Yucatan Peninsula Mayan Heritage Tour

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9 daysDuration

Private TourPrivate experience, no group joining

7 - 79 yearsAge range for participants

EnglishGuide language

Starts

Tulum, Mexico

Ends

Yucatan, Mexico

Highlights

Visits communities in Chemuyil, Chunhuhub, and Yaxunah

Tour the beautiful canals of Sian Ka’an

Get to know the archaeological site of Tulum and Chichen Itza

Taste traditional food and experience a charming community

Itinerary

Uncover the soul of the Yucatán Peninsula on this 9-day immersive Mayan Heritage Tour, designed for young adults and curious explorers. Delve into ancient cities like Chichen Itza and UNESCO-listed sites, then connect with present-day Mayan communities that proudly preserve their heritage. Participate in hands-on gastronomic workshops, savoring traditional flavors, and explore the region’s natural treasures, from the Sian Kaan biosphere reserve to hidden cenotes in Yalcobá. The tour’s standout feature is its rare blend of cultural immersion and eco-adventure, giving you direct access to both living traditions and spectacular natural wonders.

day 1 - Welcome to México

Welcome to the Yucatan Peninsula. Upon arrival, you will be provided with a rental car to accompany you on this adventure. Arrive at your hotel, settle in and prepare for the adventure ahead.

Accommodation:3 Star Hotel

day 2 - Explore the unknown cenotes of Chemuyil by bicycle

Your adventure begins in the community of Chemuyil, a small beachfront village with incredible white sand beaches and shallow waters. Five young people started this project from the community of Chemuyil, seeking to introduce and preserve the cenotes where they lived and played during their childhood. Their initiative allows visitors to explore virgin jungles, discover wildlife and be one with nature. Your local English-speaking guide will assign you a bicycle, and you will start cycling through the charming village of Chemuyil. On this bike tour of about 5 hours, you will visit three cenotes of different shapes and sizes; in each one, you will have the opportunity to swim in the refreshing waters and enjoy the surrounding nature.

Continuing with the itinerary, the next stop will be to explore Tulum, one of Mexico's most emblematic archaeological sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With your local guide, you will take a tour of approximately 1 hour and a half to learn why these ruins played a critical role in the maritime and land trade of the Mayan area, as well as functioning as an astronomical observatory and defensive system. You will be able to observe the different buildings and murals as well as El Castillo, the highest foundation of Tulum. This Mayan city is in the middle of a mangrove ecosystem and on a cliff facing the beautiful Caribbean Sea, making it a unique and spectacular place. You can access the "Playa Ruinas" from the archaeological site. Don't hesitate to take a swim and refresh yourself.

Accommodation:3 Star Hotel

Meals:Breakfast

day 3 - Fleet in the Biosphere Reserve of Muyil Sian Ka'an.

Today you will visit the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, which in Mayan means "place where the sky is born." When you arrive at the Muyil community center, you will have light refreshments and join a group of travelers and your local guide to begin the approximately 5-hour excursion. This community-based ecotourism cooperative focuses on the conservation and preservation of ecosystems by promoting unique experiences with a commitment to responsible tourism.

Your first stop will be at the little-known and mysterious archaeological site of Muyil, which you will reach at the end of an interpretative trail surrounded by jungle. Next, you will walk to the shore of the Chunyaxche lagoon and its excellent turquoise color, where you will take a small boat to pass through a channel of crystalline waters with mangroves on each side, arriving at a small dock. From there, you will jump into the river, a relaxing experience in contact with nature! It is a moment of reconnection; as you float slowly through the canals, you will feel the tranquility of your surroundings with the sounds of local birds and the gentle current of water that will make you live a unique moment.

In the end, you will walk back to the community center along a trail. You will be welcomed with a traditional meal to complete the excursion.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel

Meals:Breakfast

day 4 - Premium Private Catamaran Tour

You will start your private tour at the Bacalar dock, where you and your English-speaking guide will board a Catamaran sailboat, ideal for two people. You will sail for 3 to 4 hours south of the lagoon. You will enjoy fruit snacks, fruit water, or beer. You will sustainably connect with nature during your trip, driven by the wind. You will observe and learn about the importance of the Mangrove and the Stromatolites. You can enjoy and swim in the beautiful lagoon of Bacalar in its turquoise blue waters. You will also have the opportunity to choose your free swimming stops.

In the Bacalar Pueblo Magico Zone, you will visit the pirate's channel, where you can swim and snorkel. Then, you will navigate through the Cenote de la Buja or Cenote negro, where you can dive into the waters and enjoy the colors of the different depths. You will also visit the Isla de Los Pájaros, a locally declared sanctuary where you will observe the birds and the different shades of blue of the Bacalar lagoon. You will also venture to Cenote Esmeralda, an area of outstanding beauty where crystal-clear water flows into the lagoon.

The next stop will be to enjoy a bonfire of approximately one hour that will begin before sunset in the community of Selva Bonita. Your experience will start with a brief welcoming ceremony led by a J'men, an intermediary between humans and deities, performed to purify and recharge the visitor's energy. During the bonfire, you will listen to storytelling about the sacred tree, the aluxes, the wayes, and the xtabay. At the same time, you were drinking the holy drink of the Maya. This experience is in Spanish, but an interpretation in English is available.

Accommodation: Sleeping huts

Meals:Breakfast, Dinner

day 5 - Walk through the Mayan jungle in Chunhuhub

This experience takes place in the morning. You will meet a grandfather from the community who will be your local guide for this experience. You will start walking into the jungle, listening to the birds singing and learning about the ecosystem's flora and fauna. You will identify the trees with benefits and the ones to be careful with; the Mayan communities use the jungle as the basis of their traditional medicine, which you will also learn about during this tour. If it is a rainy season, you will be able to see the technique used by the locals to climb the trees and extract the gum. Of course, you can try it too. On the way back, you will contemplate the surroundings enjoying the sounds of the wind hitting the trees in a quiet moment. Appreciating the surroundings and having a connection with nature.

