Cycling in Mexico: Oaxaca
On this page you can find details of a few cycling routes that I did around the Mexican state of Oaxaca in 2024 and 2025. These were single center trips where I hired a bike locally and did circular rides. There are not too many quiet paved roads once you get outside the Oaxaca city, so the rides are mostly intended for mountain bikes (but could also be done on gravel bikes).
As well as finding fun trails and enjoying impressive views, I was also keen to ride to some of the most notable historic sites in the region.
Oaxaca is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico. It is known primarily for its sandy beaches, great food, ancient ruins and laid back environment. It is also one of Mexico's best regions for cycling. It is generally safe to head out into remote rural areas here, and there is an impressive diversity of scenery.
Below you can find details of four good cycling routes in the region, of varying length and difficulty. Three are circular rides around Oaxaca City - combing fun trails with visits to historical sites including Yagul, Mitla and Monte Albán. And there is one ride which is on the coast, passing through the Huatulco National Park.
Oaxaca Center & Monte Albán
This is a relatively short ride almost entirely on paved roads. It's a very nice way to see the center of Oaxaca, as well as the incredible archaeological sites of Monte Albán and Atzompa.
Oaxaca was a thriving area when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, and they quickly converted it into one of their most important cities. The route begins by riding through the old town (formerly known as Antequera); this includes the Zocalo and cathedral. A slight detour then takes you to the Templo de Santo Domingo and the charming Church of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad.
Oaxaca's picturesque old town
You then leave the Spanish era monuments behind and begin the long climb up to Monte Albán. This is mostly on a good paved road and the gradient is pretty gentle until the final mile, where it kicks up to around 10%.
It is a scenic route through some of the suburbs of Oaxaca, before entering the countryside near to the top of the climb. You can leave your bike on a rack at the entrance to Monte Albán and I would recommend spending spend quite some time looking around the vast site.
Monte Albán
Monte Albán is one of the most important historical sites in the Americas. It emerged as a Zapotec seat of power around 1500 years ago, when it had close links with the megapolis of Teotihuacan. At its peak, much of the mountain slopes were covered with residential terraces and it probably had a population of over 25,000, with many more satellite towns in the valley.The site was built around a central plaza with many raised stone platforms containing temples that were decorated with stucco and red paint. Over 170 magnificent elite tombs have been found, showing the great wealth of the lords of Monte Albán.
Many of the Zapotec monuments were moved from their original location so its disputed exactly how the site would have looked, so take the reconstruction work here with a slight pinch of salt!
Monte Albán declined slowly and was abandoned in the late 8th century. At this point the Mixtec's became more prominent in the Valley.
I could go into a lot more detail here, but for the sake of brevity, I encourage you simply to read up about it before you visit, or to hire a local guide to show you around. Without some knowledge of the local history it is difficult to appreciate the scale and importance of this great city.
Monte Albán Ball Court
Turquoise mask found in a tomb
Turquoise mask found in a tomb
From Monte Albán, it is a fast descent down to the valley, followed by a gradual two-mile climb up to Atzompa. Much smaller than Monte Albán, Atzompa is situated on a similarly impressive hill top location and offers fantastic views of the surrounding countryside. The Zapotec ruins here date from the same period as Monte Albán's peak.
The ride ends with a nice descent, before joining a dirt cycle lane alongside the Atoyac River, which takes you back into the heart of Oaxaca City.
Yagul & Mitla
This is a long and flattish ride that is mostly on gravel trails and dirt roads. It heads east out of Oaxaca and visits the two UNESCO World Heritage sites of Yagul and Mitla
If you have the time, I would recommend spending a night or two in Mitla, and doing an additional ride to Hierve el Agua. It is, however, possible to do this entire ride in one day, just count on spending at least an hour each at Yagul and Mitla.
The route is mostly on gravel roads through ejidal lands and desert, with a nice variety of wider trails and singletrack. The surfaces are generally very good for riding with a mountain bike, although there are some short sections that are a bit bumpy or sandy.
The ride returns to Oaxaca via the town of Santa Maria del Tule (see the ride below for more details), which has a nice market to stop for lunch or refreshments. And the final stretch from there to Oaxaca is on a mostly paved cycle route.
