We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze traffic, and personalize content. You can accept all cookies or manage your preferences at any time. Read More
Skip to content
4.8 · Over 1,700 reviews on Google & Tripadvisor
Starting from — per person
MX$3,000
✓ Free cancellation up to 24h before
Puerto Escondido is famous for its waves. What most visitors never discover is what’s waiting one hour inland — a mountain community in the Sierra Sur where the air is cool, the jungle is thick, and five zip lines stretch up to 600 meters over rivers, forest canopy, and open valleys.
San Juan Lachao sits at an altitude that feels like a different world from the coast. Departure is at 6:00 AM from your hotel in Puerto Escondido. By 1 PM you are back, slightly muddy, completely exhilarated, and well-fed on traditional Mexican food prepared by the local community.
Seven hours. Everything included. Nothing like anything else on the coast.
Most zip line operations are theme parks with scenery. San Juan Lachao is the opposite — a working mountain community that has built one of the most technically impressive zip line circuits in Oaxaca through terrain that would be inaccessible any other way.
Five lines. The longest stretches 600 meters. The highest drops 100 meters above the valley floor. You cross rivers, pass over coffee plantations, and get views of Lachao town suspended in the mountains that no road or trail can replicate. Your guides are local experts who know every cable, every platform, and every species of tree you’re flying over.
This is not a beginner course. The lines are long, the heights are real, and the views are extraordinary. Minimum age is 5 years. Maximum weight limits apply — contact us if you have questions before booking.
We pick you up from your accommodation in Puerto Escondido at 6:00 AM sharp. The early departure is intentional — the Sierra Sur mornings are cool, the light is soft, and starting early means you’re back on the coast by early afternoon with the rest of the day ahead of you. The drive through the mountains is part of the experience.
Your guide introduces you to the community, the history of the zip line circuit, and the safety equipment. Every harness, carabiner, and cable is inspected before departure. Your guide runs through procedures until everyone is comfortable — no one launches until everyone is ready.
Before the zip lines, you hike. One hour through terrain that shifts from mountain farmland to dense jungle to river trail — passing coffee plantations, stands of ancient trees, and the kind of biodiversity that only exists at this altitude. Your guide identifies plants, explains the ecology, and gives context to what you’re seeing. By the end of the hike, you understand where you are. Then you fly over it.
Five lines, each one different. The first gives you a taste. The second builds confidence. By the third, you’re not nervous — you’re looking at the view. The fourth crosses the river. The fifth — the longest, the highest — is the one you’ll describe to people for years.
Between platforms, your guides share stories about the community, the forest, and the construction of the circuit. The zip lines are the attraction, but the people running them are what make it memorable.
After the zip lines, the trail leads to a waterfall hidden inside the jungle. The water comes straight from the mountain — cold, clear, and completely surrounded by trees. This is not a tourist waterfall with a viewing platform and a gift shop. It’s a place the community uses, a place most visitors to Mexico will never see, and it is genuinely spectacular.
Bring a swimsuit. The pool is deep enough to jump. The temperature is a shock after the morning heat. It is absolutely worth it.
The community prepares lunch. Real food — not a tourist menu, not a resort buffet. Authentic Mexican cooking prepared that morning by local families: fresh tortillas, rice, beans, protein, and the flavors that have characterized Oaxacan mountain cooking for generations. Dietary requirements can be accommodated with advance notice.
The drive back to the coast takes approximately one hour. You arrive back at your accommodation by 1 PM — meaning you still have a full afternoon ahead of you. The beach, a nap, a cold drink. The morning already gave you more than most people get in a full day.
San Juan Lachao’s zip line circuit was not built by an outside operator. It was designed and constructed by the community itself as a sustainable ecotourism project — creating local employment while preserving the forest that makes the experience possible in the first place.
When you book this tour, the economic benefit stays in the Sierra Sur. The guides are from Lachao. The lunch is prepared by local families. The entrance fees go directly to maintaining the infrastructure and protecting the surrounding forest. This is what responsible tourism looks like in practice.
The tour requires a minimum of 2 participants to confirm. If you’re traveling solo, contact us — we can often match you with another group departing the same day.
The hike is moderate. You will be walking on uneven mountain terrain for approximately one hour. Closed-toe shoes or hiking sandals are essential — flip flops are not suitable. The zip lines involve heights of up to 100 meters. Participants with serious fear of heights should consider this carefully before booking, though our guides are experienced at supporting first-timers.