Accommodation:3 Star Hotel

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 6 - Visit Chichen Itza, a wonder of the Mayan world

Today you will meet your English-speaking guide to visit the archaeological site of Chichen Itza for approximately 1 hour 45 minutes, one of the seven wonders of the modern world. This pre-Hispanic city is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was once the most revered center of worship and pilgrimage in the Yucatan Peninsula. Its main attraction is the stepped pyramid of Kukulkan (El Castillo). Let your imagination take you to learn about the life of the Mayas through these incredible vestiges accompanied by facts and stories that your guide will succeed in telling you. Take advantage of the opportunity to take beautiful pictures in any corner of the area.

We will continue our visit to the beautiful community of Yaxunah. With a local guide, you will live an experience of approximately 2 hours where you will learn about the production process of corn, a food so crucial for the Mayas and which represents the spirit of the people. First, you will visit a sustainable milpa, that is, a milpa that seeks to increase the efficiency of soil resources without burning the bushes at the end of the harvest and using the same plants as fertilizer for the soil. Then, from Don Francisco, you will learn about the tasks of cleaning, planting, and harvesting tasks, as well as the challenges producers face due to climate change and pests. The work in the milpas directly supports the community by providing corn for food, work, and the possibility of creating complementary economic income through tourism.

There will be a demonstration of the beverages made from corn, called pozoles and atoles. First, you will learn about the preparation of these drinks, how the corn is shelled and the nixtamal is made, and then taste eight varieties, including those drinks that are taken on special occasions, such as Pinole (in the Mayan baptism) or Pozole of corn (as part of offerings to the gods). Afterward, you will be offered traditional pozoles made by the community from corn, accompanied by an explanation of how they were used for baptisms or offerings to the gods. Afterward, you can return to taste local food.

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 7 - Explore less-known cenotes in Yalcobá

Today you will visit Yalcobá, a Yucatecan community in the heart of the Mayan jungle of southern Mexico, which through the experiences it offers, seeks the conservation of its natural and cultural heritage, looking for the traveler to know a different perspective of the richness of the Mayan territory and the culture linked to it, far from all folklore. A day to dream, full of learning and magic.

With a local guide and an English-speaking translator, you will begin this tour for about an hour and a half to learn about the cycle of the cenotes. The first stop will be an open cenote rich in biodiversity; this first site is a cenote already at the end of its life, with little water around it, lush vegetation with a relaxing atmosphere. Next, you will continue into the bowels of the Yucatan Peninsula. You will visit a cave full of history, impressive dimensions, and unique geological structures. You will enjoy the silence and calm of this amazing place. The next point is a visit to the subway world (Xibalba), where you will descend to a unique, virgin, and exclusive subway cenote to refresh yourself. You will feel the strength of this place where you can swim for a moment contemplating the rays of light that dance in this mirror of crystalline water. This activity requires physical effort, a spirit of adventure, and no fear of heights.

With your local guide, you will continue the day enjoying a walking tour through the heart of the historic center of Valladolid. Walk through its streets and markets discovering it as if you were walking with a friend. This picturesque town was founded in 1543 and was the scene of extensive clashes between Mayans and conquistadors during events such as the Caste War of 1847 and the first spark of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Today, Valladolid is a charming Yucatecan city that stands out for its hospitality, cenotes, gastronomy, and beautiful façades. During the tour, you will have the opportunity to taste local honey from the Yucatan peninsula and visit the Ex Convento San Bernadino de Siena, the cathedral, and the beautiful Calzada de Los Frailes

Accommodation:4 Star Hotel

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 8 - Gastronomy workshop in the Mayan community of Nuevo Dur

Nuevo Durango is a small community characterized by being a traditional Mayan village that has maintained its cultural identity both in language and customs and has been driven by activities such as ecotourism and organic food production. Your local English-speaking guide will be waiting for you for a gastronomic workshop lasting approximately 4 to 5 hours.

Here you will have the opportunity not only to enjoy a traditional meal (depending on the season), but you will be part of the whole process, from collecting fresh ingredients from the garden such as onions, tomatoes, avocado, lemons, oranges and everything you need to cook with members of the community some of their typical dishes among which we can find the cochinita and chicken pibil. Finally, you will be able to enjoy the food and the atmosphere of music and songs representative of Mexico and the Mayan culture.

Next, Look for spider monkeys while boating around Punta Laguna.

The Punta Laguna reserve is a wonderful natural environment, and a Mayan cooperative manages it. The vast Punta Laguna reserve of approximately 5500 hectares will amaze you with the richness of its ecosystems in a dense jungle.

Accompanied by an English-speaking guide, you will search for spider monkeys and howler monkeys whose deep cries will impress you. Finally, you can enjoy the vast lagoon by taking a short canoe trip to venture into a luxurious exotic nature.

Accommodation: Sleeping huts

Meals:Breakfast, Lunch

day 9 - Goodbye Traveler

At the end of the trip, pack your things and head to the airport.

Yucatan will always be available for your return; we hope this trip has been fantastic and that you have had a unique encounter with these communities; we look forward to seeing you on the next trip.

Meals:Breakfast

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What's Included

8 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches and 1 DinnerAccommodations will be as listed in the itinerary or similar in double occupancy rooms.Tours and activities mentioned as “included” in the itinerary.Taxes included for all hotels & tourist servicesTravel notebookCar rental

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