Mayan Route tours

Discover crumbling Mayan ruins in dense tropical forests, wander through historic colonial towns, visit jungle waterfalls and relax on idyllic Caribbean beaches. Our Mayan Route bus tours will give you a brilliant cocktail of natural beauty, culture, adventure, sun, and sand. As you travel through Guatemala and Belize you'll visit amazing temples, haggle at open-air Indian markets and snorkel through coral reefs.

During our Mayan Route tours, you'll travel by first-class (air-conditioned) buses with pre-booked seats. For an idea of the various routes take a look at our Mexico itineraries.

Prices below are based on two people travelling and exclude international flights. Prices for departures beyond this date and for international flights are available on request. For departures during peak seasons (e.g. summer holidays, Christmas and New Year) supplements may apply.

Mayan Route tours: Playa del Carmen Easy Going Playa del Carmen

Duration:	3 days / 2 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Cancun airport
Route:	Cancun - Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen is a great place to begin a Mexican adventure, and this tour will help you get your trip off to a relaxed start. You'll be collected from the airport and transferred directly to your hotel, where you'll spend the first two nights of your holiday. Towel and book in hand, just settle into the warm white sand and stretch out in the sun. The Quinta Avenida, the main shopping street in Playa is a really lively area with plenty to see and do, particularly in the evening, so it's a perfect place for a burrito and Corona.

Click here for more about our Playa del Carmen tour.

Mayan route tours - Playa del Carmen travel made easy

Mayan Route tours: Chichen Itza & Merida Sun gods and pirates

Duration:	5 days / 4 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Playa del Carmen (or Cancun)
Route:	Chichen Itza - Merida - Campeche

After a couple of days relaxing on the beach at Playa del Carmen at the beginning of your trip, you'll be ready to start your Mayan Route tour. First, you'll travel to Chichen Itza to visit the famous Mayan ruins and then on to Merida, a beautiful colonial town with an Spanish feel. The next day is free, so you can take a trip to the flamingo reserve at Celestun or visit the ornate Mayan ruins at Uxmal. Then you'll take the bus to Campeche, a historic seaside town where centuries ago pirates roamed the streets and the (still visible) fortress walls kept out the Spanish invaders.

Click here for the daily itinerary of this short tour of Yucatan by bus

Mayan Route tours: Campeche to San Cristobal Mountains, markets and Mayan temples

Duration:	5 days / 4 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Campeche (or Oaxaca or Guatemala)
Route:	Palenque - San Cristobal or vice versa

This Mayan Route tour will take you to the jungle ruins at Palenque and mountain hideaway of San Cristobal de las Casas. You'll see two worlds in one day - first the dense, tropical jungle at the spectacular ruins of Palenque and then the colourful streets of San Cristobal, the heart of Zapatista culture perched in the Chiapas highlands. On the way, you'll cool off at the waterfalls of Agua Azul. You can then continue your Mayan route tour south to Guatemala with our Lake Atitlan tour. Alternatively, you could head north to Mexico City on our Colonial Cultures Overland trip with our Mexico City to Oaxaca tour . If you want to head to the Caribbean coast to try our Tulum beach accommodation, then you'll travel first to San Cristobal and then to Palenque.

Click here for the daily itinerary of these short Palenque to San Cristobal tours

Mayan route tours - Palenque to San Cristobal tours

Mayan route tours - Passage to Palenque ruins

Mayan Route tours: Palenque to Tulum Passage to Palenque

Duration:	3 days / 2 nights
Price	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Campeche (or San Cristobal)
Route:	Palenque - Chetumal - Tulum

If you're not interested in travelling all the way to mountainous San Cristobal, then why not add this trip to your Sun Gods and Pirates tour and travel to Yucatan by bus instead. From Campeche you'll head for the Caribbean coast via Palenque, one of the most beautiful Mayan sites in Mexico, hidden away in the heart of dense tropical jungle. You'll stay in a hotel with a swimming pool close to the village and set off early the next morning to visit the temple complex. After roaming amongst the overgrown ruins, you can cool off at the waterfalls of Agua Azul before boarding the comfortable overnight bus to the coast where you can catch the next bus to Belize or enjoy a few days at our Tulum beach accommodation with our Palm Trees and Palapas tour.

