Mexican Roots and Routes

Welcome to Mexico! Transfer to the hotel and free time. Our guide will contact you late in the afternoon.

Today, we’ll explore MEXICO CITY and the remarkable site of TEOTIHUACAN (entrance included), located just 40 km from the capital. After breakfast, we’ll begin our journey at the Plaza of the Three Cultures, where past and present merge seamlessly. From there, we’ll continue to the impressive archaeological site of Teotihuacan, where we’ll visit the monumental Pyramids of the Sun and Moon, the Temple of Quetzalpapalotl, the Citadel, and the Avenue of the Dead. We’ll also stop by a local artisan center. On our way back to the city, we’ll visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of Latin America. After returning to the hotel, the rest of the day will be free.

Free morning in MEXICO CITY. After lunch, we’ll provide transfer to the bus station for the journey to QUERETARO, located 200 km from Mexico City. Upon arrival at the station, you’ll be transferred to the hotel. QUERETARO is a historic city known for its rich cultural and architectural heritage. Founded in 1531, it played a key role in both Mexico’s Independence and the Mexican Revolution. Its historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is filled with charming plazas, baroque churches, and colonial buildings. Over the next few days, you’ll have time to stroll through the magnificent center, with its cobblestone streets, vibrant plazas lined with colonial architecture, the 18thcentury aqueduct, lush gardens, and bustling markets.

Today, we’ll visit the Pueblo Mágico of SAN SEBASTIAN DE BERNAL, a charming town known for its tranquil atmosphere at the base of the world’s thirdlargest monolith. Here, you’ll find skilled textile artisans. We’ll also explore TEQUISQUIAPAN, famous for its mineral water spas and colonialstyle buildings that line its cobblestone streets. This town is renowned for its handmade artisanal products, especially the woven baskets sold in the artisan market. A guided tour will be included, allowing us to delve into the local history. Our excursion will also include a delightful culinary experience, with a visit to the San Patricio Winery and the Bocanegra Cheese Cellar. You’ll learn about cheese production and the unique challenges of highaltitude winemaking, accompanied by a tasting of regional wines.

We’ll enjoy a free morning in QUERETARO for you to continue exploring this charming city. In the afternoon, we’ll include a unique theatrical experience! Just 40 km from Querétaro lies the Hacienda Atongo, a historic seventeenthcentury estate. Here, we’ll take a guided tour with characters from another era, immersing ourselves in the rich history of the hacienda, from its main buildings to the vineyard. The visit will be brought to life with theatrical performances by local actors. We’ll also enjoy a refreshing drink made from wine produced on the estate. We’ll then return to QUERETARO.

We’ll depart for Tula, the ancient capital of the Toltecs. Admission to its archaeological site is included. The Atlantean figures, imposing fourmetertall warrior statues, are the site’s main attraction. You’ll also see pyramids, palaces, and carved columns, showcasing the sophistication of this preHispanic civilization. We’ll then arrive in Puebla, a historic city renowned for its culinary traditions, colonial architecture, and ceramics. Highlights include its impressive Renaissance cathedral and its lively main square. We’ll spend the night in this lively and active city.

We’ll travel toward the state of Oaxaca, passing through mountainous regions with beautiful scenery along the way. We’ll arrive in Oaxaca by late morning and enjoy an included visit to this UNESCO World Heritage city, originally founded by the Aztecs and renowned for its impressive historical heritage. We’ll then head up to Monte Albán, set atop a mountain rising 400 meters above the Oaxaca Valley. This ancient site—tickets and guided tour included—is the most magnificent of the Zapotec cities. We’ll return to Oaxaca, where you’ll have free time to continue exploring the city at your own pace.

We’ll depart early in the morning, making a brief stop in SAN PABLO VILLA DE MITLA, a charming Pueblo Mágico. You’ll have time for a stroll near the 16thcentury Church of San Pablo and along its picturesque rustic streets. We’ll then continue our journey through the mountains of Oaxaca toward the Isthmus. Lunch will be included en route. By late afternoon, we’ll arrive in TUXTLA GUTIÉRREZ, the capital of the state of Chiapas.

