“Our family of four (two parents and two young kids ages 5 and 8) spent several WONDERFUL days with Lily and her team outside Oaxaca City. My husband and I have lived and traveled all over the world, and I can tell you without hesitation that our time with Lily and her team was one of the best travel experiences we’ve ever had. We first consulted with Lily before coming to Oaxaca, and she prepared a fully customized itinerary that met the needs and interests of our young children as well as us adults—not an easy task! Then when we arrived, our experience was more incredible than we had imagined. In two days, we learned about and painted our own alebrijes, learned to make rainbow tortillas and chocolate, met with women weavers and potters for engaging hands-on workshops, ate our way through the Tlacolula Sunday market, hiked and swam at beautiful Hierve El Agua, and stayed at Lily’s gorgeous AirBnb. As we wrote Lily upon our return home: “We are back from Oaxaca and wanted to send you our deepest gratitude and appreciation for everything you and your wonderful team did for our family. Our time with you and your team was above and beyond anything we could have hoped for. We learned so much, met so many wonderful people, and loved every single experience you organized. Our kids had an amazing time while learning a lot and broadening their understanding of Oaxaca, Zapotec culture, and the world. Thank you for opening doors for us to meet people and experience places outside of Oaxaca City in an honest, respectful, and just way. And your Airbnb was the best, most comfortable place we stayed during our two weeks in Mexico. Thank you!” Don’t walk—RUN to travel with Lily and her team!!”

“Lily, Julio, and her entire team created an exceptional day for us and five fellow travelers. It was the highlight of our trip. We chose Zapotec Travel because they focus on supporting small indigenous owned businesses and their families. We did the Textiles + Tlacolula Sunday Market + Mezcal experience. Each stop was truly special. For both the Textile and Mezcal experience, we were welcomed into the makers' homes. Learning about the legacy and process of their crafts was fascinating and inspiring - not to mention beautiful and delicious! The Tlacolula Sunday Market was a true feast for the senses. It's BIG so we were grateful to have Julio guiding us so that we could fully appreciate all the different sections without being totally lost. It's a great place to purchase pottery and local delicacies like chocolate, bread, and fresh vanilla beans. Lily and her team prepared an unforgettable feast for lunch. It was easily one of the most delicious meals we had on our trip. I highly recommend Lily and her team at Zapotec travel!”

“A lot of companies promote culturally sensitive tourism but very few match their theory with practice. On each of the three days spent with Zapotec Travel By Lily, my husband and I could plainly see how much cooperation and trust existed between Lily and her team and the local people whose lives the tourism activities affect. What stood out most to me was that there was no attempt to shape any of the experiences to reflect anything other than the reality - and it is more enough to listen to people speak about their own life, their own crafts and foods, their own experiences in their homes and communities! It was authentic and that made it great. On top of all this we had a lot of fun!! We learnt lots, got to swim in one of the most beautiful places, got to try new foods and syphon the sweetest of drinks from a giant agave, and went home with wonderful memories. I am a neurodivergent thinker (Autustic) with some additional physical disabilities (Dyspraxic with high support needs) and this was catered for thoughtfully and sensitively. Big thanks to Lily herself who was our guide twice, to Cristal (especially for their patience with our Mezcal tasting!), to the communities and artisans we met, and to everyone behind the scenes making this stuff work well.”