Yagul & Mitla
Aside from the dirt roads, the main highlights of the route are the ruins at Yagul and Mitla. Mitla is the more visited of the two sites, and played a prominent role in Zapotec history.It was established as Monte Albán was declining, at a time when southern Mexico became more of a warrior culture. High status warriors replaced the traditional priests as the elites, which led to the development of more fortified settlements and new religious traditions - Mitla was at the heart of this.
The city is thought to have been the residence of the high-priest within this new culture, who was so powerful that even kings bowed in front of him when they visited his palace. Today the artwork and columns of the imposing palace are still visible.
Warrior priests carried out ceremonies in white robes, surrounded by incense, while the High Priest was covered in a Jaguar skin. Some historians have likened its religious role to that of Delphi in Ancient Greece. There is also evidence that human sacrifices were routinely performed.
Yagul is a rather different site, and belonged to the Mixtec people. It dates from a later period, and was probably still an active town when the Spanish arrived in the 1520s.
As well as offering great views across the Valley of Oaxaca, you can see the remains of a large palace complex, the ball court, temples and several administrative buildings. The site is usually very quiet and is less visited than Mitla, but no less impressive in my opinion.
Huatulco National Park
This route starts and finishes in the coastal town of Huatulco. It visits several of the town's most impressive beaches and tours through the Huatulco National Park. The first half of the route is mostly on dirt roads and singletrack, while the second part, visiting the beaches, is mostly paved. A mountain bike is recommended, but a gravel bike would be OK for all but the most sandy sections.
It begins from the Easy bike shop in Huatulco's old town (you can rent a bike here), before heading into the National Park. This is a very peaceful ride on a gently rolling trail through the jungle. Keep your eyes peeled and ears tuned to experience a wide variety of exotic bird life.
The main trail into the National Park is quite wide and non technical. On the return to the coast, the route joins a singletrack whcih is all rideable, but is slightly more technical with a few tree roots and sandy patches. It's a lot of fun though and leads directly to a couple of quiet beaches.
The second part of the ride follows the hilly coastal road, with some very nice views overlooking the ocean. Highlights include the picturesque beaches of Entrega and Violin, as well as the larger more popular beach of Santa Cruz in Huatulco city itself.
Huatulco National Park
Coastal view in the Huatulco National Park
A nice singletrack section
Chahué Beach
Mina Reservoir & Tule
Back in Oaxaca City, this final circular ride visits the Mina Reservoir and the charming town of Santa María del Tule. The ride is on a mixture of paved roads and dirt tracks in good condition; again, either a mountain or gravel bike would be fine.
The riding is all pretty straight forward here, with not too much elevation gain and mostly gentle gradients. The main highlight is the unpaved road that heads to Presa La Mina - a popular spot with locals to have picnics at the weekend.
On the way back to Oaxaca you go through Santa María del Tule, which is famously home to 'the widest tree in the world'. Estimated to be around 2,000 years old, the ahuehuete tree has a diameter of over 11m (38ft).
Tule is also home to an excellent indoor market, where you can enjoy Oaxacan delicacies such as tlayudas, atole and mole. For those with a sweet tooth, you can also buy artesanal chocolate and ice creams here!
The final stretch of the ride back into Oaxaca is on a cycle path separated from the road. Due to the lack of traffic and relatively easy profile, this ride is a good option for families or casual cyclists.
Overview
Oaxaca is a good for cycle touring. The riding can be relatively flat or quite hilly, and you can often choose between paved and un-paved roads.One of the best things about riding here is that you can visit such interesting places on your routes. Monte Albán, Mitla and Yagul are truly exceptional archaeological sites, while the natural scenery of the Huatulco National Park or the Mina Reservoir are similarly impressive in their own way.
There are bike shops in both Oaxaca and Huatulco where you can rent mountain bikes. In Oaxaca I have used Bike Flow, who had very good bikes and even better customer service. I highly recommend it!
In Huatulco I have used Easy Bikes, which was a bit more orientated towards short leisure riding, but had reasonable Giant bikes for hire.
Overall, I would recommend the cycling here. It's not an incredible cycling destination like France, Spain or even Georgia, but it is a great way to get in a bit of exercise and as a means of transport to some of Oaxaca's most impressive monuments.
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