General Information

Duration:

14 Days

Location Start:

Mexico city

Location Finish:

Cancun

Phone:

(+ 52) 999 923 43 02

Payment Types:

• Cash
• Credit Card
• Cheque
• Travellers cheque
• Paypal
• Wire Transfer

We Speak:

Spanish, French, English

Last updated: 05/01/2009

Itinerary

Day 1

MEXICO CITY ARRIVAL
Arrival at the airport (time and flight number to be confirmed) and transportation to the hotel.
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.

Day 2

MEXICO CITY – BASILICA OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE – TEOTIHUACAN – CITY TOUR ZÓCALO - MEXICO CITY
Meeting at 9:00am in the lobby of the hotel, and departure in private transportation to visit the surroundings of Mexico City. In the north of town, visit of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, built in the 17th century. It is the most important religious site of Latin America and major pilgrimage site for Roman Catholics coming from all countries. There we also see the Old Basilica that is slowly sinking into the ground. The Old Basilica shelters a reproduction of the Black Madonna, which can be seen behind the choir inside the modern basilica.
Then we head to the archeological site of Teotihuacan with the pyramids of the Moon and the Sun, the Temple of the Feathered Serpent (Quetzalcóatl), the Temple of the Feathered Snails and the Palace of the Jaguars. The « City of the Gods» was built in the seventh century and was probably with its 200,000 inhabitants the most populated city in the world at that time.
Afterwards, we visit a carved obsidian workshop. Obsidian is volcanic glass-stone produced when felsic lava cools so fast that it practically doesn’t crystallize. Our host gives us flavors of tequila to taste.
Buffet lunch in Teotihuacan in a typical restaurant with view over the pyramids.
In the afternoon, return to Mexico City for a guided tour, mainly of the Zocalo, one of the largest squares in the world. There stands the largest Cathedral in the Americas, built on the site of the former grand Aztec temple «Teocalli». Its three naves shelter many chapels and altars adorned with gold, including the beautiful ‘Altar of Forgiveness’.
The Palacio Nacional (National Palace) was built on top of the Palace of Moctezuma and features frescos painted by famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. It houses nowadays the President’s offices.
The Templo Mayor (only outside) is a relic of the ancient Aztec capital Tenochtitlan… a pre-Columbian temple in the middle of urban jungle: simply amazing!
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.
Note 1: Stage of 45 km/28 Miles – 1-hour trip between Mexico City and Teotihuacan.
Note 2: English-speaking guide provided all day.

Day 3

MEXICO CITY – VISIT OF OAXACA
After breakfast, departure at 8:00am in private transportation for Oaxaca, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and considered one of Mexico’s most beautiful towns for its colorful façades.
Superb candelabra cacti can be admired on the way as we drive through the Sierra Madre Orientale mountain range. Arrival in the early afternoon in Oaxaca.
At 2:30pm, departure from the hotel for a guided tour of the town center principally including the Zocalo, the Santo Domingo Cathedral and its museum, Benito Juarez’ house...
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.
Note 1: Visit of Oaxaca with an English-speaking guide.
Note 2: Stage of 470 km/ 292 miles – 5-hour trip between Mexico City and Oaxaca.

Day 4

OAXACA – MONTE ALBAN - EL TULE – MITLA – TEOTITLAN DEL VALLE - OAXACA
Day dedicated to the visit of the surroundings of Oaxaca. Departure at 9:00am from the hotel for a guided visit (in English) of the prestigious Zapotec site Monte Alban, situated at 2,000 m/6,562 ft above sea level, up there the view over the valley is simply spectacular.
The Zapotecs elaborated – by using their heritage of the Olmec– a hieroglyphic writing, a calendar, a numbering system and astronomical observation methods. Monte Alban is known for its harmonious architecture, its outstanding stone sculptures, its sumptuous graves, and its astronomical observatory, supposedly the oldest of Mesoamerica.
Lunch (non-included) at the market: we recommend to try the tlayuda. It’s delicious!
In the early afternoon, we head west to Santa Maria del Tule, where stands a very colored seventeenth century church, and a more than 2,000 years old giant cypress, of a very rare and endangered essence. The trunk is 42 m/ 138 ft high and has a circumference of 52 m/ 171 ft. The tree is a protected national monument.
We continue to visit Mitla, “Place of the dead” in Zapotec language and one of the main ceremonial centers of the area. At the end of the day, visit of a weaver family in the village of Teotitlan del Valle, to get an insight of the natural dyeing method« made in Mexico». Return at the end of the day to Oaxaca.
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.
Note: Visit of Monte Alban with English-speaking guide.

