Destination:
Days: 10This ten-day Mexico culture trip will take you on a fascinating journey through time. With a private guide providing expert insight, learn all about the area’s rich history through its ancient ruins, colonial cities, and historic towns.
Visit ancient wonders including the world-famous Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and Palenque. Tour stunning cities including Puebla, Veracruz, and Merida. Along the way, take the chance to marvel at the region’s natural beauty, stopping at botanical gardens, ecological and biosphere reserves, and walking through rainforests.
If you’d like to alter any part of the trip or extend (perhaps a relaxing visit to the Riviera Maya), speak to a Journey Mexico Travel Planner who will be happy to make any alterations you need.
PHOTO GALLERY
HIGHLIGHTS
Ancient ruins – Visit a wealth of archeological sites with a private tour guide by your side. Stops include Chichen Itza, Cholula, Palenque, and more.
Natural adventures – Head into the wild with trips to the Tehuacan Botanical Gardens, Nanciyaga Ecological Reserve, and the Celestún Biosphere Reserve.
Merida, Puebla, and Veracruz – Visit Merida (named the world’s best small city 2019 by Conde Nast Traveler), Puebla, and Veracruz.
Day 1: Arrival to Mexico City, tour of Cholula
Start the journey in style, with a private transfer to the old colonial city of Puebla from Mexico City airport. Take the opportunity to visit the nearby archeological site of Cholula with your private guide, home to a vast temple-topped ruin known as the Great Pyramid.
Day 2: Botanical gardens, Tehuacan, and local cuisine
Enjoy a private transfer to Tehuacan to visit its impressive, natural botanical gardens. While in the city, you will also visit the Museum of Mineralogy, the Ex Convent of San Francisco, and the cactus botanical garden.
Enjoy lunch in a local restaurant and, if you’d like, try grasshoppers, known locally as chapulines.
Day 3: Tour Xalapa and Veracruz
Depart Puebla for Veracruz, stopping along the way to visit Xalapa’s spectacular Museum of Anthropology, which exhibits the ancient work of Olmec, Huastec, and Totonac artists.
After, visit Hacienda del Lencero to see its Colonial-era architecture and then journey to Veracruz for a city tour and an evening out in the lively capital.
Day 4: Visit Lake Catemaco and Nanciyaga Ecological Reserve
Today, take a boat ride on Lake Catemaco to visit Monkey Island, home to – you guessed it – monkeys. After, visit the Nanciyaga Ecological Reserve to make a trail through the tropical rainforest.
Finish your day of adventure with a visit to the two-towered church in the central plaza of Catemaco named Basilica del Carmen.
Day 5: Explore La Venta Museum
Travel into the state of Tabasco to visit the city of Villahermosa and tour La Venta Museum. This prestigious museum plays host to giant Olmec ruins and provides an excellent insight into the indigenous people of the region.
Day 6: Palenque tour
Today, explore the mystical and majestic Palenque archaeological site with your private guide. Built into the jungle of Chiapas, Palenque houses some of the most exquisite examples of Maya architecture in the region, rivalling more well-known names such as Chichen Itza.
Having toured the site and visited its significant ruins, head to Campeche where you will rest for the evening.
Day 7: Edzna and Campeche
Journey with your guide to Edzna, a Maya archeological site outside of Campeche. Built on a platform 40 meters high, Edzna’s principal temple, Edificio de los Cinco Pisos (Five-Story Building) provides a great view of the plazas below as well as a panorama of the countryside. Visit this and the other ruins with your guide providing expert insight.
After, tour Campeche itself, walking its cobblestone streets and admiring its pastel-colored mansions and impressive fortified walls. Take an afternoon stroll along the Malecon, the waterfront promenade, or visit the scenic Plaza Principal.
Day 8: Visit Uxmal archeological site
Today, visit Uxmal, one of the most important Maya archeological sites in Mexico and home of the Pyramid of the Magician, the Nuns Quadrangle, and the governor’s palace. As you tour the site with your guide, throw yourself back hundreds of years to the height of the Maya city and imagine what life would have been like for the residents.
After your visit, head to Merida to check in to your hotel and to enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure.
Day 9: Visit the flamingos at the Celestún Biosphere Reserve
Take a privately guided excursion to the Celestún Biosphere Reserve, famous for its beautiful flamingo colonies, fresh water springs, and calm beaches. Enjoy a boat ride and admire the wonders of nature.
After free time for lunch, head back to Merida City to tour its historic center, visiting its colonial architecture, churches, and monuments.
Day 10: Chichen Itza and departure day
End your Mexico culture trip at the country’s most celebrated and famous ruins, Chichen Itza. One of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Chichen Itza has a wealth of ruins to explore including the famous stepped pyramid called El Castillo. Tour the grounds with your private guide and, if you’d like, take the chance to stop at the local cenote.
After your journey is complete, enjoy a private transfer to the airport for your onwards flight home.
Dates
Our trips are fully customized, allowing us to build your itinerary for any time of the year.
Prices
Our custom-tailored journeys start from $1,000 USD per day for two travelers. Contact us today to discuss your travel desires and design a personalized proposal with exact pricing.
Please note, our pricing guideline is a starting from price and is not necessarily applicable to the suggested hotels contained within the suggested itineraries on this web site. Itineraries are customized prior to final pricing.