We see the CAÑON DEL SUMIDERO, on a boat we sail up this impressive canyon almost 1 km deep and 14 km long. Then we take a stroll in CHIAPA DEL CORZO, a colonial site of tradition and culture. After this, we go further into the Mayan culture and visit beautiful villages inhabited by the Tzotziles Indians. In ZINACANTAN we can admire the dresses of the women and the beautiful shops and weaving workshops. In SAN JUAN CHAMULA we will be surprised by its church which mixes Christianity with precolumbine traditions in its rites. Continuation to SAN CRISTOBAL DE LAS CASAS. Afternoon free in this very beautiful colonial city founded in 1528.

A stage of beautiful mountain scenery inside Chiapas, visiting areas inhabited by communities that have maintained their Mayan language and traditions. A stop in OCOSINGO, the regional capital. After that we continue to AGUA AZUL, admission included to the National Park, lunch included and time to walk or bathe among the more than 50 waterfalls between three and 30 meters tall. We go on to MISOL HA, an impressive waterfall that you can walk behind. Continuation to PALENQUE dinner included and accommodation. Note: in some instances, roadblocks might be expected in the region of Ocosingo due to local social issues. In that event, we would take an alternative route visiting the City of Villahermosa and the ecological reserve of Yumka instead of the usual stops at Ocosingo, Agua Azul and Misol Ha.

We visit the impressive archaeological site of PALENQUE, a Mayan city surrounded by jungle, where we will see its temples, pyramids and ball game. Admission and tour with local guide included. Afterwards, we travel to the Gulf of Mexico through the state of Tabasco. CAMPECHE, arrival in this Mexican port city known for its colonial buildings and its 17th century fortifications created to face pirate attacks. Dinner included.

We’ll head toward the state of Yucatán, and after just over two hours, we’ll arrive in Mérida. We’ll enjoy a guided tour of this vibrant capital, rich in both colonial and Maya heritage. Highlights include the fortified Cathedral of Mérida, the limestone Church of the Third Order, and the House of Montejo—a 16thcentury mansion and a symbol of Plateresque colonial architecture. You’ll have the afternoon free; we suggest visiting the Museum of the Maya World on your own. In the evening, a transfer to the Zócalo will be included, where you can enjoy dinner and soak up the local atmosphere.

Today we enjoy a beautiful stage to see the Yucatán state. IZAMAL, one of the prettiest cities in Mexico, declared a "Magic town". In CHICHEN ITZAN, we include admission and a visit to the most important and renowned vestige of the Mayan civilization, a World Heritage Site where we see the mythical pyramid of Kukulcán and the warriors´ temple. After the visit we include a Mayan cuisine lunch. We continue to RIO LAGARTOS, a small fishing village in the middle of a Biosphere Reserve.

Today we enjoyed an exciting day where nature is featured. In the morning we include a boat ride of over two hours. We enter the biosphere reserve, where we can see crocodiles among its mangroves, lots of birds including pelicans and pink flamingos. You can also "live the mud experience" by smearing mud with high concentrations of sulfur, minerals and salts that act as exfoliants for the skin, leaving a feeling of softness throughout the body. After that, we travel to VALLADOLID, the third largest city of the Yucatan with a very nice historic city center. We recommend you to have lunch in one of the restaurants of the main square. In the afternoon we visit the CENOTE CHOJ HA, managed by the local Mayan community, where we will walk along a short path in the jungle to explore its dry cave and where you can swim in the wonderful lake inside the wet cave. Continuation to CANCUN. Arrival at the end of the afternoon.

Our services end after breakfast. We suggest that any travellers who wish to extend their stay for a few days can do so resting by the beautiful beaches of Cancun or the Riviera Maya.