This tour is not recommended for people with serious mobility limitations, spine conditions, or conditions that affect balance. Contact us before booking if you have specific health concerns.
This tour sells out regularly, especially on weekends and during peak season (December–March). Book in advance. Private tours for groups of up to 20 people are available — contact us via WhatsApp for pricing.
San Juan Lachao runs tours year-round, but each season offers a different experience. The dry season brings clear mountain views and perfect hiking conditions. The rainy season turns the jungle intensely green and fills the waterfall to its maximum — the zip lines run in light rain and the forest is extraordinary. Avoid booking during heavy storm warnings.
The tour includes round-trip transportation from your accommodation in Puerto Escondido, a professional bilingual local guide, all zip lining equipment and safety gear, 5 zip lines (up to 600 meters long and 100 meters high), a guided jungle and river hike, a swim at a hidden waterfall, a traditional Mexican lunch prepared by the local community, water throughout the day, and all entrance fees. Gratuities for the guide are not included but appreciated.
The zip line circuit in San Juan Lachao features 5 lines, with the longest stretching up to 600 meters and the highest reaching 100 meters above the valley floor. The lines cross rivers, jungle canopy, coffee plantations, and open valleys — each one offering a different perspective on the Sierra Sur landscape. The circuit was designed and built by the local community and is maintained to professional safety standards.
Yes. The minimum age is 5 years and the tour is designed for participants of all experience levels. Your guides are trained professionals who inspect all equipment before departure and run safety briefings until every participant is comfortable. No one launches until everyone is ready. The lines are exhilarating but the safety systems are robust — harnesses, carabiners, and cables are inspected and certified. Participants with a serious fear of heights should consider this carefully, though many guests who arrive nervous leave wanting to go again.
The waterfall at San Juan Lachao is a natural mountain waterfall fed directly by Sierra Sur highland streams — cold, clear, and located deep inside the jungle away from any tourist infrastructure. It is not a manicured attraction with a viewing platform. It is a place the local community uses, surrounded by dense forest, with a pool deep enough to swim and jump. It is one of the most genuinely wild and beautiful natural sites accessible from Puerto Escondido.
The hike is classified as moderate — approximately one hour on mountain terrain that includes forest trails, river paths, and uneven ground. It is manageable for most fitness levels including families with children aged 5 and above. Closed-toe shoes or hiking sandals are essential. The hike is not recommended for people with serious mobility limitations or spine conditions. If you have specific concerns, contact us before booking and we will give you an honest assessment.
Bring closed-toe shoes or hiking sandals (no flip flops), a swimsuit, towel, change of dry clothes for after the waterfall, sunscreen, insect repellent, and a personal water bottle. Water is provided throughout the day but having your own bottle is recommended. Leave valuables at your hotel — you will be hiking through jungle and jumping into a waterfall. A small dry bag for your phone is a good idea.
Pickup from your accommodation in Puerto Escondido begins at 6:00 AM. The early departure is intentional — the Sierra Sur is cooler in the morning, the light is better for the views, and the timing means you are back in Puerto Escondido by approximately 1:00 PM. This gives you a full morning of adventure and a complete afternoon free at the beach or wherever you want to spend it. Be ready at your accommodation at your confirmed pickup time — the tour runs on a tight schedule.
Your safety is the priority. We monitor weather conditions in the Sierra Sur closely and will contact you in advance if conditions make the tour unsafe. In the event of cancellation, you will be offered a full refund or the option to reschedule at no extra cost. The tour operates in light rain — in fact, the jungle after rain is extraordinary. Cancellations due to weather are reserved for genuinely dangerous conditions such as electrical storms or flash flood risk.
Yes. Private tours are available for groups of up to 20 people and are ideal for families, friend groups, corporate team days, school excursions, and special occasions. A private tour means the circuit and the guides are exclusively yours — your own schedule, your own pace, and direct personal attention throughout the day. Contact us via WhatsApp for availability and pricing for private group bookings.
San Juan Lachao is the only zip line circuit in the Sierra Sur region accessible as a day trip from Puerto Escondido. With 5 lines reaching up to 600 meters and 100 meters high, a guided jungle hike, a hidden waterfall swim, and a traditional community lunch all included in one price, it is the most complete outdoor adventure experience available from Puerto Escondido. The circuit was built by the local community — which means the experience, the guides, and the food are authentic in a way that purpose-built tourist attractions cannot replicate.
MX$3,000
MX$3,000
