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    Cloud forest in the municipality of Santiago Comaltepec, Sierra Norte of Oaxaca

    Photo by Prsjl, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Santiago Comaltepec

    Town Santiago Comaltepec, Oaxaca Sierra Norte of Oaxaca

    Chinantec town at 1,989 m in the Sierra Juárez, with one of the best-kept cloud forests; Santiago's fiesta is on 25 July.

    From Oaxaca: 1 h 55 min by car (116 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Tours to Santiago Comaltepec

    Day trips around Capulálpam de Méndez sometimes stop in Santiago Comaltepec; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.

    Find tours on Viator GetYourGuide

    How to get to Santiago Comaltepec

    • From Oaxaca: about 1 h 55 min by road (~116 km)
    • Nearest airport: Oaxaca (OAX), 1 h 27 min by car to Capulálpam de Méndez
    Rent a car at OAX Flights to OAX

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    About Santiago Comaltepec

    Comaltepec is a Chinantec town in the Sierra Juárez, at 1,989 m, ringed by oak and pine cloud forest. The name is Nahuatl: comalli, griddle, and tepetl, hill, "on the hill of the griddles". The town was founded in 1659, the church went up in 1719 and the land titles were issued around 1819, after years of disputes over water and boundaries with its neighbours.

    In 2020 the seat had 763 residents, with a peak of 1,186 in 1960 and a recent low of 710 in 2010. Almost eight in ten speak an indigenous language, Chinantec, and a small share speak no Spanish. Nearly every home has piped water and electricity, and average schooling is around eight years.

    The forest is what sets the place apart. More than 2,300 mm of rain falls a year, on about 300 days, and September is the wettest month. Toucans, wild boar, wildcats, pumas, ocelots and even jaguars live in the woods, there is trout and mojarra in the streams, and orchards grow apple, peach, orange and banana. A 2017 study gathered recent records of wild cats in this forest.

    The patron fiesta is that of Santiago Apóstol on 25 July, when people from neighbouring villages arrive to ask for bread and food. A few kilometres around lie San Pedro Yólox, San Pablo Macuiltianguis, San Juan Luvina and San Juan Quiotepec. For food there is a comedor, Azucena, and a taquería on Avenida Benito Juárez; there are no hotels in town.

    How to get to Santiago Comaltepec

    Drive from Oaxaca: 1 h 55 min, 116 km

    Comaltepec is in the Sierra Juárez, north of Ixtlán de Juárez, on federal highway 175 as it climbs toward Valle Nacional; the road passes San Pedro Yólox and Santiago Comaltepec. From the city of Oaxaca, Ixtlán is about 62 km along the same 175 (1 h 45 to Guelatao, next to Ixtlán), and from Ixtlán you continue north to Comaltepec. Allow over two hours in all from Oaxaca (aprox.). From Ixtlán to Valle Nacional it is 108 km along the 175.

    Capulálpam de Méndez, the nearest Pueblo Mágico, is about 40 km by road (aprox.). The side roads in the area are dirt, and nearly year-round rain can damage them, so ask before setting out.

    We found no bus line or colectivo with a fixed schedule all the way to Comaltepec. In the Sierra Juárez transport between villages is usually by pickup and taxi; ask in Ixtlán de Juárez. There is no lodging in the town: the nearest, Centro Recreativo Rancho San Pedro, is about 5 km to the south, with cabins further south in Atepec and Capulálpam. Mobile signal reaches about one home in three.

    Directions to Santiago Comaltepec on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Where to stay Hotels in Santiago Comaltepec Compare hotels, posadas and guest houses in Santiago Comaltepec. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to Santiago Comaltepec

    • Oaxaca · 116 km by road, 1 h 55 min
    • Tuxtepec · 134 km by road, 2 h 10 min
    • Tehuacán · about 175 km by road, ~2 h 35 min

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Santiago Comaltepec: hours, prices and tips

    Best season
    Patron fiesta of Santiago Apóstol on 25 July. Wettest month September; over 2,300 mm of rain a year. Wikipedia: Municipio de Santiago Comaltepec; PueblosAmerica · checked Oct 2026
    What to bring
    Rain jacket, warm layers and boots; the town is at 1,989 m in cloud forest and rains most days. PueblosAmerica (climate 1970-2025) · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Santiago Comaltepec: what to see and do

    Come on 25 July for the fiesta of Santiago Apóstol.
    Walk the community's cloud forest with a local to guide you.
    Watch for toucans and other birds on the slopes, and trout in the streams.
    Step into the 1719 church in the centre of town.
    Eat at the Azucena comedor or the taquería on Avenida Benito Juárez.
    Continue to San Pedro Yólox, about 3 km west, or San Pablo Macuiltianguis, 3 km east.

    Plan your trip

    Places to stay in Santiago Comaltepec

    Compare hotels, posadas, and rentals in and around Santiago Comaltepec.

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    Tours & activities

    Day trips around Capulálpam de Méndez sometimes stop in Santiago Comaltepec; a tour is the easy way to see it without a car.

    Viator GetYourGuide

    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at OAX (Oaxaca): about 1 h 27 min by road to Capulálpam de Méndez, then 31 km more to Santiago Comaltepec, on your own schedule.

    EconomyBookings Discover Cars

    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Oaxaca (OAX), about 1 h 27 min by road from Capulálpam de Méndez, the base for Santiago Comaltepec.

    Kiwi.com

    Travel insurance

    Medical and trip cover for Mexico, by the week or month.

    SafetyWing

    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Capulálpam de Méndez: download a map of the way to Santiago Comaltepec before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

    Airalo

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    When to go to Santiago Comaltepec cool

    Santiago Comaltepec shares the climate of Capulálpam de Méndez, 31 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, March, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Capulálpam de Méndez

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Capulálpam de Méndez

    Stone church of San Mateo with its two red-domed towers, Capulálpam de Méndez, Oaxaca cool
    Oaxaca Capulálpam de Méndez

    Capulálpam de Méndez is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Santiago Comaltepec, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near Santiago Comaltepec

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.