan del Valle on 15th century style looms to bring home a small rug to remember your time here.
How to join, the cost, and payment schedule:
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Price & Payment Schedule
The price of this 8 night trip per person* : $3199.00 all inclusive**.
Payments for the trip shall be made in full, and includes the NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT of $500 which helps us secure accommodations, reserve transportation, book restaurants, and secure the tour.
With this payment commitment, your deposit will be returned to you only on one of two conditions: the trip is completely canceled (all monies will be returned), or you help arrange for someone else to take your place.
Refunds for cancellations will be returned on the following schedule:- 120+ days before the start of the trip, total minus deposit;
- 90-120 days before, 60% refund;
- 60-90 days before, 40% refund;
- 30-60 days before, 20% refund;
- 30 days before, no refund available
- 120+ days before the start of the trip, total minus deposit;
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How to Join + DIscounts
Apply today to join us in August!
We are partnered with The Fungivore for our mushroom focused experiences and have a joint application. We review each application to get to know you, your allergies, etc. Upon review, we're reach out ASAP to offer an info call, deposit information and next steps.
We will fill the trip in the order of applications received and deposits secured. Our group size is capped at 12 participants and we have very high interest this year. If you are interested, get your spot on the list for 2024!.
Payment plans are available on a case-by-case basis. Please send info@thefungivore.com an email to explore this option. -
What is Covered on Trip
*Double occupancy is assumed for our available accommodations. If you are traveling with someone, be sure to let us know if you need 1 bed or two.
**All meals, lodging, tours, activities, and workshops are included. Alcohol during meals, souvenirs, and some optional activities are not included. Ground transportation to & from Oaxaca International Airport (OAX) to Oaxaca City is not included ($5-20 each way).
The deposit is non-refundable IN MOST CASES. We use it immediately to secure transportation, lodging and reservations. However in 2020, the full cost of the trip, deposits included, was fully refunded due to the pandemic. If the trip is canceled for any reason, you will get ALL of your money back, guaranteed.)
THE FLIGHT TO OAXACA is not included. Please make travel arrangements to be able to join us in Oaxaca for dinner on August 15th.
Our Local Partners & Experts
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Kim & Zack Hunter, Tour Leaders
Over several trips to Oaxaca, we have cultivated a rich relationship with the people, culture, & cuisine that has culminated in this invitation for a hands-on, immersive window into this cradle of civilization.
We believe that through travel & connecting with different cultures, we gain a greater understanding of the world, our place in it, and the better future that we can build together.
It's in this spirit that we share the Oaxaca that we know & love with you. -
Alissa Allen, Mushroom Dye Master
Alissa is the founder of Mycopigments. She specializes in teaching about regional mushroom and lichen dye palettes to fiber artists and mushroom enthusiasts all over the world. Alissa got her start in the Pacific Northwest and has been sharing her passion for mushrooms for over 15 years.
Alissa uses brilliant colors found in fungal dyes to entice people to take a closer look at mushrooms and lichens and the role they play in our lives. This will be her second season joining us for mycoadventures in Oaxaca. -
Ariadna Pinacho, Chef & Forager
Chef and Owner of Huitzil Restaurant in San Jose del Pacifico, Ariadna is a genius of myophagy, an accomplishment garnished with the front-of-the-house mastery by her partner Erik Gasga-Naranjo. Their meals have never not impressed, with an attention to detail so often overlooked in rural Oaxaca.
Ariadna grew up in San Jose del Pacifico, and still lives and works with her family (Mother, father and siblings) at Teteo Innan Temescal and Cabins, and is a local Honguera and edible mushroom expert.
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Joining for her third year with us, Mycopigments master Alissa Allan returns to explore new forests, new fibers and new mushrooms!
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Last year, Alissa presented to more than 50 community members in Teotitlan del Valle on the mushroom and lichen colors of Oaxaca.
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This year, we’ll spend time in the mountains with new communities interested in mushroom dyeing and exchanging knowledge.
