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Oaxaca's indigenous communities of Ixtlán as featured in The Guardian. May 1st, 2024!
Read this fantastic article on the Sierra Norte mountains of Oaxaca, focusing on the community of Ixtlán de Juarez, where we will be for our MyComida: Ixtlan. The article is, in fact, about the entire mancomunados, the eight villages who share economies and tourism as well as their extensive forest resources, as this article talks about. We will spend considerable time in the Sierra Norte with these communities during 3 of our 5 adventures in Oaxaca:
MyComida Rupestre, MyColores: Sierra Norte, and MyComida: Ixtlan. |
Join us for an edible mushroom extravaganza in the mountains of Oaxaca.
Join us for our final tour in Oaxaca for 2024, where we will explore the beautiful forests and town of Ixtlan de Juarez, a veritable smorgasbord of edible fungi, and stunning settings. We will stay for five nights in fire-warmed shared cabins and explore the surrounding area each day, dining with the local chefs, and taking a rather magnified look at mushrooms as food, and the science behind some of their flavor.
Zachary, co-founder of The Fungivore and lead mushroom chef will demonstrate the cooking of the various mushrooms we find, and we will dine with some of the best chefs in Oaxaca during our nights in the city. Prepare for an immersion in mycology and mycophagy in a way you've never experienced, with lectures and talks exploring the nerdiest parts of edible mycology (mycophagy), and surprises, too.
We are thrilled to announce that this year, we will be joined by none other than Christian Schwarz, author of the ever-useful compendium “Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast.” Christian will, in fact, be joining us for both this tour and the final tour of the season in Mexico in Chiapas as well! Christian is a celebrated mycologist and an important contributor to the body public knowledge of mycology on Earth.
See our brief day-by-day itinerary below, under the Key Trip Details section.
Zachary, co-founder of The Fungivore and lead mushroom chef will demonstrate the cooking of the various mushrooms we find, and we will dine with some of the best chefs in Oaxaca during our nights in the city. Prepare for an immersion in mycology and mycophagy in a way you've never experienced, with lectures and talks exploring the nerdiest parts of edible mycology (mycophagy), and surprises, too.
We are thrilled to announce that this year, we will be joined by none other than Christian Schwarz, author of the ever-useful compendium “Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast.” Christian will, in fact, be joining us for both this tour and the final tour of the season in Mexico in Chiapas as well! Christian is a celebrated mycologist and an important contributor to the body public knowledge of mycology on Earth.
See our brief day-by-day itinerary below, under the Key Trip Details section.
We had an amazing experience. We felt immersed in the culture and geography of Oaxaca, and learned a lot about foraging mushrooms and cooking Oaxacan food. Foraging for mushrooms with experts Zack and Kim is really fun, like a treasure hunt, and some of the meals were in our top ten ever." |
Chef Reyna Mendoza demonstrating the proper use of a metate.
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Key Trip DetailsLength: 7 days / 7 nights
Average Foray Distance: 3-5 miles / day Altitude: 6,000-8,000 feet Accommodations: - 2 nights in Oaxaca City hotel - 5 nights in mountain community cabins All meals included (7 Dinners, 6 Lunches, 6 Breakfasts) |
Cortinarius eaperatus, a delicious edible Cort in the field and a curious attendee.
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Day-by-Day Itinerary
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Sept 17th - Day 1: Full Moon prix-fixe Dinner Experience (Mezcal is extra); Welcome to Oaxaca and our Adventure!
Day 2: Visit the ruins 2500 year old Monté Albán; see how molinillos are turned during our mountain lunch; settle into our Cabins in Ixtlan for the week Days 3, 4 + 5 : Stay in Woodfire-heated cabañas, daily forays, mushroom cooking demos, local food, chocolate, presentations (TBA) from Christian Schwarz and Zachary Hunter; time in the woods. |
A special demonstration of a traditional technique of creating very tall foam on chocolate in Las Animas, OAX.
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Day 6: Special adventure hike, Mushroom ID Table talk, mushroom dye demonstration, and of course, an epic dinner at an exclusive location!
Day 7: Leave Ixtlan, Zapotec-led mushroom cooking class with Honguera Martha in Cuajimoloyas; final group dinner at an excellent restaurant in Oaxaca City; last night in Hotel. Day 8: Check out of hotel. Adventure is officially over. You don't have to leave Oaxaca, of course, and we are happy to help you with further plans! |
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Ixtlan de Juarez is part of a 8-community cluster of Zapotec communities called the Mancomunados. Controlling several hundred thousand acres of wooded mountains, these communities protect their forests, and value everything that comes out. This adventure is one of the rare groups that gets to pick mushrooms at this particular location, which is one of Chef Zack's favorite of all locations.
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WHAT PAST MYCOMIDA ADVENTURES SAID:
"The trip was a perfect way to visit Oaxaca with great adventures and experiences... Every meal was delicious."
- Donna; Santa Cruz, CA 
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"The trip was like getting a personalized tour of Oaxaca from the locals. You really get to experience the culture, food, and off-the-beaten path sights that you could never have experienced with a traditional tour."
- Linda, San Diego, Ca 
"It was a fun small group tour where we spent half the time in the hills of Oaxaca, gathering mushrooms, learning about them and eating them."
- Kris; San Francisco, CA |
Our Journey to Ixtlan Team
Zachary & Kim Hunter
Your Tour Leaders
Zachary and Kimberly shared their first hosted Mexico tour together less than two months after meeting. That love-(and-tourism)-at-first-sight in Fall of 2018 has blossomed into a project far beyond their original dreams.
In 2023, they celebrated their 5th year of hosting mushroom adventures in Mexico, a journey that saw them move to Oaxaca in early 2022, and to dedicate their attention to the cradle of civilization hiding in plain sight; to tap into the both ancient and future wisdom of the people of the clouds. Zachary and Kim will be your hosts for each and every tour in 2024! |
Celestino Mendez
Zapotec Nature Guide
Celestino Mendez is a local Zapotec member of the Mancomunados of the Sierra Nortes, farming and living in his native village of Latuvi. He leads treks, mountain bike tours, mountain summit tours and more with his business Walk With Celestino.
We met Celestino in 2019 at the Cuajimoloyas Mushroom Festival, and have partnered with him on almost all of our tours in 2021, 2022 and 2023. He is also a nature geek himself, passionate about orchids, as well as deep knowledge of the forests and ecological diversity in the Sierra Norte. His recent work has led him to connect with Kew Gardens of London and with the Univeristy of Pennsylvania to lead and direct diversity study projects and guide botanists and naturists to the endemic habitats of rare tropical plants. |
Christian Schwarz
Mycologist and Author
Christian Schwarz studied Ecology and Evolution at UC Santa Cruz, where his interest in the world of fungi became irrevocable – their seemingly endless forms (from the grotesque to the bizarre to the sublime) fed his curiosity.
He is co-author of Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, and is Collections Lead for the California Fungal Diversity Survey, and is a research associate of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and served on the IUCN Red List Working Group for North American Fungi, advocating for habitat conservation focused on fungi. He is passionate about biodiversity in general, and especially in the philosophy and practice of community science (especially through the use of iNaturalist). |
How to join, the cost and what's covered:
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Payment Policy, Non-Refundable Deposit and Refund Schedule
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:
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How to Join & Discounts
We review each application to make sure our mycoadventure is a good fit for all participants and give us insight to create the best experience for each group. 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 September 17th. |