Click here for the daily itinerary of our passage to Palenque ruins tour

Mayan Route tours - Yaxchilan and Bonampak Mayan jungle exploration

Duration:	2 days / 1 night
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily - excursion from Palenque
Route:	Palenque - Yaxchilan - Bonampak - Palenque

If you're in Palenque and want to see even more of the jungle, try adding this day trip with an extra night in Palenque. You'll be collected at your hotel early in the morning and travel over land and water to the remote ruins of Yaxchilan, the best Mayan site in Mexico to spot wildlife, and one of the least touristy spots on the Mayan Route tour. Then it's on to Bonampak to see the beautifully preserved Mayan mural paintings in their remote tropical setting. If you would also like to include the ruins of Tikal in your trip you can spend the night in Bonampak and travel on to Flores in Guatemala the following day.

Click here for the daily itinerary of our short Bonampak tour

Mayan route tours - Where to stay in Playa del Carmen

Mayan Route tours: Playa del Carmen Beaches of Playa del Carmen

Duration:	4 days / 3 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Calakmul, Chetumal, or Cancun.
Route:	Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen has a more authentic Mexican atmosphere than heavily Americanised Cancun - you'll hear mariachis singing in the streets and cheerful salsa music drifiting out from the tequila and burrito stalls along the lively Avenida Quinta. On the white sandy beach, you can chill out to mellow reggae on a sun lounger with a pina colada. You'll also find several cosy little restaurants and plenty of good souvenirs to bring home on this Mayan route tour.

Click here to find out where to stay in Playa Del Carmen

Mayan Route tours: Tulum Palm trees and palapas

Duration:	4 days / 3 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Calakmul (or Chetumal, Playa del Carmen or Cancun)
Route:	Tulum

A quiet tropical getaway with palm trees, soft white sand and snorkelling in the warm Caribbean waters - Tulum is the ideal place to end up after a bus adventure along the Mayan route. The cliff-top Mayan ruins here are spectacular and the beach really is postcard perfect. You won't find the large shopping streets or buzzing nightlife of Playa del Carmen in Tulum, and there's little accommodation around your resort, which will make your beach cabaña feel all the more exclusive.

Click here to find out more about our Tulum beach accommodation

Mayan route tours - Tulum beach accommodation

Mayan Route tours: Holbox Island Hammocks on barefoot island

Duration:	4 days / 3 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Playa del Carmen (or Cancun, Valladolid or Chichen Itza)
Route:	Holbox

If a tropical island getaway sound like the perfect way to begin your Mayan route tour, we strongly recommend Holbox Island. This little slice of paradise is off the beaten tourist trail and cars are forbidden on the island, so the atmosphere is peaceful, idyllic and authentic. The only roads on the island are sandy paths and the only mode of transport is golf buggy. You can spot dolphins, turtles and rays in the waters off Holbox Island all year round and, in May to September, you can also see whale sharks. The lucky few who make the effort of the trip are rewarded with a true Caribbean castaway experience.

Click here for the daily itinerary of our short tour on Holbox Island.

Colonial cultures overland

Duration:	5 days / 4 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Mexico City (or San Cristobal)
Route:	Mexico City - Puebla - Oaxaca - San Cristobal or vice versa

If you began your trip in Mexico City then this will be your first trip - an exciting overland route from Mexico City to San Cristobal in the Chiapas region. On the way, you'll stop in two of Mexico's most charming cities. First Puebla, nestled in a valley surrounded by active volcanoes and popular with musicians, students and artists and second, Oaxaca, with its eclectic mix of Indian, colonial and modern-day architecture. You'll also take a downhill bike ride from Monte Alban past several pre-Hispanic villages. Finally, the overnight bus (with sleeper chairs) will take you to San Cristobal, the cultural heart of the Mayan Route.

Click here for the daily itinerary of our short Mexico City to Oaxaca tour

Mayan route tours - Mexico City to Oaxaca tour

Mayan route tours - Campeche to San Cristobal

Mayan Route tours: San Cristobal Colours and Indians

Duration:	3 days / 2 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Oaxaca or Campeche (if you want to include Palenque, then choose our Palenque to San Cristobal tours)
Route:	San Cristobal de las Casas

In the southern province of Chiapas, you'll find yourself in a completely different Mexico. This hilly region on the Guatemalan border is home to the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, the centre of Mexican Indian culture and a real highlight of any Mayan Route tour. At 2100m, you'll stay in a colourful posada close to the old churches and shady plazas. But it's not just the town you've come to see - you'll also head out to remote Indian villages and experience traditional culture. You can continue your adventure with our Guatemalan Lake Atitlan tour trip or travel via Palenque to Campeche on our Yucatan by bus tour.

