Your itinerary
Day 1
Adventure starts in Mexico City
Welcome to Mexico City, one of the most exciting capitals in the world and known for its layers of Aztec, colonial, and modern history.Today is all about settling into the hotel and city, as we have our welcome briefing tomorrow morning.Want more time in Mexico City? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.
Day 2
Discover museums, Coyoacán and Frida Kahlo
Come together this morning for our welcome briefing, where your tour leader outlines the journey ahead and answers any questions.We then visit two of Mexico City’s most important museums: the Museo Nacional de Historia, housed in Chapultepec Castle, and the National Museum of Anthropology, whose collections provide essential context for the civilisations we’ll encounter throughout the trip.Turning to the city’s creative heart, we head south to Coyoacán, a district with deep pre-Hispanic roots and a long association with artists and intellectuals. Cobbled streets, shaded squares and colonial churches give it a distinctly different rhythm to the city centre.Subject to availability, we visit Casa Azul, the former home of Frida Kahlo. Preserved much as it was during her lifetime, the house offers insight into Kahlo’s work, her political ideas and her relationship with artist Diego Rivera.We round off the day with a welcome dinner at Azulísimo, where Chef Zurita has curated a menu based on traditional cuisine from the capital.
Meals: Dinner
Day 3
Walk the historic centre and local markets • Cruise the canals of Xochimilco
Explore the historic centre of Mexico City on foot, beginning at the Zócalo, once the ceremonial heart of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán and still the country’s main civic square. Nearby, we see the Metropolitan Cathedral, built directly over the ruins of the Templo Mayor, before finishing near the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a landmark of early-20th-century architecture.Food and craft traditions come into focus as we visit Mercado de San Juan, enjoying a small food tasting, and Mercado de la Ciudadela for handicrafts.Later, we travel south to Xochimilco, where we take a trajinera boat onto the canals – with a snack included. Cruising the waterways, we learn all about chinampas, ingenious floating gardens built by the Aztecs, some of which are still in use today.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4
Tour Teotihuacán • To Puebla • City tour with Palafoxiana Library
Transfer (1hr 15min) to Teotihuacán, one of the most significant cities of ancient Mesoamerica. At its height, around 450 CE, it was among the largest urban centres in the world. With a local guide, we walk the Avenue of the Dead and explore the monumental Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, gaining insight into the city’s urban planning and enduring mysteries.Lunch is at La Catrina Restaurant before we continue (2hr 30min) to Puebla. Founded in the 16th century, Puebla became a key colonial centre linking Mexico City with the port of Veracruz.In the afternoon, we enjoy a guided city tour, including the Palafoxiana Library, founded in 1646 and widely regarded as the oldest public library in the Americas.
Meals: Lunch
Day 5
Visit Zapotitlán Botanical Garden • To Oaxaca
Begin at the Zapotitlán Botanical Garden, set within a semi-arid biosphere reserve known for its extraordinary diversity of cacti and desert plants. Lunch is at Itandehui Restaurant, known for its pre-Hispanic menu.We then drive (four hours) to Oaxaca, a UNESCO-listed city with a strong indigenous presence and a long tradition of craftsmanship. The historic centre is compact and walkable, with shaded streets, markets and important religious buildings clustered around the main square.
