Quick answer
From Oaxaca to Hierve el Agua by car is about 70 kilometers to the southeast, roughly an hour and a half, with the final stretch on a dirt road. Along the way you string together the Tule Tree (~13 km), Teotitlán del Valle (~30 km), Mitla (~42 km), and Santiago Matatlán, the world capital of mezcal (~48 km). With your own car you do this Central Valleys route at your own pace: an early start at the petrified waterfalls, lunch in a Zapotec village, and finish with a mezcal tasting —with a designated driver. This is the getaway that pairs best with a rented vehicle.
Why do the Central Valleys by car and not on a tour?
Hierve el Agua and the mezcal route are scattered across the Central Valleys and poorly served by public transport: getting there by shared van means transfers, waits, and someone else's schedule, and the final stretch to Hierve el Agua is a dirt road. Tours solve the transfer, but tie you to a fixed itinerary: half an hour here, forty minutes there, all at the same time as the other groups. With your own car you decide: leave early for the waterfalls before the buses arrive, linger at the palenque you liked, and change the plan on the fly.
The route: the Tule Tree, Mitla, Hierve el Agua, and mezcal
The backbone is Federal Highway 190 (the Pan-American), which leaves Oaxaca eastward across the Central Valleys. About 13 km out is Santa María del Tule, with its millenary ahuehuete; about 30 km, Teotitlán del Valle and its wool rugs; about 42 km, the Mitla archaeological site, run by INAH. Past Mitla, a turnoff climbs by dirt road to Hierve el Agua (about 70 km from Oaxaca in total). And at the heart of the route, Santiago Matatlán (~48 km) concentrates the mezcal palenques. The 190 is paved and well signposted; only the final stretch to the waterfalls is dirt.
Hierve el Agua: the petrified waterfalls
Hierve el Agua is in the municipality of San Lorenzo Albarradas, about 70 km from Oaxaca. It's not a running-water waterfall but a mineral formation: over thousands of years, springs loaded with calcium carbonate have run down the cliff and petrified, creating two great white curtains over 200 meters that look like a frozen waterfall, as travel outlets and the Oaxaca tourism guide describe. At the top, the springs form turquoise, warm pools where you can wade in with a view over the valley. The final stretch is on a dirt road, so it's best to take it slowly.
Tip
Wear your swimsuit, bring a towel, footwear you can get wet, and some cash in pesos: entry and use of the pools are paid in cash, and there's little change up top. The sun is strong at that altitude, so add sunscreen and a hat.
Santiago Matatlán and the mezcal route
Santiago Matatlán, about 48 km from Oaxaca, is known as the world capital of mezcal for its long tradition of distilling agave. It's the heart of the so-called Caminos del Mezcal, a route that also links Tlacochahuaya, Teotitlán del Valle, Tlacolula, Mitla, and Matatlán itself. In its palenques —the family distilleries— the maestros mezcaleros explain the artisanal process, from cutting the maguey to the earth oven and the still, and offer tastings. This is where your own car and a designated driver become essential: you can stop at several palenques, compare and buy without rushing, and return safely to the city.
“The mezcal route isn't measured in kilometers but in stops: a millenary ahuehuete, petrified waterfalls, a palenque where the maestro explains his mezcal. The car is what threads them together, and the designated driver is what keeps them safe.”
— KORU RENT
One day or two? How to plan your trip
It can be done in a single long day from Oaxaca: leave early for Hierve el Agua, head down for lunch in Mitla or Tlacolula, stop at a palenque in Matatlán, and finish at the Tule Tree on the way back. But if you can, splitting it in two pays off more: one day for Hierve el Agua and Mitla at a relaxed pace, and another for Teotitlán, the Tlacolula market (best on Sunday), and the mezcal route. With your own car the decision is yours and you change it on the fly; with a tour, you can't. That's why this route is among those that make the most of a rented vehicle.
Car rental in Oaxaca: the complete guide
How to get around the capital and the Central Valleys with your own car
Car rental in Oaxaca with airport delivery
Leave the airport driving and start your mezcal route
KORU in Oaxaca de Juárez: destination and waitlist
Follow the launch in the capital
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Your mezcal route, whenever you want
Hierve el Agua, Mitla, the Tule Tree, and the Matatlán palenques are the best argument for driving yourself in the Central Valleys: linked stops, your own schedule, and a designated driver looking after the mezcal route. When KORU RENT reaches the capital, we want this trip to be as simple as picking up the keys. We already operate in the state; the capital is the next step. Join the waitlist and we'll notify you as soon as we launch.
KORU Team · Oaxaca to Hierve el Agua and mezcal route guide · 2026