Classic Touring
Flight Choices
All Highlights Included
Max 35 Group Size
All Breakfasts
Day 1 UK - Mexico City
Depart on your scheduled flight to Mexico City. On arrival you will transfer to your hotel for a three-night stay.
Day 2 Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the most beautiful cities in the Americas. You will embark on an included sightseeing tour today, visiting the vast Zocalo, the city's main square and the spectacular National Palace. From there you will enjoy a drive down the Paseo de la Reforma to Chapultepec Park, site of the ill-fated Emperor Maximilian's castle. In the afternoon you will visit the world-famous National Anthropological Museum.
Meals included: BDay 3 Mexico City
Depart for your drive north to Teotihuacan to see the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, the Street of the Dead and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl – all magnificent examples of pre-Aztec architecture. You will enjoy an included guided walk around the site and free time to make your own discoveries. You will also explore the Temple of Butterflies before returning to your hotel.
Meals included: BDay 4 Mexico City - Oaxaca
After breakfast you will depart for the colonial city of Oaxaca for a two-night stay. En route you will enjoy a tour of the colonial city of Puebla, whose wonderfully preserved centre is home to 70 churches. We'll include a stop at a local place where 'mole' production is explained. Mole is a traditional chocolate chilli sauce and there is an opportunity to have a try of this!
Day 5 Oaxaca
Oaxaca is a diverse city that was founded in 1521. It is home to ancient ruins, churches, colonial architecture and a vibrant mix of cultures. This morning you will visit the amazing archaeological ruins at Monte Alban, the ancient capital of the Zapotec people. This incredible site stands on a flattened hilltop, 400 metres above the surrounding valley and offers a fascinating insight into the culture of the Mesoamerican people. This afternoon there is a walking tour of Oaxaca's main sights, including the Baroque Santo Domingo Church. Then you will visit the famous Benito Juarez Market, packed with delights such as clothes, flowers, meat and cheese. Then you will travel on to the historic centre of the city, with its selection of colonial buildings, cathedral and central squares.
Meals included: BDay 6 Oaxaca - Salina Cruz
You leave Oaxaca this morning to experience a fascinating journey to Salina Cruz where you'll stay overnight. You will visit the Tule Tree, one of the world's most extraordinary natural sites. This unique and gigantic tree is 130ft high, over 170ft in diameter, weighs 509 tons and is approximately 2,000 years old. Your next stop is the archaeological site at Mitla, a former Zapotec ceremonial centre whose name translates as 'Place of the Dead'.
Here, the buildings are decorated with incredible stone mosaics. You will also see the ruins of four magnificent palaces from the Mixtec and Zapotec civilisations. You'll have an introduction to Mezcal, a distilled spirit made from any variety of agave plants found in Mexico, where you will learn about the production process and have an opportunity to have a taste.
Day 7 Salina Cruz - San Cristobal
You will leave Salina Cruz after breakfast for the journey to San Cristobal, where you will stay for the next two nights, enjoying a spectacular boat journey through the Sumidero Canyon en route. With cliffs towering up to 2,500ft above you, this canyon was created by the Rio Grijalva and boasts dramatic scenery and magnificent wildlife.
Meals included: BDay 8 San Cristobal
The former capital of the state of Chiapas, San Cristobal is a delightful market town. As you wander around the colonial streets and whitewashed alleyways you will see local Mayan people dressed in their traditional colourful outfits. On our included tour this morning you will visit Indian communities at San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan. Later today there will be free time when you can enjoy a little shopping and browse the many artisan shops.
Meals included: BDay 9 San Cristobal - Palenque
Today you visit the stunning Agua Azul waterfalls where turquoise waters thunder into pools 100ft below. According to Mayan legend, Kaprakan, a character from the Popol Vuh (the sacred book of the Maya) built some steps in the mountain so he could more easily climb it. Chac (the rain god), mocking him for his arrogance, laid down a blue carpet which moved as soon as the giant stepped on it and the waterfall was created.
You will continue to Palenque for an overnight stay.
Meals included: BDay 10 Palenque
One of the most beautiful Mayan ceremonial complexes is your destination today. Set in a rainforest clearing, the ancient site of Palenque guards many secrets still being unearthed by archaeologists. You will see the 20ft high Temple of the Inscriptions, home to one of the only crypts inside a pyramid in Mexico.
After leaving Palenque, you will continue to Campeche for an overnight stay.
Meals included: BDay 11 Campeche - Mérida
This morning you travel to the ancient city of Mérida, home to the cultural centre of the Mayan people, for an overnight stay. En route, you will pay a visit to the historical Mayan ruins at Uxmal, considered to be one of the most beautiful pre-Hispanic sites on the American continent. Enjoy spectacular views over the Nunnery Quadrangle, the Governor's Palace and the Pyramid of the Magician. Later today admire the colonial and historic highlights of Mérida on a guided tour, before an included dinner this evening at a Haciendas, a private estate along the Montejo Boulevard. Taste special Yucatecan dishes and have the opportunity to get involved and prepare some dishes yourself.
Day 12 Chichén Itzá - Cancun
Today, you will join an included sightseeing tour of the archaeological wonders of Chichén Itzá, one of the most visited sites in Mexico. In 2007 Chichén Itzá was crowned as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a global online vote. Across the site, many fine, stone buildings remain including the Pyramid of Kukulkan with its 365 steps – one for every day of the year, the Temple of the Warriors and the Ball Court.
Your final night will be spent at the Caribbean coastal resort of Cancun on the Riviera Maya.
Meals included: B,DDay 13 Cancun - UK
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Mexico City and then on to the UK.
Meals included: B