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currency
Classic Mexico
cost
AUD $2985
departure
Daily
duration
13 days
locations
Mexico City, Oaxaca, San Cristobal, Palenque, Palenque, Kabah, Chichen-Itza and Cancun.
The quintessential Mexican experience.
Explore the wonderful and fascinating country of Mexico with this 13 day highlights tour. Start in the thriving capital, visiting the surrounding pyramids and ruins before making your way South to Oaxaca. Continue to the famous sites of Palenque and Uxmal, where you will get a real taste of the Mayan culture, before ending in the famous beach resort town of Cancun.
Day 1: Arrival in Mexico City
Arrive at Mexico City airport, where you are met by our staff and accompanied to our well located hotel for overnight.
Day 2: City Tour: Breakfast
After breakfast we will be treated to a tour of the ancient Aztec capital. We will visit the Zócalo, the impressive Cathedral and the vestiges of the pre-Hispanic Templo Mayor and the main shrine of the old Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, conquered by the Spaniards.
We continue on to the National Museum of Anthropology, in Chapultepec Park, commanded by its Castle, once the residence of ill-fated Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg. You will admire the museum’s large collections of pre-Hispanic art, including the famous Aztec Calendar and the sculpture of the gruesome goddess Coatlicue, the snake-skirted one. Return to the hotel, and spend the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.
Day 3: The Pyramids: Breakfast
Morning drive to the Basilica de Guadalupe, the holiest shrine for millions of Mexicans. From here, proceed to San Juan Teotihuacan, a city that flourished several centuries prior to the arrival of the Aztecs.
We will explore the awe-inspiring pyramids of the Sun and Moon and walk down the Road of the Dead to the Citadel, to admire the unique Temple of Quetzalcóatl, with its stone-sculptured plumed-serpent heads and the masks of raingod Tlaloc. Return to Mexico City, with the remainder of the afternoon free.
Day 4: Mexico City - Oaxaca: Breakfast
Transfer to the airport for flight to Oaxaca. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Day 5: Oaxaca - Monte Alban & Mitla: Breakfast
Today we will make our way to the the impressive Zapotec acropolis of Monte Albán, one of UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage sites. Here you will be awe-struck at the grandeur of this pre-Hispanic site, with its Great Plaza, surrounded by temples, pyramids and mounds.
Next we visit El Tule, famous for its enormous and majestic sabino tree which is over 2000 years old and dwarfes the quaint church of Santa Maria next to it.
Return to Oaxaca in the afternoon and to our hotel for overnight.
Day 6: Oaxaca - Chiapas
Transfer to the airport for flight to Tuxtla Gutierrez. Arrival and transfer to the small town of Chiapa de Corzo, where we see the monumental colonial brick fountain which is said to represent the crown of Spain.
We then take a thrilling motorbaot ride down the spectacular Sumidero Canyon. The canyon’s towering rock walls reach an altitude of up to 1000 metres, converting this ride into an unforgettable experience. Continue to San Cristóbal de Las Casas, a colonial town of white stucco walls, red-tile roofs and cobblestone streets. Here we will settle into our hotel for overnight.
Day 7: San Cristobal de Las Casas - Indian Villages: Breakfast
Today we will embark on a city tour of San Cristobal. The tour includes the magnificent Cathedral and many samples of 16th to 19th century architecture.
We then continue to the nearby Indian villages of Zinacantán and Chamula, home of the tzotzil and tzeltal Indians of Mayan descent, who have preserved to the present day their native customs and costumes. These towns also constitute unique samples of religious syncretism, where saints and diverse symbols of the Catholic religion are worshipped with pagan, pre-Hispanic rites.
Return to hotel for overnight.
Day 8: San Cristobal - Palenque: Breakfast
After breakfast we will take a morning drive to waterfalls of Agua Azul, a long series of glittering cascades coursing over kilometres of lush valleys in the Sierra Madre Mountains. We then continue our journey through Tabasco’s rich pasture country. After passing through the tropical jungle region of northern Chiapas, we eventually reach the small but thriving city of Palenque, which only a few decades ago was a tiny village lost in the middle of the rainforest.