Meals: Lunch
Day 6
Monte Albán • San Antonio Arrazola • Oaxaca Day of the Dead parade
Our next exploration of Mexican history takes us to the Zapotecan site of Monte Albán. While the name dates to a 16th-century Spanish landowner, previous names come from the Mixtec word Sahandevul, meaning at the foot of the sky, or from the Zapotecan Danibaan, meaning sacred mountain.In 500 BCE, the Zapotecans moved into the Oaxaca region and began the monumental task of levelling the top of a 5,250ft (1,600m) high mountain that intersects and divides three valleys. Here they built the city of Monte Albán with a maze of subterranean passageways, rooms, drainage and water-storage systems. We later return to Oaxaca and visit the Museum of Cultures Santo Domingo.Later, we take part in the Day of the Dead parade.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 7
Day of the Dead traditions in rural Oaxaca
Spend today uncovering the beliefs and history of the Day of the Dead. It starts with a typical breakfast in either Tlacolula or 20 de Noviembre market, where we experience the market on this special occasion, when altars are set up for the festivities.This afternoon, we join a family in their home to sample regional dishes, learn some of the Zapotec language and see their Day of the Dead shrine. We then return to Oaxaca and explore the cobbled streets, vibrant squares and churches of the historic city. Later we will visit a graveyard at night, listening to brass bands and watching the entire town fill the cemetery to decorate the graves of their loved ones.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8
Learn how to create popular Mexican dishes
Oaxaca’s reputation for regional cuisine takes centre stage today as we join a hands-on cooking class led by a Zapotec cook. After selecting ingredients from our host’s own produce store, we prepare a full meal together, learning techniques passed down through generations. We then sit down to enjoy the results.The afternoon is free to spend at leisure, with the option to visit San Antonio Arrazola for an introduction to alebrijes – the brightly painted, hand-carved figures that blend real and imagined animals and have become a defining expression of Oaxacan folk art.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch
Day 9
Visit the ancient tree at Tule and ruins of Mitla • Mezcal tasting • To Salina Cruz
Begin at Santa María del Tule, home to an enormous ahuehuete (Mexican bald cypress) tree believed to be more than 2,000 years old. Its vast trunk is marked by natural shapes that invite closer inspection.We continue to Mitla, a Zapotec ceremonial centre distinguished by its intricate geometric stone mosaics, unlike anything else in pre-Columbian Mexico.From here, we travel to Santiago Matatlán (30min) to visit a mezcal distillery and learn how this agave spirit is produced, followed by a tasting.Later, we stop at a beach on the Pacific coast, where you can swim (weather permitting) or take a walk on the sands, before driving to Salina Cruz.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 10
Cruise through the Sumidero Canyon • To San Cristóbal de las Casas
Take a boat trip through the Sumidero Canyon, where steep limestone walls rise dramatically above the Grijalva River and wildlife is often spotted along the banks.After, we drive to San Cristóbal de las Casas (about six hours plus stops), a highland city known for its colonial layout and strong indigenous identity.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 11
Tour the markets and crafts of San Cristóbal
Explore San Cristóbal de las Casas, browsing markets and cafes that showcase local produce and crafts made by Tzotzil communities.In the afternoon, there is an optional excursion to Chamula and Zinacantán. In Chamula, we visit the church where Catholic and Maya rituals coexist, creating a distinctive ceremonial atmosphere. In Zinacantán, we meet a family of weavers and learn about textile traditions that remain central to daily life.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 12
To Villahermosa • Optional visit to the Roberto Barrios Waterfalls
Leaving around 5.30am with a breakfast box, we drive (4hr 15min) to Villahermosa, stopping for lunch at El Edén Restaurant.We arrive at our hotel early afternoon. Later, those who wish can visit the Roberto Barrios Waterfalls (around a 1hr 10min drive from our hotel).This series of cascades sits within the subtropical jungle of Chiapas and is known for its tiered falls and forest setting − an atmospheric counterpoint to the archaeological wonders waiting nearby.
Meals: Lunch
Day 13
Explore the jungle ruins of Palenque • To Campeche
Explore the Maya city of Palenque, set within dense jungle and renowned for the quality of its stone carvings and inscriptions. At its peak in the seventh century, Palenque was a powerful city-state, and its architecture remains among the finest in the Maya world.We then transfer to Campeche (6hr 20min), a fortified colonial city on the Gulf of Mexico. An orientation walk introduces the historic centre and its defensive walls, built to protect against pirate attacks.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 14
Discover the ruins of Uxmal • Enjoy a traditional lunch • To Mérida
After a 2hr 35min drive from Campeche is our second Maya site: Uxmal. Quite open, it contrasts the jungle ruins of Palenque we visited yesterday. This site, which dates to the Late Classic era (500 CE to 800 CE), features the Pyramid of the Magician; the Nunnery Quadrangle, which has long, elaborately carved facades; and a ball court, where a traditional ball game was played, sometimes ending in human sacrifice.Having worked up an appetite, we drive (20 minutes) to a Maya family restaurant in Muna. Here we eat pollo pibil and cochinita pibil (slowly cooked pork and chicken). The meat is roasted for about five hours with achiote paste and wrapped in banana leaves.After lunch, it’s about a 1hr 20min drive to Mérida, where several colonial buildings, including the cathedral, were built using stones from nearby Maya ruins. Arriving mid-afternoon, we have a walking tour of Mérida, returning later to enjoy the main square, which is particularly delightful at night.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch
Day 15
Explore Izamal • Swim in Yokdzonot cenote • To Chichén Itzá
Our first stop, after a 1hr 40min drive, is Izamal, a one-time Maya settlement now marked as a Pueblo Mágico (magic town) by the Mexican government. The town has yellow-and-white buildings and is known for the 16th-century Franciscan monastery built on top of a huge Maya pyramid.We then continue (1hr 10min) to Yokdzonot cenote, a natural swimming hole with vertical walls decorated with thick mangrove roots.From here, we transfer (25 minutes) to our hotel near Chichén Itzá, ready for our exploration tomorrow (total drive time: about 3hr 30min plus stops).
