Senast uppdaterad: 2012-03-19
Itinerary
Day 1, Gathering
You will meet up with the group at our hotel in Mexico City.Day 2-4, Mexico City
Mexico City is one of the world's biggest cities and a true metropolis. More than 20 millions of habitants live in this big pot and make it to a proper country inside the country. But don't get intimidated by the size of the city, it's actually an enjoyable place with many relaxed neighbourhoods and uncountable attractions. It's a mix of Indigenous and Spanish culture combined with a modern cosmopolitan lifestyle. The temples of the Aztecs, the museums, the festivals, the Mexican couisine, you would need a month to see everything but at least you will get a taste of this fascinating city. In the center you find the Zócalo - one of the largest squares in the world. Don't miss the impressive murals by famous painter Diego Rivera in the governmental buildings around the Zócalo. You can visit the impressive anthropological museum where you will be introduced to the rich history of Mexico. Here you will find examples from most of Mexico's ancient civilizations: Toltec, Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Aztec etc. Another great museum is the recently opened Museo de Arte Popular (MAP) which exhibits beatiful samples of Mexican handicraft. If you are interested in colonial and modern art the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes is also a must. Maybe you will spend a lazy afternoon in the park Chapultepec together with all the Mexican families. You can make a nice excursion to Coyoacán one of the most charming parts of the city, situated in the south. Coyoacán was once a seperate village and it was here that the Spanish conquerer Hernán Cortez had his base in the war against the Aztec. Coyoacán got integrated with the city long time ago and is today a calm place with old houses, beatiful squares and lively markets. The proximity to the national uinversity UNAM also gives the area a bohemian feeling with book stores and cosy cafés. It was here that Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo lived and hosted the Russian revolutionary León Trotsky. You can visit both Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo's home and the house where Trotsky lived. South of Coyoacán you will find Mexico's "floating gardens" in Xochimilco. Here you can explore the ancient canals in a traditional and colourfull roofed canoe. Another rewarding excursion is to Teotihuacan, north of the city. Teotihuacan was once a huge city with around 200 000 inhabitants and you can still observe much of its splendor. The site's most impressive view is from the sun pyramid, 65 meters high.
Day 5-7, Oaxaca
Oaxaca is a beautiful, colourful, charming city in the central valley of the state of Oaxaca. Its historical centre was declared UNESCO world's heritage site in 1987. In the city there are many beautiful buildings and churches from the colonial era. The most impressive of them all is the Centro Cultural de Santo Domingo - a large complex holding the church and ex-monastery of Santo Domingo and the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca. The state of Oaxaca is one of the most diverse in all Mexico with many different ethnic groups and 16 living languages. The city of Oaxaca is a good base for exploring the central valley of the state. In the city of Oaxaca and its surroundings you can see the big traditional markets which are famous all over Mexico. There you will find fruits, vegetables, pottery, textile and many other things. Oaxaca is famous for its beautiful handicraft and many villages are specialised in a special product. We recommend you to make some tours by local buses to see more of these small villages. You can also make an excursion to the Zapotec ruins of Monte Albán.
Day 8-10, Pueblos Mancomunados
North of the city of Oaxaca lies the mountainous chain Sierra Norte. Here local indigenous communities have initiated an ecoturism project to save the environment and get an income for their families without harming the nature. Oaxaca's Sierra Norte is unique in terms of its biodiversity and serves as the entry point to two large regions with contrasting characteristics: the neoartic and neotropical. The Sierra Norte mountain range is recognized as an area of biological significance because the variety of micro-environments found in the region support a diverse abundance of flora and fauna. The flora and fauna of the warm and cold climate mountainous areas join the tropical species of the hot and humid climates. This biological diversity embraces 7 types of terrestrial vegetation: perennial tropical forest, mountain mesofilo forest, oak forest, pine forest, tropical caucifilo forest, sub-alpine hawthorn and meadow. The Sierra Norte's altitudinal gradient runs from 100m to 3300m above sea level, thereby constituting the largest corridor of natural forest and jungle in Mexico. The 400 000 hectares of sierra are controlled by indigenous communities (Zapotec, Chinantec and Mixes) through approximately 60 communal properties. In pre-hispanic times, the whole country was connected by a network of different trading routes. One of these routes went from the Gulf coast all the way through Oaxaca's central valleys and down to the Pacific coast. Parts of these routes still exist today. You will walk along these paths learning about the past and experiencing indigenous life today. Before trekking will you leave most of your luggage at a hotel and you will just carry what you need for 3 days. Lodging in different villages during the trek.
