Days 1 – Start of your 16 day tour Yucatan tour
Cancun
Cancun
You will be met at the airport and taken to your hotel. Cancun is a busy tourist city, but a convenient starting point for your Yucatan tour by bus. You will stay in a small hotel in the city center. It is located right on a cozy square. Typical Mexican restaurants are nearby.
The Mexican atmosphere is immediately apparent in the hotel as well. The walls are painted with Mayan scenes, there are masks, and the reception has a palapa (leaf roof). You can relax in the swimming pool after your long flight. A great start to your Yucatan tour by bus.
Day 2 –
Cancun – Chichèn Itza
After breakfast, your journey through Mexico's interior begins. Your first destination is Mexico's most famous Mayan site, Chichen Itza. You'll stay overnight in an atmospheric hotel just a 15-minute taxi ride from the entrance to Chichen Itza.
There's time for a refreshing dip in the pool or a stroll through your hotel garden. We recommend visiting Chichen Itza the next morning, as visiting the ruins early in the morning isn't as hot, and you'll be ahead of the day-trippers from Playa del Carmen and Cancun.
Day 3 –
Chichèn Itza – Merida
Wear loose clothing and bring plenty of water today. You'll be near Chichèn Itza and will therefore be one of the first to access the Mayan site in the morning. Experience the tranquil atmosphere of this ancient Mayan city at your leisure before the buses arrive from Cancun.
Chichèn Itza was the last great Mayan city. A highlight is certainly El Castillo (the Castle), a temple dedicated to the god Kulkulkan. It has a perfectly symmetrical pyramid shape. Unfortunately, due to the steepness of the temple, it is no longer possible to climb it. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most striking buildings on the site. After walking through the ancient remains, you can have lunch at your hotel and freshen up. Afterwards, you'll continue to Merida. Merida is a colonial city with many large squares. You'll stay overnight in a colonial hotel in the city center.
Day 4 –
Merida, guided day trip to hidden cenotes
On your way to Merida, you've probably seen several signs saying "Cenote." These partially underground caves were often used for Mayan rituals, but today, it's especially nice to cool off in fresh water. Cenotes are very popular, and tourists often line up, so we'll organize something special for you: You'll visit an uncharted cenote with Mayan women from Yucatan, one that's not overrun by tourists.
Since nothing can be done on an empty stomach in Yucatan, you'll first prepare local dishes with the women, such as salbutes, small wraps with chicken, lime, avocado, and red onions, which you'll then eat together. The women will give you an insight into their daily lives and explain the art of cooking and weaving. With this activity, you'll also make a direct contribution to the village's 15 local families. Afterwards, you can swim in the cenote and enjoy a wonderfully refreshing dip.
Day 5 –
Merida – Campeche
Today, you'll travel by bus to the former pirate city of Campeche.
This seaside city has a colorful historic center. Many buildings have been restored in recent years, and the city is atmospherically illuminated at night. Local life takes place primarily in the streets.
In the evening, you should try the city's specialty: shrimp with tortillas and tomato sauce. Your colonial hotel is located in the historic center, within walking distance of various attractions and the sea.
Day 6 –
Campeche – Villahermosa
Travel time: approximately 6 hours
The first part of today's journey takes you south along the Gulf of Mexico coast. You'll pass several very long bridges, and the final part takes you inland, through the fertile plantations of Tabasco Province. This province is famous for its hot sauce. You'll reach Villahermosa in the afternoon. You'll spend the night in the city center. Take a stroll along the shopping promenade or have something to eat at a Mexican restaurant, but be careful with the Tabasco.
Day 7 –
Villahermosa – San Cristobal
Travel time: approximately 7 hours
San Cristobal de Las Casa is located in the mountains, so it immediately feels a bit cooler when you get off the bus. If it gets too chilly, you can pick up a scarf or sweater at one of the many local markets.
In the old town, we book a colonial hotel with a courtyard garden. Your room is spacious and atmospheric. The cozy streets lined with restaurants are just around the corner.
Day 8 –
San Cristobal, the rituals of Chamula
The next morning, you'll travel with a local guide to the indigenous village of Chamula. Chamula is a mountain village where the arrival of the Spanish has blended ancient customs with Catholic ones. As soon as you enter the village, you'll be introduced to these ancient traditions. Especially when you enter the small white church in the central square, you'll notice that it looks completely different from what you're used to. Instead of pews, there are pine needles everywhere. Candles are also burning on the ground, and every now and then you'll see a chicken scurrying by. Since special rules apply, your guide will accompany you inside. In the afternoon, you'll return to San Cristobal and have time to explore the local market.
Day 9 –
San Cristobal – Palenque
After breakfast, you'll pack your luggage and travel by bus to tropical regions. The landscape becomes increasingly greener the closer you get to the jungle. After about a 6-hour drive, you'll arrive in Palenque.
Palenque is a small village consisting mainly of hotels. There are also a few restaurants. You'll stay in a cozy village hotel with a swimming pool, surrounded by tropical vegetation. In the distance, you'll hear birdsong and the calls of howler monkeys.
Day 10 –
Palenque, temples and howler monkeys – night bus to Playa del Carmen
On the route from Palenque to the Caribbean coast, there are numerous little-explored Mayan ruins. We recommend leaving Palenque early. It will take approximately five hours to reach your next hotel.
On the drive there, you will pass the turnoff to the large Mayan city of Calakmul (entrance fee approximately $7 -15). The city attracts relatively few visitors because it was only discovered in 1931, when other Mayan sites were already known.
In terms of size (25 km²), Calakmul rivals Tikal and Palenque. The tall pyramids with almost vertigo-inducing staircases and the royal tombs with jade masks and strangely shaped vases characterize this place. During the approximately three hours it takes to visit, you will be alone almost the entire time, surrounded only by the sounds of the jungle. This makes this Mayan city incomparable.
From the ruins, it's about an hour and a half drive to your hotel. Here, you'll stay in an eco-cabaña with a tropical garden full of birds.
Day 11-14 –
Playa del Carmen
In Playa del Carmen, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the sun, sand, and sea on the palm-lined beach at the end of your trip. You'll be staying at a hotel just a few minutes' walk from the beach and 5th Avenue. It's a perfect location, as the beach is within easy reach, as is the cozy street with restaurants and shops where you can pick up those last-minute souvenirs.
If you want to be active during your last few days, there's plenty to do in the Playa del Carmen area.
For example, you can book a snorkeling/diving trip to the coral reefs off the coast, which are among the best in the world.!
Day 15
–
Playa del Carmen – Home
We'll pick you up and take you to the airport in time for your return flight. You'll be back home the next day with plenty of new memories.
