12 Days/ 11 Nights

Explore it all in Mexico, making all the way from Mexico City, passing Puebla, traditional Oaxaca, the picturesque wild Chiapas to Merida and finally Cancun. Coach bus tour with fixed departure dates.

Day 1 Arrival in Mexico-City

Arrival to Mexico-City International Airport and transfer to the hotel.

Overnight Holiday Inn Zocalo 4* or similar 

Day 2 Mexico-City – San Angel – Xochimilco

Breakfast at hotel. Today we will visit the most important buildings of Mexico City which are located in the historical centre, around the main square, The Zocalo. During your walking tour, you will get to know fine examples of the wonderful colonial city and its original architecture with its indigenous influence on renaissance, baroque and neoclassical styles which marked the cultural revolution of New Spain. Continuation to the old town of San Angel to discover the Bazar del Sabado, a market where you can find some of Mexico’s best folk art and crafts. Afterwards drive to Xochilmilco in order to enjoy a boat ride in the typical ‘trajineras’ through the floating gardens.

Overnight Holiday Inn Zocalo 4* or similar

Day 3 Mexico-City – Antropology Musuem – Teotihuacan

Breakfast at hotel. Drive on the Paso de la Reforma to the Anthropology Mjusuem, one of the Top 10 museums worldwide.  Continue to teh north of the City, to the Teotihuacan Pyramids. On the way to the Pyramids we will visit the Shrine of Guadalupe, a monumental tribute to Mexico’s faith in the Virgin of Guadalupe. Afterwards encounter the magic and mystery of the 2000 year old city of Teotihuacan with a visit to the Sun as well as the Moon pyramid. Drive back to the hotel.

Overnight at Hotel Victoria 4* or similar

Day 4 Puebla Oaxaca

Departure form Mexico-City, we head west towards Puebla, Mexico’s fourth largest city, passing the photogenic, snow-capped, volcanoes of Popocatetl (Smoking Mountain, 5464m) and Iztaccihuatl (Sleeping Lady 5230m). Puebla is considered as cultural heritage by the UNESCO because of its beautiful architecture. We continue our journey, heading south to Oaxaca, set in a fertile valley in the mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur.

Overnight at Hotel Victoria 4* or similar

Day 5 Oaxaca – Monte Alban – Oaxaca

Breakfast at hotel. We will visit the City of Oaxaca , one of the best preserved and most charming of all Mexico’s colonial cities. We will visit the Culture Musuem, the Santo Domingo de Guzaman Church, the Cathedral, Zocalo and ghe Governors Palace, continuing to the typical market and listen to the explanation about products such as chocolate, mole, and cheese. In teh afternoon visit to Monte Alban, ancient capital of the Zapotec: people and spectacularly situated on a mountain 400 meters above the Oaxaca valley. Return to Oaxaca.

Overnight at Hotel Victoria 4* or similar

Day 6 Oaxaca – Tule – Mitla – Tehuantepec

Breakfast at hotel. Visit one of the most extraodrinary and amazing things in nature, the unique an gigantic Tule Tree which is 40 meters high and approximately2000 years old. We proceed to the archaeological site of Mitla which means ‘Deads Site’. From Mitla, we will continue our journey South East to Tehuantepec.

Overnight at Hotel Cali 3* or similar

Day 7 Tehuantepec – Sumidero Canyon – San Cristobal de las Casas

Breakfast at hotel. We will continue our journey to Tuxtla Gutierrez. Our tour will take us to the breathtaking Sumidero Canyon. In the mid 16th century several hundred Indians chose to hurl themselves down its precipitous sides after a defiant last stand, rather than submit to the invading Spanish forces. Here you will be taken on a boat trip along the river, passing caves and waterfalls. The boat trip also provides an opportunity to see an variety of unusual plants, and many animals and birds, including monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas, herons and kingfishers. Continue to San Cristobal de las casas with its colonial charm, situated in the highlands of Chiapas.

Overnight at Hotel Cuidad Real Centro 4* or similar

Day 8 San Cristobal – San Juan Chamula – Zinacantan

Breakfast at hotel. This morning we will visit the nearby Indian villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan – each village has its own customs – providing an insight into the mix of Christian and pre-Colombian traditions of the Tzotzil-speaking inhabitants. These Indian towns, less than an hour from San Cristobal, allow us to observe traditional everyday life of its inhabitants. We will return to San Cristobal for a walking tour around the pleasant streets of this beautiful town. The town combines its colonial heritage with a strong Indian culture. The rich and colorful costumes worn by local people are a characteristic of each ethnic group. You can see them on a busy market where regional products are sold.

