The Magic of Oaxaca, Mexico

An Epic Adventure Awaits you with Womens Radical Pursuits

The world is full of amazing places, we all know that as we’ve seen glimpses in movies, tv shows, magazines, and social media. We know they exist and we know we want to be there.

But nowadays as COVID-19 throws a wrench in our ability to freely travel coupled by a corporate, money-driven world; those places appear more often in bucket lists than in actual memories, as people keep reminding themselves they don’t have enough money or time to travel. 

We’ve all been there. But the truth is that travelling might be one of the most enriching experiences money can buy, exactly what is needed to break through the BS, change your life and see a new perspective of yourself and the world.

And travelling with the purpose of adventure and transformation via riding a mountain bike, practising Yoga and connecting with culture and traditions through amazing places… Well, at least for us wanderlust MTB obsessed, this is the type of experience that can be summed up in one word: happiness.

Happiness; true, raw, heartwarming happiness is what we all aim for, what we thrive from, what we seek each and every day, and most of the time, what we fail to get because we miss the mark. That’s what makes happiness so damn good and why we strive to attain it. 

Here I will tell the story about how we are driven and passionate to create experiences filled with happiness for people. This is the story of how we create, find and share happiness through mountain biking and building connections in Oaxaca, Mexico. We share this happiness with ourselves, others, and the world outside of what we know!

Our Journey Within Oaxaca, Mexico

I’ll never forget my first trip to Oaxaca. Wide-eyed, excited and a heart beating with a rhythm of happiness like none other to explore this magical place. I fell in love at first sight and feeling. Not only is the singletrack absolutely incredible, but you’re immersed in the most vibrant culture, amazing food and beautiful people and landscapes you can imagine.

Oaxaca offers one of the most unique travel adventures you can experience in my humble opinion. Home to the Sierra Norte, a rugged mountain range with a unique network of mountain bike trails amongst indigenous communities, it’s like entering a world of magic; pure sweet heaven! Oaxaca has it all!! 

Four years ago marked our Maiden Voyage MTB trip to Oaxaca. And we’ve been back every year since, bringing women down to experience this incredible place on the planet. Our trips aren’t just about a Rad Mountain Bike Trip though. We strive to create a powerful experience of connection; to one’s self, to other like-minded women, and to the cultures and people we meet along the way.

Womens Radical Pursuits is about building bridges with our southern neighbours, not borders. We believe in connection, empowering others, and spreading kindness, love, joy and experiences that have the power to change lives. Not only for those that come on our trips, but also the communities we visit along the way. 

Our signature trip over Dia de Los Muertos to Oaxaca is incredibly unique. And the festival really brings on the magic! This adventure offers the perfect contrast between authentic ‘no frills’ (backcountry MTB experience) and the comfortable luxuries of the city of Oaxaca.

It is truly a culturally diverse adventure experience that brings travellers into the heart of the land, community and diverse cultures of the locals and Zapotec Indigenous Villages. It’s for the brave & wild adventurous souls seeking an authentic experience away from the crowded resorts of Mexico and the traditional all-inclusive luxury resorts. 

What Can You Expect From A Trip With Womens Radical Pursuit?

We kick it off in the city of Oaxaca, getting settled and familiar with the vibrant colours, sounds, and happenings of the city. The vibrant markets, the fireworks, the dancing and parades are enough to spark your spirit into a sense of awe! 

Each day on the trip starts with a chill Yoga/Mindfulness Practice (for all levels!) to help women deeply connect to themselves and practice some self-loving care, relaxation and rejuvenation of mind, body & spirit. 

The second day we head out for a cultural city bike tour with our partner at Coyote Aventuras to discover the beautiful art graffiti of Oaxaca speckled through the city. This helps to orient ourselves and understand the deep fabric and stories of Oaxaca. 

After the first day and a half in the city, we venture up into the Sierra Norte for the MTB segment. Stepping back in time, we get to experience the pueblos of the indigenous communities. Here’s where so much of the magic lies! Personally coming from the US, where stress is high and burnout seems to be the norm, I crave being in the mountains of Oaxaca and love sharing the peace, slow pace of life, and simplicity with others. 

The Mountain Biking Of Oaxaca, Mexico

The Sierra Norte is filled with trails connecting the villages.  We spend 3 days biking from village to village, staying in the beautiful cabins, communing in their ‘comedors’ (village restaurants) and sharing the tranquillity of the mountains.

I greatly appreciate the indigenous cultures and their spiritual ways; life makes sense there for me. I absolutely love witnessing the power of what simplicity, reconnection to nature and slowing down does for people who adventure with us. 

This trip offers a challenge on the bike and is designed for Advanced + Riders as the singletrack is variable; rocky, steep, smooth, flowing; Oaxaca has it all! Beginner or Intermediate riders are welcome to join us for a custom trip as there is something for everyone on the bike in Oaxaca!

