Our first stop will be at the Artisan Chocolate Factory of the Franco García family. Having a long tradition in planting and cultivating cacao, this family decided to follow their dream to educate the public about the amazing health benefits of cocoa and to distribute their aromatic and delicious products, ranging from cocoa infused raw honey, to chocolate treats infused with organic chili, mint, or ginger, chocolate spreads and organic hot chocolate powder. Using traditional tools from this Mexican region , this family has managed to preserve the authentic flavor of cocoa in all its products.

When we arrive in beautiful Mazunte town we will take you to the Mazunte Co-Op, which was founded by local women and Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop.  Walking through its doors you will be welcomed not only by natural scents of flowers and trees but also by open smiles from the women who work inside. This community women made a drastic and much needed change in their way of life. Once killing turtles and selling their eggs for profit, the women recognized that nature should be preserved. With this philosophy, the Mazunte Co-op as created, aiming to protect the local fauna and to sell natural, organically grown beauty products.

You will have free time to explore magical Mazunte town, strolling through the cobblestone and clay streets or sipping on a locally grown coffee, while observing the easy going life of this special place.

We will take you to a restaurant where you will delight in freshly prepared meals and a welcome refreshment drink.

After a traditional Mexican lunch, it is time to move on to La Ventanilla, a small fishing village on a beautiful beach and a lagoon, which is the estuary of the Tonameca River. For most of the year, the lagoon is cut off from the sea by the beach and is full of red and white mangroves, whose tannins turn the water reddish in the shallow areas and black in deeper waters. The immense variety of wildlife found in this estuary, include hundreds of birds, whose songs will delight any nature enthusiast. You will also likely encounter crustaceans, turtles, deer, and iguanas. However, the main attraction at La Ventanilla are the crocodiles. The local community that lives in this mangrove reserve has a deep Zapotec history. One of the local guides will take you on a canoe ride, showing you the lagoon and a multitude of wildlife that you encounter during your tour.

As the day comes to an end, you will witness hundreds of turtles making landfall in order to safely lay their eggs on the beach. Enjoy this magical natural phenomenon - a massive Turtle spawning.