A Taste of Mexico
Itinerary
- Itinerary:Mexico City - Puebla - Oaxaca - San Cristobal - Palenque - Campeche - Merida - Chichen Itza - Tulum
- Duration:19 days / 18 nights
- Price:from £2,058 per person (excluding flights)
Days 1-3 – Colours and culture of Mexico City
Mexico City; beautiful, bustling, chaotic and impressive. You’ll spend the next 2 nights in an historic hotel close to palaces, parks and museums of the city. One of the best things about the city is that it can all be explored on foot, and whether you’re after history and culture or you want to get involved in a little Mexican nightlife, everything is within reach. This city is more than just a starting point for your holiday, it’s a vibrant metropolis which is an experience in itself.
Days 3-5 – Flavours of Puebla
Today you’ll make your way to the bus station in Mexico City to travel to Puebla, the country’s food capital. The buses in Mexico are air-conditioned and provide a comfortable way to travel through the country. The journey will take around 2-2.5 hours. Puebla is a city brimming with culture and picturesque neighbourhoods. With 70 churches in the historic centre alone and a long culinary history which has seen it become the country’s food capital, it’s a charming place in more ways than one. You’ll spend two nights in a 17th-century colonial hotel, and will head out with a local guide to discover the secrets of Mexican cuisine.
Days 5-7 – Colonial charms of Oaxaca
Today you will make your way to the bus station in Puebla to catch the bus to Oaxaca. The trip will take around 5 hours. Oaxaca is a city with indigenous and colonial influences, a thriving art scene and a fascinating, spirited history. Staying in a traditional hotel in the UNESCO listed old centre, you’ll find local market stalls and trendy bars all around you, with plenty to keep you entertained. During your stay, you’ll also head up to the ancient site of Monte Alban, a hilltop archaeological site once central to the Zapotec empire, before cycling back down to the city.
Days 8-10 – Colourful markets & Indian villages – San Cristobal
After your stay in Oaxaca, you’ll head to the bus station to take the overnight bus to San Cristobal. The journey takes around 10 hours and you’ll have a reclining seat and air-con to make the journey comfortable. San Cristobal is the capital of Mexican Indian culture, nestled in a gorgeous highland valley surrounded by pine forests. You’ll stay in a colourful posada with beautifully decorated rooms located in the winding streets of the old town. The following day you’ll meet a local guide to head to the mountain village of San Juan Chamula. The Chamulans are a fiercely independent Tzotzil group and together with a local guide, you’ll learn about the rituals and inhabitants and really get to understand the culture of the Tzotzil Indians.
Days 10-12 – Passage to Palenque
Today you will head to the bus station in San Cristobal to catch your bus to Palenque. The journey will take around 9 hours and you will reach your destination in the evening. Arriving in Palenque, you’ll check into your comfy hotel, with a pool to escape the jungle heat. The town itself is fairly unremarkable, but it’s within reach of something which is really quite remarkable. The following morning you’ll be taken to the nearby Palenque Mayan ruins, surrounded by thick jungle, widely considered some of the best in Mexico. You’ll have time to explore these spectacular ruins at your own pace, before you head to the nearby Roberto Barrios waterfall where you can cool off before heading back to relax at your hotel.
Days 12-16 – The Mayan route to Chichen Itza
Next, you will make your way to the bust station to hop on the bus to Campeche. The trip takes about 5.5 hours. Over the next few days, you’ll journey from the Caribbean coast across the Yucatan peninsula to Campeche, on the Gulf of Mexico. Your first stop is the ancient city of Chichen Itza – a spellbinding look back into the past, and a peek into the life of Mayan civilisation. Your hotel is a pleasant hacienda not far from the site, where you can while away the afternoon beside the pool, before getting up early the next morning to visit these amazing ruins before the crowds or the heat get too intense.
Next, you’ll travel by bus to the city of Merida, around 3 hours away. You’ll be spending 2 nights in this charming colonial gem, with its host of great eateries, bars, markets and live music. On your second day in the city, you’ll be picked up after breakfast for a trip to explore one of Yucatan’s natural wonders, cenotes. These are natural pits or sinkholes which have appeared, creating an underground grotto which provides an unforgettable spot for swimming.
The next morning, you’ll take the bus for around 3 hours to Campeche – a former pirate city on the Gulf of Mexico, with a UNESCO listed walled centre packed with colonial buildings and narrow streets. Your hotel is within the old centre, close to the major historical sites, as well as some great bars and restaurants. There’s nothing planned for your time here, so you can explore at will and enjoy this final stop on your journey across the Yucatan.
Days 16-19 – Tulum: Mayan ruins on palm beach
After exploring the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza it’s time to head to the coast, only a short bus ride away. Make your way to the bus station and in 2.5 hours you’ll be in Tulum! Soft sandy beaches, turquoise waters and coastline dotted with Mayan ruins await in Tulum. This is the perfect place to spend a few days relaxing before heading to the airport to fly home. You’ll stay in a boutique hotel in the town of Tulum Pueblo, close to a variety of restaurants, shops and bars. The white sand beach is a short taxi ride away, or about 20 mins by bike, which you can rent locally. Explore the Tulum ruins perched on top of the cliffs or go further north to discover one of the oldest Maya cities, Cobá, hidden deep in the jungle.
P.S. beachfront hotels are more expensive of course, but if you’d rather spend a little extra to finish your trip closer to the sea, then have a chat to your Travel Specialist about an upgrade!
At the end of your holiday, you’ll be collected from your hotel and transferred to the airport in Cancun, around 1.5 hours away, for your international flight home.