On the Dia de Los Muertos signature trip, we start in the village of Benito Juarez and ride singletrack all day to the magical village of Lachatao which means ‘sacred heart’. It truly is a sacred place! If weather and time allow, we venture up to “el cerro del jaguar” (Jaguar Hill) in the morning for a Mindfulness practice at the spiritual ceremonial site. This is a place where they hold many ceremonies, some to honour the equinoxes.

Here in Lachatao, women have the option to experience a Temazcal. This is a unique cleansing experience that the indigenous Meso-American cultures used for curative purposes, much like a sweat lodge. The idea is to cure illness from the inside out and also decompress and detox. I highly recommend the experience as it is very powerful.

From Lachatao, we have a little drive to get to the AMAZING singletrack of Ixtepeji in La Cumbre. Some of the epic trails we ride are Cabeza de Vaca, & El Cerezo (Translation: Cowhead and The Cherry!) THESE are some of my favourites! The contrast of narrow, fast and flowy singletrack that Cabeza de Vaca offers squiggles up and down through the pines. The steep, flowy and technical descent on El Cerezo ends a perfect day on the bike in my opinion.

The perfect contrast of it all; smooth and cruisy to steep, technical and pure flow! Heaven.

Winding Down With The Cultural Delights Of Oaxaca, Mexico

From there we head to La Nevaria for the final night. We stay in the sweet cozy cabins with a wood fireplace, hot showers and a delicious Oaxacan meal in order to prep for our final day on the bikes, riding to Mil Rios! (thousand rivers). That sums up the backcountry MTB experience and we head back to the city to get ready for the Dia de Los Muertos festival!

The following day is a nice rest and recovery day off the bike where we start with Yoga, breakfast at the Cosecha Market, and massages and reiki if desired!

Celebrating Dia de Los Muertos

The evening consists of face-painting at the Zocalo and dinner on the rooftop to view the start of the festival as the vibrant city comes alive with parades, dancing, fireworks and plenty of costumes and painted faces! We visit the beautiful cemeteries – filled with flowers, candles, mezcal and dancing- to witness how families celebrate and honour the lives of their loved ones who have passed. It is truly beautiful to witness!

Our last full day leads us back into the mountains to visit another magical place, hierve el agua. Here we will have the chance to hike to see a Petrified Waterfall, soak in the mineral springs and visit a hidden waterfall where we swim and hang out for lunch. This is a not to be missed destination in Oaxaca, followed by a visit to a private Distillery to see how Mezcal is made and do some taste testing!

After a nice afternoon spending time exploring, we will celebrate our last dinner out in the city together and a final night celebrating Dia de Los Muertos. Parades, fireworks, music, dancing and more awaits the final evening in Oaxaca!  

Between the epic mountain biking, serene hiking, vibrant culture, festive tradition, world-class food, handmade artisanry, and incredible people we meet along the way, whether with or without us at Womens Radical Pursuits, Oaxaca is a place I highly recommend you put on your bucket list of places to adventure to! A land of magic awaits you!

It’s up to YOU to take the leap of faith and trust the experience awaiting you; a powerful, rich adventure of a lifetime!

About The Author, Amy Schweim

Amy Schweim is the owner and lead operator of Womens Radical Pursuits. She is also a certified Yoga & Self Love/Life Coach. Amy is inspired to help women become BADASS. (The enlightened kind of BADASS!)  Amy helps women honour their journey, reclaim their power, and rise to new levels by turning the heartbreaks and chaos of life and love into confidence and courage using her “Badass Blueprint” so they can enjoy deep unconditional love, confidence, courage, empowered living and FEELING AMAZING.

Herself having overcome great challenges in self-worth, anxiety, depression, disordered eating & exercise, and an Autoimmune disease over the course of her life, Amy followed her dream to further her knowledge to inspire and empower others to deeply heal on all levels; mind, body & spirit. After hitting her own rock bottom she made a promise, “Dear Universe, if I get back up, I vow to help other women rise too.” 

She did. So can you…. 

Through coaching services and leading transformational adventures through Womens Radical Pursuits International Trips, Amy helps women break through the BS that holds them back so they can finally start living their days feeling fully alive, inspired, confident, filled with love and on purpose; the way you were meant to live on this earth!

You can join her for an International Adventure or for her uniquely designed Radical New You Badass Blueprint.  Amy will lead you through a powerful program that will help you to honour & respect the ‘chaos’ of your own life, reclaim your power, and become whole again by amplifying your life and embodying your most authentic BADASS YOU!

Amy has a BS in Education, Certification in both Yoga & Life Coaching, owns & operates Womens Radical Pursuits and has lived and worked in five different countries around the world both teaching children and adults in International Education, Yoga, Mindfulness & Transformational Travel. She has a wild spirit and lives for adventure, expansion, connection and exploring the world through travel.

To follow more of Amy’s work visit her at https://womensradicalpursuits.com/. You can also find her hanging out on Instagram & Facebook @womensradicalpursuits.