Overnight at Hotel Cuidad Real Centro 4* or similar

Day 9 San Cristobal – Agua Azul – Palenque

Breakfast at hotel. Today we follow the Rio Tulija river northwards through the jungle to the spectacular waterfalls and rapids at Agua Azul – there are over 500 cascades and a series of aquamarine-colored rock pools. According to the Mayan legend, Kaprakan, a character from the Popol Vuh (the sacred book of the Maya) built some steps in the mountain so he could climb it more easily. Chac (the rain god) mocking him for his arrogance, laid down a blue carpet which moved as soon as the giant stepped on it. We will complete our journey to Palenque.

Overnight at Hotel Villa Mercedes 5* or similar

Day 10 Palenque – Campeche

Breakfast at hotel. This morning we will visit what many consider to be the most impressive of all the archaeological sites in Mexico. Palenque is everything that an archaeological should be: mysterious, solemn, well preserved, and imposing in its beautiful jungle setting. Palenque is the religious center that spanned nearly 35 square kilometers. The 20 meters tall temple of the inscriptions contains one of the only crypts found inside a pyramid in Mexico. Afterwards we head for the coastal town of Campeche where the Spanish first set foot on Mexican soil.

Overnight at Hotel Plaza Campeche 4* or similar

Day 11 Campeche – Uxmal – Merida

Breakfast at hotel. We will continue our trip to visit the late classic Maya site of Uxmal. Unlike most Yucatan sites, Uxmal has no cenotes and water was collected in man made cisterns. The scarcity of water may explain the number of depictions of the rain god Chaac on the buildings. Highlights include the Governors Palace, actually three buildings linked by Mayan arches, the Nunnery Quadrangle and teh Magicans’s pyramid, the tallest and most striking structure in Uxmal. We proceed to Merida, also know as the White City because of its white houses and buildings.

Overnight at hotel Gran Real Yucatan 4* or simila

Day 12 Merida – Chichen Itza – Cancun

Breakfast at hotel. For many today’s guided excursion will be the highlight of the tour, recently declared as one of the Seven New Wonders, Chichen Itza is undoubtedly the best preserved Maya site on the peninsula. The ruins were built with such knowledge of cosmology and mathematics astounding scholars from around the world. Deadly games were held in the magnificent ball court to choose sacrificial victims for the altar – throne that was in the form of a red jaguar encrusted with jade and their remains displayed in the gruesome Temple of Skulls. After visit we continue to Cancun. Drop off at hotel in Cancun, hotel in Riviera Maya or Cancun airport.

Departure Dates 2012

• January 20
• February 03
• March 09 and 30
• April 20
• May 11*
• June 08*
• July 06
• August 03
• September 07
• October 05 and 19

Rates (Min 2 pax)

£ 825 per person in Double Room

£ 1,045 per person in Single Room

£ 805 per person in Triple Room (**)

*Seasonal Rates (min 2 pax)

£ 695 per person in Double Room

£ 915 per person in Single Room

£ 675 per person in Triple Room (**)

** Kindly note that triple rooms include two double beds only. Three beds are not guaranteed.

This bus tour includes:

• 11 nights accommodation in standard room at the hotels above or similar
• VAT and lodging tax and service charge on meals
• Daily breakfast
• All transfers and excursions as mentioned in program, shared with other passengers.
• Transportation according to the number of participants; van, sprinter or motor coach.
• English speaking guide
• All entrance fees to museums and archaeological zones mentioned
• Tips to porters at airports and bellboys at hotels
• Tips to chambermaids at hotels

This tour DOES NOT INCLUDE:

• Airfares (domestic and international)
• Airport taxes (domestic and international)
• All services, meals or items not mentioned
• Personal expenses such as phone calls, laundry, beverages etc.
• Tips to drivers and guide

Rates are subject to change and exchange rate fluctuations.

BOOKING FORM - TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

Hotels offered can be up or downgraded according to your requirements. Furthermore beach extensions, city breaks, excursions, day tours etc. can be added to complement your holiday. Please do not hesitate to contact us for a custom made proposal.

Tel. 0203-287 7587 or email info@latintravel.co.uk

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