Day 5

OAXACA – TUXTLA – CANYON DEL SUMIDERO – SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS
After breakfast, departure from the hotel in private transportation to the airport 2 hours before take-off/ Flight Oaxaca – Tuxtla Gutierrez (Departure? – Arrival?).
Reception and transportation from Tuxtla airport to Chiapa de Corzo (17 km/10 miles). There we catch a boat to cross at great speed the Canyon del Sumidero on the Rio Chiapas. We see the « Christmas tree falls », a rock wall eroded by 800 m / 2,625 ft high waterfalls. The canyon is home to a great variety of wildlife including: herons, vultures, and crocodiles…
Afterwards, we drive to San Cristobal de Las Casas (1:30-hour). End of the day free to visit the indigenous town and its traditional market.
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.
Note 1: Day without a guide. The visit of the canyon will depend on the times of the interior flight and could be jeopardized.
Note 2: Stage of 80 km/ 50 miles (mountain road) – 1:30-hour trip between Tuxtla and San Cristobal.

Day 6

SAN CRISTOBAL – SAN JUAN DE CHAMULA – ZINACANTAN - SAN CRISTOBAL
San Cristobal de las Casas is located at the center of an indigenous population area, and is the birthplace of the Zapatist movement, developed under the leadership of Subcomandante Marcos for the protection of the indigenous rights. Every morning, the Tzotzil people sell their products at the market.
Departure from the hotel at 9:00am in private transportation for a day of encounters and discoveries in the village San Juan de Chamula (40 minutes) in which the inhabitants practice a form of syncretism: a mixture of Christian beliefs and ancestral rituals.
In the afternoon, in Zinacantan, a Tzotzil family invites us into their house and share with us their customs and traditions (weaving). The house mistress invites us to a glass of pox (corn-based liquor) and to taste her handmade tortillas.
Return in the late afternoon to San Cristobal (30 minutes).
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.
Note 1: Shared service day, escorted by a Spanish-speaking or English-speaking local guide.
Note 2: Stage of 20 km – 30 minutes.

Day 7

PALENQUE – MISOL HA - AGUA AZUL – PALENQUE
After breakfast, we head south. All year long, water comes down from the mountains and eventually creates magnificent waterfalls like Misol- Ha or Agua Azul.
For lunch (non-included) we have grilled fish near the water while enjoying a beautiful panorama. We also take the time to go swimming in one of the many pools shaped by the waterfalls.
Then return to Palenque to go shopping in the center of town (great variation in the handicrafts sold there).
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.
Note 1: Non-escorted day.
Note 2: Stage of 50 km – 1:30 hour trip between Palenque and Agua Azul.

Day 8

VISIT OF PALENQUE– SABANCUY - CAMPECHE
Departure in private transportation at 8:00am from the hotel for a private visit of the archeological site of Palenque. Meeting at the main entrance at 08:30am with an English-speaking guide. Palenque might well be the most magical Mayan site of Mexico. One has the impression to penetrate a deep, mysterious and secret place, of a light and delicate architecture, and when compared to most Mayan ruins, built in a modest scale. This city covers 20 square kilometers/ 8 square miles. The great state of conservation allows to appreciate the Mayan architecture, characterized by superb stucco bas-reliefs. At the heart of the Inscriptions Temple stands the crypt of King Pakal, discovered in 1952 by a Frenchman. It still contained the remains of the powerful monarch, covered with jewels and a mortuary mask made of jade mosaic. The surrounding jungle and the buried ruins create a fascinating scenery and one can easily imagine the magnificence of the place, back when the temples and the palace were still covered with polychromes paints and a richly adorned crowd animated the esplanades.
Later we head towards the Gulf of Mexico, driving through the very large swamps of the haciendas, where the bulls of the country are bred.
Lunch (non-included) under a « palapa » near the water.
Late afternoon arrival in Campeche; colonial town designated World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The center of town is very pleasant: the cathedral, the plaza and the main park, which are really animated at night. The fortifications and the canons along the ‘malecon’ still testify of the numerous pirates’ assaults that finally ruined this town. End of the day free.
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.
Note 1: Stage of 250 km – 3-hour trip between Palenque and Sabancuy.
Note 2: Stage of 130 km – 2-hour trip between Sabancuy and Campeche.
Note 3: Visit of Palenque with an English-speaking guide.