Meals: Breakfast
Day 16
Tour the wonders of Chichén Itzá • Adventure ends in Cancún
Our final day starts with a visit to Chichén Itzá. Having spent the night near the site, we can get in early before the day-trippers arrive from the beach resorts.Chichén Itzá served as the political and economic centre of the Maya civilisation and thrived from around 600 CE to 1200 CE. The pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars and the Great Ball Court can still be seen today and demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to architecture, space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and possibly greatest, of all Maya pyramids.This afternoon, we drive about three hours to Cancún airport, where the tour ends.Want more time in Cancun? Secure post-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.Please note: The group transfer back to Cancún is scheduled to align with a chosen flight; therefore, you should not book flights leaving before then. Please contact your sales representative for the timings of this flight.
Meals: Breakfast
What’s included
What’s not included
Additional information
Food
Breakfast generally consists of fruits, cereals, beans and eggs.
Meals are around 275-365 Mexican pesos (US$15-US$20) for lunch and 275-550 pesos (US$15-US$30) for dinner. A beer costs on average 55-90 pesos (US$3-US$5).
We can discover the richness of Mexican cuisine on this trip. In Oaxaca, we attend a cooking class, the exact dishes we learn to cook can vary but generally include tortillas, salsas, mole (chocolate-based savoury dishes) and guacamole. We also learn about Mexican drinks, visiting a mezcal distillery.
Note, drinking water is provided on the bus in large containers to minimise the amount of single-use plastic bottles; please bring a refillable bottle with you.
Yokdzonot Cenote Swim
Cool off with a swim in a cenote at Yokdzonot, a turquoise limestone pool framed by hanging roots and ferns. Cliff walls shelter clear water perfect for a refreshing dip.
Managed by a community-run cooperative, the site balances visitor access with conservation. The setting offers a serene counterpoint to nearby archaeological sites.
Teotihuacán Pyramids Guided Tour
With a specialist guide, walk the Avenue of the Dead through the vast ceremonial core of Teotihuacán. Study the geometry and scale of the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon, icons of ancient urban planning.
Hear theories about the city’s mysterious origins and cosmology as you examine temples, plazas, and murals, including stories surrounding the Temple of the Feathered Serpent.
Monte Albán & Museum of Cultures Santo Domingo
Stand on the terrace of Monte Albán, the Zapotec capital reshaped from a mountaintop into plazas, ball courts, and observatories. The setting lives up to its ancient epithet of a sacred mountain overlooking converging valleys.
Back in Oaxaca, the Museum of Cultures Santo Domingo presents treasures—such as finds from Tomb 7—within a former Dominican monastery, linking ritual objects to the living culture of the region.
Santiago Matatlán Mezcal Distillery Tour & Tasting
In Santiago Matatlán, the self-proclaimed world capital of mezcal, trace the spirit’s lifecycle from agave field to glass. See how producers roast agave hearts in earthen pits and crush fibers with a traditional tahona.
Compare styles during a guided tasting of artisanal mezcal, learning about terroir, agave varietals, and ancestral methods that shape flavor and aroma.
Sumidero Canyon Boat Cruise
Boat through Sumidero Canyon along the Grijalva River, dwarfed by sheer limestone walls that rise dramatically above the waterway. The scale and silence are as stirring as the scenery.
Scan the banks for herons, iguanas, and—if conditions allow—crocodiles basking on sandbars. This natural corridor reveals Chiapas’ rugged geology and rich biodiversity from a rare perspective.
Mérida Historic Centre Walking Tour
Get your bearings in Mérida around the Plaza Grande, framed by the Cathedral of San Ildefonso and colonial civic buildings. White limestone and shaded arcades create a dignified Yucatecan ambiance.
Continue to the Paseo de Montejo, where grand mansions recall the henequen boom. Cultural venues, ice-cream parlors, and street music keep the boulevard lively from daytime into evening.
