Best of Mexico
Duration:13 days
Day 1
Mexico City
Arrive Mexico City, the nation's vital heart and capital of the ancient Aztec Empire. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Day 2
Mexico City
A morning tour to the superb Museum of Anthropology, Chapultepec Park, the Zócalo, the Cathedral and the main boulevards of this bustling, exciting city.B
Day 3
Mexico City - Taxco
Depart this morning for the garden city of Cuernavaca, once described as an “eternal spring,” a retreat for Mexico City residents since before colonial times. Visit the Palace of Cortez and the Cathedral. Continue overland to beautiful Taxco - A National Colonial Monument and centre for silver production. Enjoy the ornate beauty of Santa Prisca, a church built by a silver baron. Return to Mexico City late afternoon.B
Day 4
Mexico City
A morning visit to the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacán. En route you also visit the Shrine of Guadalupe.B
Day 5
Mexico City - Oaxaca
This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to OAXACA. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Afternoon tour of Oaxaca, including the Convent of Santo Domingo, housing the state museum with archaeological gold treasures.B
Day 6
Oaxaca
Morning drive to the Mixtec city of Mitla. See the Hall of the Columns and Patio of the Crosses. Call at Santa Maria del Tule, and view the famous Méxican cypress tree “El Giganti”, over 2000 years old with a girth measurement of over 35 metres!B
Day 7
Oaxaca
This morning, visit the ruins of Monte Albán. See the Temple of the Dancers, Ball Court and, time permitting, Tomb-7, the sepulchre excavated by Caso in 1931, where amazing pre-Columbian treasures were found.B
Day 8
Oaxaca - Villahermosa
Morning at leisure This afternoon, fly to VILLAHERMOSA, the capital of the state of Tabasco, which has grown into a bustling tropical metropolis. The city is home to tree-shaded boulevards, spacious parks, La Venta Park Museum, containing colossal Olmec heads and unusual sculptures brought from the La Venta archaelogical site, fancy hotels and excellent cultural institutions. On arrival you will be transferred to your hotel.B
Day 9
Villahermosa - Merida
Morning excursion to the impressive ruins of Palenque, with its series of hilltop temples hidden in a jungle clearing. See the Pyramid of the Inscriptions, in the heart of which was discovered an intact funerary crypt with the Sarcophagus of the Sun God. Also see the Temple of the Sun and the Foliated Cross. Afternoon transfer to Villahermosa airport for your flight to Merida. On arrival you will be transferred to your hotel.BL
Day 10
Merida - Uxmal
A full day excursion to Uxmal, once seat of the Mayan Xiu Dynasty. The most famous structures are the Nunnery Quadrangle and the Palace of the Governors. After lunch continue to Kabah, to see the ruins of the unique Temple of the Masks, returning to Mérida at sunset.BL
Day 11
Mérida - Chichén itzá - Cancún
Travel overland to Chichén Itzá, magnificent capital of the ancient Mayan Empire, with some of the largest and best maintained Mayan ruins in Mexico. Its temples are now surrounded by jungle, with iguanas occupying the palaces. After lunch continue, overland to the lovely beach resort of Cancún, a favorite Caribbean playground and gateway to the Mundo Maya, or Mayan World.BL
Day 12
Cancún: Tulum and Xel-Ha
Drive to the temples, palaces and look out points forming the fortressed Mayan ceremonial centre of Tulum, 12 metres above the sea on an escarpment. After, head north with another stop at Xel-ha offering marvelous glimpses of exoctic tropical fish in fantastic colours at this beautiful natural aquarium.BL
Day 13
Cancún
Today you will be transferred to the airport for your flight. (You may wish to extend your time in Cancun).B
