| The Ochovenado Ecotourism Route (Corredor Ecoturistico
Ochovenado) lies west of Puerto
Escondido on the Pacific
Coast of Oaxaca and consists of a group of communities whose
inhabitants are keen to share their natural and cultural world with
visitors.
Natural world
Santiago
Jocotepec is a quaint community at 700 meters above sea-level,
with coffee plantations and forest remnants and waterfalls as well
as a deer and jabali breeding area which is primarily a conservation
project.
Mata
de Ajo has green and black iguanas in a semi-enclosed area with
large trees, living with land turtles and wild rabbits (with baby
iguanas in a breeding area to protect them from predators including
various bird species)
Santa Ana
has coffee plantations and some of the largest waterfalls in the
region reached by a variety of walks.
Cultural world
In Jocotepec you can enjoy the many legends and stories in this
remote-feeling village with many houses using the traditionally
tiled roofs in the Sierra Sur foothills (yet only 21 kilometers
from the coastal highway).
Mata de Ajo is also an organic agriculture ranch which tries to
recuperate some of the culturally important natural varieties of
corn, beans, water melon and other traditional Oaxacan food.
San Pedro
Tututepec is the oldest capital in Oaxaca of the Mixtec culture,
and presently municipal capital. Do visit the community museum and
the church - with more ancient relics right next to the church.
Santa Ana is a relaxed quiet village with friendly inhabitants.
History
The ecotourism route of Ochovenado (“Eight Deer” in
English) is named after a particularly powerful Mixtec king who
ruled in Tututepec in the 11th century uniting large parts of the
Mixtec lands. His name in turn comes from his day of birth according
to the Mixtec Calendar.
The Ochovenado Ecotourism Route has its origin in conservation
efforts and projects some long-running of over a decade –
long before anybody considered them as interesting from a tourism
perspective – including declared cellular forest reserves
that serve as refuge for flora and fauna, organic agriculture with
traditional seeds and the iguana a and deer breeding projects. With
the assistance of a local organization, Ecosta, the villagers started
realizing that these efforts to conserve some of their disappearing
species can also be of interest to visitors, giving birth to the
idea of the Ochovenado Ecotourism Route, upon which cabins were
built and other walks planned.
Services
Rustic cabins (made from local materials)
home cooked meals - with mostly local natural ingredients - with
families in the villages
Day walks, horse-rides and guided visits to the breeding areas available.
How to get there
All the communities are to the north of the Coastal Highway #200
approximately 60 to 90 minutes west of Puerto Escondido.
Jocotepec is 21 kilometers above Río Grande map
Mata de Ajo is 4 kilometers north of Calzada San Miguel map
Tututepec has a large sign on the coastal highway just west of Santa
Rosa
Santa Ana is 18 kilometers from the same junction as Tututepec map.
(this road is being paved in 2008 and now the difficult steep curvy
parts are completed making access much easier than in the past) |