Transfer to our hotel in Palenque for overnight.
Day 9: Palenque – Villahermosa - Merida: Breakfast
In the morning we start our visit to one of the most beautiful and emblematic landmarks of the classical Mayan culture: the ruins of the city of Palenque. The highlights include the Temple of the Inscriptions, where an important burial chamber was discovered in the '50s, and the imposing architectural complex of El Palacio, one of the most beautiful constructions to be found in the entire environment of Maya culture.
After the visit we leave to Villahermosa and to the airport for flight to Merida - The white city of Mérida and Cultural Capital of the Americas. Arrival and transfer to Hotel for overnight.
Day 10: Uxmal and Kabah: Breakfast and Lunch
This morning we will drive through the Yucatan Peninsula’s flatlands and over its only -300 m.-high- Puuc mountain chain visiting the archaeological site of Kabah and the ruins of Uxmal. Here there is the Magician’s Pyramid, the Governor Palace and the magnificent Nunnery Quadrangle which are all considered among world's most beautiful buildings.
A local lunch will be served and give tour members an opportunity to sample some of the delicacies of the sophisticated Yucatan cuisine. Return to Merida, with the remainder of the afternoon and the evening free.
Day 11: Merida - Chichen-Itza and the Caribbean: Breakfast
Drive past tiny Mayan villages and through the large sisal plantations to UNESCO site Chichen-Itzá, widely regarded as the most impressive of all Mayan sites in the country. The tour will include visits to the Kukulcán Pyramid, Warrior’s Temple, Hall of Thousand Columns and the Ball Game Court.
We will then have another local lunch in a lovely old hacienda before continuing eastward to the country’s Caribbean coast. Arrival in the holiday resort town of Cancun, with its white-sand beaches and transparent, turquoise waters. Transfer to the hotel for overnight.
Day 12: Cancun: Breakfast
Day at leisure to relax on the beach in Cancun.
Day 13: Cancun - Out: Breakfast
After one last breakfast on your Mexican adventure, transfer to the airport for flight out.
END OF OUR SERVICES
Day 1: Arrival in Mexico City
Arrive at Mexico City airport, where you are met by our staff and accompanied to our well located hotel for overnight.
Day 2: City Tour: Breakfast
After breakfast we will be treated to a tour of the ancient Aztec capital. We will visit the Zócalo, the impressive Cathedral and the vestiges of the pre-Hispanic Templo Mayor and the main shrine of the old Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, conquered by the Spaniards.
We continue on to the National Museum of Anthropology, in Chapultepec Park, commanded by its Castle, once the residence of ill-fated Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg. You will admire the museum’s large collections of pre-Hispanic art, including the famous Aztec Calendar and the sculpture of the gruesome goddess Coatlicue, the snake-skirted one. Return to the hotel, and spend the remainder of the afternoon at leisure.
Day 3: The Pyramids: Breakfast
Morning drive to the Basilica de Guadalupe, the holiest shrine for millions of Mexicans. From here, proceed to San Juan Teotihuacan, a city that flourished several centuries prior to the arrival of the Aztecs.
We will explore the awe-inspiring pyramids of the Sun and Moon and walk down the Road of the Dead to the Citadel, to admire the unique Temple of Quetzalcóatl, with its stone-sculptured plumed-serpent heads and the masks of raingod Tlaloc. Return to Mexico City, with the remainder of the afternoon free.
Day 4: Mexico City - Oaxaca: Breakfast
Transfer to the airport for flight to Oaxaca. Arrival and transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Day 5: Oaxaca - Monte Alban & Mitla: Breakfast
Today we will make our way to the the impressive Zapotec acropolis of Monte Albán, one of UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage sites. Here you will be awe-struck at the grandeur of this pre-Hispanic site, with its Great Plaza, surrounded by temples, pyramids and mounds.
Next we visit El Tule, famous for its enormous and majestic sabino tree which is over 2000 years old and dwarfes the quaint church of Santa Maria next to it.
Return to Oaxaca in the afternoon and to our hotel for overnight.