Izamal Pueblo Mágico Visit
Explore Izamal’s sun-yellow streets and blend of pre-Hispanic and colonial heritage. The Franciscan Convent of San Antonio de Padua rises atop ancient pyramid platforms, a visible palimpsest of eras.
Artisans’ workshops, courtyards, and quiet lanes epitomize the warmth of a pueblo mágico. Optional climbs to nearby mounds reveal how town and temples intertwine in the landscape.
Welcome Dinner at Azulísimo (Mexico City)
Gather for a convivial welcome dinner at Azulísimo, where Chef Zurita crafts seasonal plates rooted in the capital’s traditional cuisine. Expect heirloom ingredients, refined techniques, and modern presentation.
Toast the journey ahead as you sample regional flavors and discuss highlights with fellow travelers and your Tour Leader. It’s a delicious introduction to Mexico’s culinary diversity.
Coyoacán District Walk & Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul
Explore Coyoacán’s bohemian spirit as you stroll Coyoacán’s cobbled streets, pausing by quiet plazas and colonial churches that nurtured generations of artists and thinkers. Cafés and studios hint at the neighborhood’s enduring creative pulse.
Subject to availability, enter the Casa Azul (Frida Kahlo Museum), its bright cobalt-blue walls framing personal artifacts, self-portraits, and folk pieces, alongside Diego Rivera’s pre-Hispanic collection. The home offers intimate insight into Mexican identity, politics, and art.
Historic Centre Walk, San Juan Market Tasting & La Ciudadela Crafts
Walk Mexico City’s historic heart, from the Zócalo and Metropolitan Cathedral to vestiges of the Templo Mayor, finishing by the Palacio de Bellas Artes and its art nouveau silhouette. Architecture reveals layers of Aztec, colonial and modern ambition.
Delve into flavors at Mercado de San Juan to sample regional specialties, then browse La Ciudadela, a showcase of Mexican craft traditions—textiles, woodcarving, pottery—assembled from across the republic.
Xochimilco Trajinera Canal Cruise & Chinampas
Cruise the canals of Xochimilco aboard a colorful trajinera, gliding past floating gardens and musicians. A light snack adds to the festive, local atmosphere on these storied waterways.
Learn how the Aztecs engineered chinampas—ingenious agricultural islands—sustaining Tenochtitlán’s markets. Today, farmers still tend crops here, linking modern city life to ancient foodways on a tranquil urban wetland.
Puebla Historic Centre Walk & Palafoxiana Library
Explore Puebla’s UNESCO-listed historic centre, where baroque churches and Talavera-tiled facades frame elegant squares and airy arcades. The city’s layout reflects its strategic role between Mexico City and Veracruz.
Enter the Palafoxiana Library, founded in 1646 and famed for baroque bookshelves and rare volumes. This scholarly sanctuary evokes a learned colonial past and Puebla’s cultural prestige.
Zapotitlán Botanic Garden in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Reserve
Experience the stark beauty of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, where desert light and silhouettes of towering columnar cacti create a striking horizon. Trails reveal specialized succulents and birds adapted to semi-arid life.
At the botanical garden, guides showcase endemic species and traditional uses of desert flora. Conservation stories illuminate how people and plants thrive in these resilient ecosystems.
Oaxaca Day of the Dead Parade (Comparsa)
Join a Day of the Dead comparsa through Oaxaca’s streets as musicians, dancers, and families parade with marigold garlands and paper cut-outs. Painted calaveras and candlelit altars animate plazas in a spirit of remembrance and joy.
Guides explain symbolism and customs, from skull imagery to offerings for returning souls. The brass bands and community energy embody the festival’s heartfelt meaning.
Day of the Dead Traditions: Market Breakfast, Family Home & Night Cemetery Vigil
Begin with market aromas and breads as stalls display altars and pan de muerto. Later, break bread at a Zapotec family home, learning to greet and learn basic Zapotec phrases while admiring their ofrendas adorned with cempasúchil.
As night falls, visit a candlelit cemetery where incense and music accompany families decorating graves. Respectfully observe rituals that unite memory, community, and continuity across generations.
Oaxacan Hands-On Cooking Class with a Zapotec Cook
Roll up your sleeves for a hands-on cooking class highlighting Oaxaca’s famed moles, salsas, and seasonal produce. Select ingredients from a local pantry before preparing a full meal together.
Learn to grind chiles on a metate and press tortillas on a comal, hearing how recipes travel through families and fiestas. Sit down to savor the meal you’ve prepared in convivial company.