Day 11-14, Pacific Ocean
By bus to the small coastal town of Pochutla by the Pacific Ocean. Two nice days to enjoy the sea. This is a great opportunity to try some fresh fish and seafood. The surroundings offer some stunningly beautiful beaches with world class surfing and good possibilities for various interesting excursions. One of the days you make an excursion along the coast to the natural reserve La Ventanilla, where the local villagers have started a eco-turism project. You will explore the mangroves by canoe getting to know the areas reptiles and birds. Here you can also arrange to go snorkelling and if you are a lucky you will see the beautiful sea turtles. The last day in the evening you will take the night bus to San Cristobal de las Casas.
Day 15-16, San Cristobal de las Casas
San Cristobal de las Casas is the main town in the highlands of the state Chiapas. This region has a very strong indigenous presence. All of the different indigenous groups in the area are descendants of the great Maya civilization. The two largest indigenous peoples are the Tzotziles and Tzeltales which are very present in the city itself. San Cristobal de las Casas and Chiapas became world famous in 1994 when Subcomandante Marcos lead the zapatista uprising against the government to improve the conditions for the indigenous people in the region. With its relaxed atmosphere and cool healthy climate San Cristobal de las Casas is considered by many visitors to be the most charming town in all of Mexico. During the stay here you can discover the city by foot and maybe visit some of the villages in the mountains near the town.
Day 17-19, Palenque
In the middle of the tropical rainforest you will find maybe the most beautiful Maya ruins of them all - Palenque. It's a complex of old buildings which really make you feel the winds of history. This well-known Maya town had its head day in the 7th century and here lived around 8000 people. The archeological site lies in a national park and was discovered by the priest Pedro Lorenzo de la Nada in 1567. If you have time you can also visit some beautiful waterfalls nearby. In this region it's a majority of Chol Indians. They grow oranges, bananas and lemons. They are also very good artisans and they make handicraft in wood and also colourful clothes. Maybe you will also meet the Lacandon Indians they have been living isolated from the civilisation during the last 200 years, but nowadays go to Palengue to sell handicrafts. In the village of Palenque live approximately 70.000 persons and here you will feel the tropical climate, be prepared for heat and humidity. The last day in the evening you will take the night bus to Tulum.
Day 20-21, Celestún
Celestún is a small fishing village on the northeastern tip of the Yucatán peninsula. Here you can enjoy the beach, the warm waters of the Carribean and the local seafood. But Celestún is mostly known fo the Celestun Biosphere Reserve, a 600 km² wetland reserve that is the winter home to vast flocks of flamingos, as well as many herons and other bird species. In addition, more than 200 species of birds pass through on migration, or live there. Celestún's ecosystem is unique because of a combination of fresh water from the estuary and salt water from Gulf of Mexico. The reserve also has two types of pelicans - large white Canadian and smaller gray Mexican ones. Celestun is also known as a hatching ground for endangered sea turtles. The best time of the year to see the flamingos is from March to September. During the stay in Celestún you will go on an organized excursion by boat through the Mangroves to get a chance to appreciate the nature and wildlife.
Day 22-23, Valladolid
Valladolid is a tipical provincial town of the Yucatán peninsula which has retained a strong colonial feel. It is an important place to the farmers and ranchers who live in the surrounding area, while village women gather in the plaza to sell hand-embroidered huipiles and other crafts. Here you can relax after all the impressions during the trip or visit one of the maya ruins in the surrounding area. You can also visit a cenote, remarkable underground caves filled with cold and refreshing water. Cenotes have long been the principal sources of water in much of the Yucatán Peninsula. The region has almost no rivers and only a few lakes, and those often marshy. Cenotes are widely distributed, and supply better-quality water year-round. Major Maya settlements required access to adequate water supplies, and therefore cities, including the famous Chichén Itzá, were built around these natural wells. One of the most famous cenotes, Cenote Dzitnup, is situated just 7 km outside Valladolid.Day 24
By bus to Cancún in the morning. The tour ends.
Obs! It takes a couple of hours to travel from Valladolid to Cancún. It's therefore recommendable to reserve a flight ticket out from Cancún no eariler than 3 pm on the last day.
