Mexico's Mayan Trail

Mexico's Mayan Trail

Emerald jungles, sapphire-blue waters and powdery white sands meet towering ancient temples and colonial towns in the captivating country of Mexico. But a trip here is just as much about its fascinating history and culture as its idyllic landscapes. Our comprehensive Mexico tours will have you reaching for your sombrero as we comb through spectacular Mayan sites, uncovering the history of Mexico’s ancient people - the Zapotecs, Mixtecs, and Aztecs - and the influence of Spanish settlers. This special departure coincides with Mexico's famed Day of the Dead celebrations (Dia de los Muertos) and includes a number of special activities and opportunities to gain a real insight into this colourful tradition.

What's Included:

• 14 nights in hotels and 1 in flight
• 15 meals: 14 breakfasts, 1 dinner
• 21 excursions and visits
• Titan’s nationwide return chauffeur service
• Services of a Titan tour manager
• 0.5 days free time
• Porterage

Excursions:

• Tours of Mexico City, Puebla, Oaxaca, San Cristobal and Campeche
• Visits to the ruins of Teotihuacan; Monte Alban; Tule Tree, Mitla & Teotitlan del Valle; San Juan Chamula; Zinacantan; ruins of Palenque; Kabah & Uxmal; Convent of San Antonio de Padua; Chichen Itza and Cenote Dzitnup
• Sumidero Canyon boat cruise
• Special ‘Day of the Dead’ activities in Mexico City (bakery visit and walking tour), Coyoacan, San Andrés Cholula, Atlixco, and Oaxaca

Day 1: UK - Mexico City

Titan's nationwide shared chauffeur service collects you from home for your flight to Mexico City. On arrival, we'll transfer to our hotel.

Hotel Historico Central, Mexico City (4-star)

Day 2: Mexico City

Cosmopolitan and cultured, Mexico City is a true melting pot of all cultures and classes. The city proudly showcases both ancient civilisation and modern city life. We’ll waste no time in getting to know this city sprawl on our tour, which takes us to the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the National Palace with its famous collection of murals illustrating the history of Mexico. (National Palace has limited opening times, if closed an alternative visit will be arranged).

Later, there’ll be plenty of time to soak up the treasures of the National Museum of Anthropology - one of the top attractions the city has to offer and an introduction to the sights that await us later in the holiday. This afternoon, we’ll visit a local bakery to try the traditional ‘pan de muerto’ (bread of the dead) accompanied by coffee or hot chocolate. This special sweet bread is baked in the weeks leading up to the celebrations and often decorated with bone-shaped crosses. We’ll then visit Coyoacan to enjoy the festivities held here during Dia de los Muertos. Tonight, you'll enjoy an included welcome dinner where you'll meet your group and sample authentic Mexican cuisine.

Hotel Historico Central, Mexico City (4-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: City tour of Mexico City (morning) & Visit to bakery for ‘pan de muerto’ tasting and see the festivities in Coyoacan (afternoon)

Day 3: Teotihuacan - Guadalupe - MexicoCity

Today we’ll uncover Teotihuacan, one of the most important Aztec sites in Mexico and also one of the most impressive. The ruins of Teotihuacan are vast and spread over a large distance. You’ll have time to wander, walk the ‘Avenue of the Dead’ (the walkway running between the pyramids) and view the magnificent 70-metre-high Sun Pyramid.

After our explorations we return to our hotel in Mexico City, visiting the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe en route to view the image of the miraculous Virgin Maria. Late afternoon we’ll take a walking tour to see more traditional festivities, including the ‘ofrendas’ (offerings) and altars at the Plaza de Santo Domingo, the cathedral, and the Zócalo (main square). The Zócalo promises to be extra special, since the offerings here have also been part of a competition.

Hotel Historico Central, Mexico City (4-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visit the ruins of Teotihuacan (morning) Walking tour to see traditional festivities (afternoon)

Day 4: San Andrés Cholula - Puebla - Atlixco

Our first stop today will be the magical and historic town of San Andrés Cholula for a walking tour, including the church of Santa María Tonantzintla. We’ll continue to Puebla, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Mexico’s best-preserved Spanish colonial treasures. The city retains a fantastically well-preserved centre, boasting a beautiful cathedral and a wealth of pretty churches. After checking in to our hotel, with time to recharge our batteries, we’ll set off late afternoon, first for a stroll around Puebla’s downtown before heading to the nearby city of Atlixco. The city celebrates its biggest festivals by creating beautiful and vast ‘flower carpets’. There’ll be time to enjoy some of the local food specialities if you wish, then with the assistance of our guide, we’ll see if it’s possible to visit a local house, to see first-hand how Mexicans enjoy this unique festival tradition.

NH Puebla Centro Histórico (3.5-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Walking tour of San Andrés Cholula (morning), Walking tour of Puebla (morning) & Visit to Atlixco (afternoon)

Day 5: Oaxaca

Our destination today is Oaxaca. Steeped in history, Oaxaca was pronounced a city by King Carlos V of Spain in 1532. Bursting with colonial charm, it’s easy to fall in love with this intensely attractive city. Handsome, tranquil streets pulsate with regional flavour and lead to a puzzle of plazas and squares - perfect for getting lost in. But first, we’ll take a brief walking tour of the central district. Those who are still full of energy can join an evening walking tour of Oaxaca. We’ll make our way through the city, particularly the downtown and cathedral areas, where the streets and buildings are filled with colourful decorations, skulls, and paper flowers, as well as other festival attractions.