Day 6: Oaxaca - Chiapas
Transfer to the airport for flight to Tuxtla Gutierrez. Arrival and transfer to the small town of Chiapa de Corzo, where we see the monumental colonial brick fountain which is said to represent the crown of Spain.
We then take a thrilling motorbaot ride down the spectacular Sumidero Canyon. The canyon’s towering rock walls reach an altitude of up to 1000 metres, converting this ride into an unforgettable experience. Continue to San Cristóbal de Las Casas, a colonial town of white stucco walls, red-tile roofs and cobblestone streets. Here we will settle into our hotel for overnight.
Day 7: San Cristobal de Las Casas - Indian Villages: Breakfast
Today we will embark on a city tour of San Cristobal. The tour includes the magnificent Cathedral and many samples of 16th to 19th century architecture.
We then continue to the nearby Indian villages of Zinacantán and Chamula, home of the tzotzil and tzeltal Indians of Mayan descent, who have preserved to the present day their native customs and costumes. These towns also constitute unique samples of religious syncretism, where saints and diverse symbols of the Catholic religion are worshipped with pagan, pre-Hispanic rites.
Return to hotel for overnight.
Day 8: San Cristobal - Palenque: Breakfast
After breakfast we will take a morning drive to waterfalls of Agua Azul, a long series of glittering cascades coursing over kilometres of lush valleys in the Sierra Madre Mountains. We then continue our journey through Tabasco’s rich pasture country. After passing through the tropical jungle region of northern Chiapas, we eventually reach the small but thriving city of Palenque, which only a few decades ago was a tiny village lost in the middle of the rainforest.
Transfer to our hotel in Palenque for overnight.
Day 9: Palenque – Villahermosa - Merida: Breakfast
In the morning we start our visit to one of the most beautiful and emblematic landmarks of the classical Mayan culture: the ruins of the city of Palenque. The highlights include the Temple of the Inscriptions, where an important burial chamber was discovered in the '50s, and the imposing architectural complex of El Palacio, one of the most beautiful constructions to be found in the entire environment of Maya culture.
After the visit we leave to Villahermosa and to the airport for flight to Merida - The white city of Mérida and Cultural Capital of the Americas. Arrival and transfer to Hotel for overnight.
Day 10: Uxmal and Kabah: Breakfast and Lunch
This morning we will drive through the Yucatan Peninsula’s flatlands and over its only -300 m.-high- Puuc mountain chain visiting the archaeological site of Kabah and the ruins of Uxmal. Here there is the Magician’s Pyramid, the Governor Palace and the magnificent Nunnery Quadrangle which are all considered among world's most beautiful buildings.
A local lunch will be served and give tour members an opportunity to sample some of the delicacies of the sophisticated Yucatan cuisine. Return to Merida, with the remainder of the afternoon and the evening free.
Day 11: Merida - Chichen-Itza and the Caribbean: Breakfast
Drive past tiny Mayan villages and through the large sisal plantations to UNESCO site Chichen-Itzá, widely regarded as the most impressive of all Mayan sites in the country. The tour will include visits to the Kukulcán Pyramid, Warrior’s Temple, Hall of Thousand Columns and the Ball Game Court.
We will then have another local lunch in a lovely old hacienda before continuing eastward to the country’s Caribbean coast. Arrival in the holiday resort town of Cancun, with its white-sand beaches and transparent, turquoise waters. Transfer to the hotel for overnight.
Day 12: Cancun: Breakfast
Day at leisure to relax on the beach in Cancun.
Day 13: Cancun - Out: Breakfast
After one last breakfast on your Mexican adventure, transfer to the airport for flight out.
END OF OUR SERVICES
| Accommodation | Hotel (3*) |
| Inclusions | Guided Tours Airport transfers Accommodation Internal flights Transport All breakfasts Other meals where stated |
| Difficulty Rating | 2 (High altitude) |
| Sustainability | Carbon Offsets not available for this tour Local foods used on tour Local guides used (English speaking). |
| Single Surcharge | |
| Notes | This tour can also be done in reverse from Cancun to Mexico City. |
| Price dependent on: | Hotel availability and flight schedule |
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