Click here for the daily itinerary of this short tour from Campeche to San Cristobal.

Mayan route tours in Guatemala and Belize

Guatemala tour El Mundo Mayan

Duration:	5 days / 4 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from San Cristobal (or Guatemala City)
Route:	San Cristobal - Panajachel (Atitlan) - Chichi - Antigua or vice versa

This Mayan route tour will link easily to your Mayan route from Mexico into Guatemala. From San Cristobal, you'll travel to 'the most beautiful lake in the world', Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. The lake is surrounded by eight volcanoes and there are several hiking trails along the banks and through the hills. We'll arrange a half-day hike with a local guide who will take you through the fields to local villages along the lake, or perhaps horse-riding. From Lake Atitlan, the trip continues to Antigua Guatemala. On market days you'll first stop off at Chichicastenango, a huge market in the hills and a great place to buy souvenirs. In Antigua, you'll have a day to wander through the town centre and soak up the great atmosphere. In the evening, you can hit the salsa bars for a spot of hip-loosening dancing.

Click here for the daily itinerary of our short Lake Atitlan tour

Guatemala tour Tikal Temple Trail

Duration:	3 days/ 2 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Antigua (or Rio Dulce, Palenque or Belize City)
Route:	Flores - Tikal - Flores

Tikal, the greatest Mayan ruin complex in Latin America lies in the north of Guatemala in the heart of the Peten rainforest where howler monkeys, tucans and coatis reign. The spectacular wildlife, the dense jungle and the awe-inspring ancient ruins make this the absolute highlight of the Mayan route.

Click here for the daily itinerary of this short Tikal tour

Guatemala tour Pelicans on the Rio Dulce

Duration:	3 days / 2 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Antigua (or Flores)
Route:	Rio Dulce - Livingston - Rio Dulce

Guatemala has a very narrow band of Caribbean coastline, and this is where you'll find Livingston, at the mouth of the Rio Dulce. Livingston is accessible only by boat and is a world away from the rest of Guatemala; the African-Caribbean inhabitants maintain a very Caribbean lifestyle - think dreadlocks and Bob Marley. The trip to Livingston follows the Rio Dulce lined by chalk rocks and dense, impenetrable jungle, considered by many travellers to be one of the most beautiful routes in Guatemala. Rio Dulce is halfway between Antigue to Flores so you won't need to make a huge detour to get there.

Click here for the daily itinerary of this short Rio Dulce tour

Belize tour Relax on reggae island

Duration:	4 days / 3 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily from Flores (or Chetumal)
Route:	Caye Caulker

Belize is a tiny country south of Mexico with sunny tropical islands, coconut palms and sandy roads where everyone walks barefoot. Belize borders on the world's second largest barrier reef and because most of the local populations are descendants of African slaves the place has a distinctly Caribbean flavour. Caye Caulker is a long, narrow island with several hotels, diving shacks, rastafarians and a truly laid-back "relax-man" atmosphere. It's a great place to chill out for a couple of days at the end of your Mayan route trip.

Click here for the daily itinerary of this short tour in Caye Caulker Belize

Belize tour Mountains and rivers

Duration:	3 days / 2 nights
Price:	Please see our Contact Us page for more details
Departure:	Daily
Route:	Flores - San Ignacio - Belize City or vice versa

Should you want to want to visit the interior of Belize after your trip round Guatemala, then after Tikal hop across the border to San Ignacio. This friendly little Belizean town has just 8000 inhabitants and a very authentic laid-back atmosphere. The surrounding Mountain Pine Forest Reserve is great for hiking. Stay for a couple of days and take a canoe trip town Barton Creek river before finishing off your Mayan Route trip on our Belize Barefoot island.

Click here for the daily itinerary of this short tour in Mountain Pine Ridge Belize

Mayan route tours - Mountain Pine Ridge Belize