Hotel Abu, Oaxaca (4-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Walking tour in Oaxaca (afternoon) & Night walking tour in Oaxaca (evening)

Day 6: Monte Alban

We begin the day at Monte Alban, the most important archaeological site in Oaxaca and arguably one of the most outstanding with a fabulous mountaintop location. We view the ruins of buildings dating between AD 250-800; however, the origins can be traced as far back as 500 BC when Monte Alban was first settled. Over 180 tombs have been discovered here so far. Following our arrival back into Oaxaca the afternoon is at leisure to explore as you wish.

Hotel Abu, Oaxaca (4-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visit Monte Alban (morning)

Day 7: Tehuantepec

Our day starts at Santa Maria del Tule to view the famous Tule Tree, located in the atrium of the Santa Maria de la Asuncion temple and thought to be over 2,000 years old, with a circumference of over 50 metres.

We continue to Mitla, where the Zapotecas believed the dead came to find their last resting place. Many of the buildings here are festooned with beautiful fretwork. We travel on to Teotitlan del Valle, a village famous for its locally made rugs and blankets. Later we drive to Tehuantepec for an overnight stay.

Hotel Mision San Jose (3-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visit Tule Tree, Mitla and Teotitlan del Valle (all day)

Day 8: San Cristobal

This morning we travel by road to Tuxtla Gutierrez where for a boat tour along the Grijalva River and through the impressive Sumidero Canyon. Then, we’ll continue to San Cristobal de las Casas for a two-night stay.

Hotel Sombra del Agua, San Cristobal (3.5-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Sumidero Canyon boat cruise (afternoon)

Day 9: San Juan Chamula - Zinecantan

This morning we’ll discover the Indian villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan, where we gain an insight into the lives of the local communities. The people of both these communities are Tzotzil. In San Juan, you’ll see the locals dressed in the traditional homespun white wool tunics. In Zinacantan, the dress is more vivid with pink and purple shawls and embroidered blouses - perhaps to reflect the art of flower growing, which the people here are particularly good at. This afternoon we’ll enjoy a walking tour of well-preserved colonial San Cristobal, where we’ll be staying for the night.

Hotel Sombra del Agua, San Cristobal (3.5-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visit to San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan (morning) Walking tour of San Cristobal (afternoon)

Day 10: Palenque

This morning we leave San Cristobal behind as we journey for the city of Palenque. Our scenic route takes us past stunning vistas of forested valleys before arriving at Palenque.

Chan-Kah Resort Village, Palenque (3.5-star)

Day 11:

Prepare for a real day of discovery. We’ll be exploring one of the best examples of Mayan architecture in all of Mexico today, at the Palenque ruins. In their jungle setting, swathed in jungle mist and echoing the howler monkeys and parrots, these ruins have a certain excitement and mystery about them. At its height, the area was ruled by kings and queens in AD 600-700. When belief in the system was lost, the city crumbled, only to be re-discovered in 1785. While the site itself is large, the majority of the city is still unexcavated, buried in the surrounding jungle. Following plenty of time to explore, we return to our hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Chan-Kah Resort Village, Palenque (3.5-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visit Palenque ruins (all day)

Day 12: Campeche

We travel to the coastal city of Campeche, which was founded in the 1540s and was the main port for the Spanish in the Yucatan. They built the huge fortifications here, designed to protect their goods from piracy. This afternoon we’ll enjoy an orientation tour of the city and visit the Fuerte de San Miguel Museum.

Hotel Plaza Campeche (4-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Orientation tour of Campeche and Fuerte de San Miguel Museum (afternoon)

Day 13: Kabah - Uxmal - Merida

Our first stop today is at the semi-restored site of Kabah, to view the huge array of sculptures illustrating the rain god Chac, with its characteristic long nose. A short drive then takes us to the Mayan archaeological site of Uxmal where we visit many temples, the Pyramid of the Wizard and the Quadrangle of the Nunnery and take time to view the intricate bas-relief stonework. Our day finishes at the white city of Merida on the northwest coast of the Yucatan peninsula.

Hotel Boutique La Mision de Fray Diego (3-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visits to Kabah and Uxmal (morning)

Day 14: Izamal - Valladolid - Chichen Itza

This morning, we’ll visit the 16th-century Convent of San Antonio de Padua in Izamal. We’ll then transfer to our hotel in Valladolid and check in. This afternoon, we make a visit to Chichen Itza, a site that showcases some of the best Mayan architecture including the 24m-high Pyramid of Kukulcan, the Temple of the Warriors and the largest ball court found to date.

Hotel Real Hispano, Valladolid (4-star)

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visit Convent of San Antonio de Padua, Izamal (morning) Visit to Chichen Itza (afternoon)

Day 15: Cenote Dzitnup - Cancun - In Flight

We’ll check out of our hotel this morning and visit Cenote Dzitnup - stunning underground freshwater cave-like cenotes located in the Yucatan peninsula. We’ll transfer to the airport this afternoon for your return flight to the UK.

Cenote Dzitnup - Cancun - In flight

Today includes… Excursions & visits: Visit to Cenote Dzitnup (morning)

Day 16: UK

Upon arrival, your vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.