Árbol del Tule & Mitla Archaeological Zone
Pay a visit to the monumental Árbol del Tule, a venerable Montezuma cypress whose gnarled trunk invites close contemplation and photographs.
Continue to Mitla, a Zapotec ceremonial center renowned for intricate stone mosaics (grecas). The precise geometric patterns and low palaces contrast with highland vistas, revealing a different facet of pre-Hispanic artistry.
San Cristóbal de las Casas Markets Orientation
Acclimatize to highland life as you browse highland markets and cafés in San Cristóbal. Stalls showcase coffee, cacao, and textiles woven by Tzotzil artisans, set against pastel facades and mountain air.
Learn how indigenous traditions and colonial architecture co-exist, shaping today’s café culture and creative cooperatives across the city’s cobbled grid.
Palenque Archaeological Site Guided Exploration
Enter a realm of jungle-clad ruins as you explore Palenque with a specialist. Palaces, temples, and sculpted panels reveal refined artistry and political power.
Highlights include the Temple of the Inscriptions and reliefs linked to King Pakal. Inscriptions and architecture illuminate Classic-era Maya cosmology amid cicada calls and tropical canopy.
Campeche Walled City Orientation Walk
Stroll Campeche’s pastel lanes and seaside ramparts within a UNESCO-listed walled city. Fortifications, bastions and ramparts tell of pirate raids and maritime trade across the Gulf of Mexico.
Admire restored facades, leafy plazas, and museum-filled bastions that narrate colonial resilience. Evening light along the malecón adds a gentle coastal glow to the historic quarter.
Uxmal Archaeological Zone Guided Tour
Encounter Puuc-style mastery at Uxmal, crowned by the Pyramid of the Magician and the ornate Nunnery Quadrangle. Carved masks and latticework showcase elite craftsmanship.
Hear about astronomy, rulership, and ritual at the ball court and Governor’s Palace. The refined proportions of Puuc-style stonework contrast with surrounding low hills and scrub forest.
Traditional Yucatán Pibil Lunch with a Maya Family (Muna)
Relish Yucatecan flavors at a family-run spot specializing in cochinita and pollo pibil. Learn how achiote-marinated meats are wrapped in banana leaves for slow, earth-oven (pib) cookery.
Stories of regional ingredients and festive dishes accompany every bite. This achiote-spiced meal celebrates culinary continuity from pre-Hispanic methods to present-day kitchens.
Chichén Itzá Early-Access Guided Tour
Beat the crowds to enter Chichén Itzá early and study the El Castillo (Temple of Kukulcán) from up close. Geometry, astronomy, and rulership converge in its stepped design.
Walk the Great Ball Court, Temple of the Warriors, and the Group of a Thousand Columns, hearing about ceremonies linked to the sacred cenote. Context reveals why this site ranks among the New Seven Wonders.
San Juan Chamula & Zinacantán Indigenous Villages
Venture into Tzotzil Maya communities near San Cristóbal to visit San Juan Chamula church, where syncretic Maya-Catholic rituals unfold amid incense and candlelight. Traditions are shared with respectful guidance.
Continue to Zinacantán to meet artisans weaving on the back-strap loom and see floral embroidery central to local dress. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.
Roberto Barrios Waterfalls (Chiapas)
Escape to the jungle to hike to Roberto Barrios Waterfalls, a chain of turquoise pools surrounded by broad-leaf forest. Ledges and cascades invite photos and, conditions permitting, a cool swim.
Local guides share insights on flora and community stewardship in this peaceful alternative to busier falls nearby. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.
San Antonio Arrazola Alebrijes Workshop Visit
Meet Oaxacan artisans to learn about alebrijes—hand-carved and vividly painted wooden figures that fuse real and imagined creatures. Designs spring from copal wood blocks into radiant color.
Observe a studio demonstration, from carving to fine brushwork, and discover how symbolism and family styles evolve across generations. This optional experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.
Chapultepec Castle & National Museum of Anthropology
Discover Mexico’s past and present as you step inside Chapultepec Castle, home to the Museo Nacional de Historia, with panoramic views over Bosque de Chapultepec. Exhibits trace eras from empire to revolution, set within grand salons and leafy terraces.
Continue to the National Museum of Anthropology, a world-class collection where colossal sculptures and ritual objects—like the Aztec Sun Stone—illuminate Olmec, Maya and Mexica civilizations. Curated galleries bring ancient cosmologies and daily life into vivid focus.