Day 9

CAMPECHE – BECAL – UXMAL - MERIDA
Departure at 9:00am in private transportation for the village of Becal (2 hours), where Don Alfredo opens his house to share with us the fabrication secrets of his panama hats, the typical hat of Yucatan.
Meeting at 1:00pm at the entrance of Uxmal with our English-speaking guide.
Uxmal, in Mayan language means “Thrice Built”, but in reality the city was constructed five times and presents a very specific architecture, influenced by the northern civilizations. The water is really scarce in the region, this explains the omnipresence of representations of the rain god Chac-Mool. The whole site is to be discovered starting from the 38-meters/125-feet high Pyramid of the Magician. The site’s main buildings are: the imposing Nun’s Quadrangle, adorned with impressing masks of Chac-Mool, the Governor’s Palace, with its magnificent sculptured façade and the House of the Turtles, with carvings depicting this animal, surely in tight relation to the cult of the rain.
On the way to Merida, we stop to visit the Hacienda Yaxcopoil (only outside), prestigious residence dedicated to the transformation of henequen (sisal).
Arrival in Merida in the late afternoon.
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.
Note 1: Stage of 160 km – 2-hour trip between Campeche and Uxmal.
Note 2: Stage of 85 km – 1:30-hour trip between Uxmal and Merida.
Note 3: Visit of Uxmal with English-speaking guide.

Day 10

MERIDA – CHICHEN ITZA – VALLADOLID – CENOTE DZITNUP – PLAYA DEL CARMEN
After breakfast, at 8:00am, we head in private transportation to the largest archeological site of the Yucatan: Chichen Itza. Meeting at 10:00am at the entrance with our English-speaking guide.
Built by the Mayas, and then reorganized by the Toltecs, this site symbolizes the unification of both religious cultures. Chichen Itza means "At the mouth of the well of the Itza". There we can observe El Castillo; the Observatory, and the “Sacred Well” out of which human remains were extracted, confirming thus the legends and stories about human sacrifice. We also see the Temple of the Warriors (that was supposedly reserved to human sacrifice) and the Tzompantli (the cult of life by death can well be seen on the walls of this monument: a low, flat platform, surrounded with carved depictions of human skulls).
Then continuing our trip east, we have lunch in a restaurant on the Zocalo of Valladolid.
In the early afternoon, while heading to the Riviera Maya, we pass at the Cenote Dzitnup (possibility to swim).
An exceptional area is now ahead of us: the Caribbean Coast with its endless beaches and its turquoise waters hosting the 2nd largest coral reef in the world.
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.
Note 1: Stage of 250 km – 2-hour trip between Merida and Chichen Itza.
Note 2: Stage of 189 km – 2:30-hour trip between Chichen Itza and Playa del Carmen.
Note 3: Visit of Chichen Itza with English-speaking guide.

Day 11

PLAYA DEL CARMEN
Free day.
The beach town invites to rest under the Caribbean sun on the warm white sand and at night to celebrate with a margarita on a terrace.
Snorkel and dive opportunities with a team of professional divers (snorkeling, discovery dive, cenote dive, dive in Cozumel, PADI certifications, for beginners and confirmed divers).
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.

Day 12

PLAYA DEL CARMEN
Free day.
Lunch and dinner non-included. Hotel.

Day 13

PLAYA DEL CARMEN – CANCUN DEPARTURE
Free day.
Departure from the hotel in private transportation to Cancun Airport 3 hours before take-off. International flight (number and schedule to be detailed)
(Return the rented car at the Hertz desk)
Lunch and dinner non-included. No hotel.
Note 1: Stage of 68 km – 1-hour trip between Playa del Carmen and Cancun.

Day 14

YOUR COUNTRY

Extra Information

Inclusions -

Guides at stages as mentioned (Mexico, Oaxaca, Monte Alban, Palenque, Uxmal, Chichen itza)

Exclusions -

Individual equipment