Mexico Mañana

On arrival at Cancun airport, you'll be met by our local agent in the arrivals hall and transferred to Playa del Carmen, where you'll spend your first 3 nights of the Mexico three week itinerary. Your hotel is centrally located - to the left are the wide beaches, to the right the bustling Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue).

You'll be able to spend the next few days however you please: relax on the beach and work on your Mexican tan, have a leisurely lunch at one of the beach bars and in the evening head to Quinta Avenida, the main shopping street in Playa del Carmen. The place is always buzzing, especially at night.

 

This morning, you'll pick up your rental car in Playa del Carmen and start your drive inland to the village of Lagartos. You'll have time for some lunch (additional cost) before taking a boat trip through the Rio Lagartos nature reserve. Your group may include other visitors who have also booked a boat trip on that day, but there will be a maximum of 6 people per boat.

Floating past mangrove forests, you'll see flamingos, pelicans and caimans and soon you'll reach a large salt lake. It's a great place to take a dip - the high salt content will keep you afloat in the warm water and make your skin baby soft. Just don't shave that morning - the salt will sting sting sting. After the boat trip, you'll make your way to San Felipe, a small village with colourful wooden houses. This is also where you will be staying tonight.

Distance on Day 4 of the Mexico three week itinerary : 4 hours including rest breaks.

San Felipe is a sleepy Mexican fishing village where daily life is closely watched by little old ladies in their rocking chairs on the porch. In the morning, you can take a walk through the village and along the boulevard where you'll see the local fishermen hauling in their daily catch.

Then your Mexico three week itinerary will take you on a relaxed drive to Chichen Itza, stopping off in the traditional town of Valladolid on the way. The main square is a good place to have some lunch. At Chichen Itza you'll be staying close to the main entrance to this ancient Mayan city, in a romantic hacienda surrounded by tropical gardens. It's a totally different Mexico than the one you set off from this morning.

Driving: approx 4 hours including rest breaks.

As you're staying close to the entrance, you'll be able to visit the ruins of Chichèn Itza (admission US$10) early in the morning so you can enjoy the quiet, serene atmosphere before the coach loads of tourists arrive.

After exploring the ancient city, you'll drive on to Izamal. This small village is home to descendants of the Mayans and all the buildings in the centre are painted bright yellow, giving it a unique atmosphere and charm. At 4pm, we've arranged a tour through the town by horse and cart, a nice way to experience the atmosphere of the place.

Driving distance: approx 1 hour.

We're sure that you'll wake up refreshed, judging by the huge pile of pillows on your bed. Today, you'll be able to explore Izamal at your leisure. Izamal was an important Mayan settlement until the Spanish invasion. The Spaniards destroyed most of the local buildings and built a Franciscan monastery in the main square, which you can still visit today. There are several ruins of the original Mayan buildings around the village and a bustling local market in the town centre.

In the evening try a traditional Yucatan meal at Kinich, a local restaurant next to the ruins. A stroll back to the hotel in the balmy night air will be a great finish to day 7 of the Mexico three week itinerary.
 

If you're not all templed-out, you can follow the Puuc Route to Campeche, passing a number of Mayan ruins on the way. Uxmal is very impressive for its statues of the rain god Chac (crooked nose - he's hard to miss). Alternatively, if you've seen enough ruins for a while, you can take the highway straight to Campeche, a surprisingly interesting town on the coast. For the Mexico three week itinerary you'll stay in a hotel by the sea, just a short walk through the old fortress gates to the historic centre. Many of the original colonial buildings have been restored and are beautifully lit at night.

Distance: Izamal - Campeche via the Puuc Route: 8 hours including rest breaks. Highway: 4½ hours.

The first part of your drive today heads south along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. You'll pass several long bridges, eventually veering off inland through the fertile plantations in Tabasco province, known for its mouth-burning sauce. In the afternoon of the Mexico three week itinerary, you'll reach Villahermosa, an interesting town not often included on tourist routes. Your hotel is central, and close to the bustling promenade.

Distance: Campeche - Villahermosa: 6 hours including rest breaks.

This morning, before you leave Villahermosa, you can pay a visit to the Parque de la Venta to see the enormous stone heads, older than the Mayan ruins.

After that, you'll make your way to San Cristobal de las Casas, the centre of Indian culture in Mexico. During the last hour of the drive, you'll pass through the mountains of Chiapas until you enter the city. You'll follow the the colourful streets uphill to your posada, where you'll spend your next 3 nights. San Cristobal perches at an elevation of 2100m, so when the sun sets it can get quite chilly so you'll need a sweater or warm jacket. A strong tequila may do the trick as well...

Distance: 6 hours including rest breaks. 
 

This morning you'll visit the nearby village of Chamula with a local guide. The village has a lot of interesting rules and customs which you won't be aware of, so we've booked this excursion with a local guide to give you a full understanding of the place. Chamula is a small mountain village where, after the arrival of the Spaniards, old local customs were intertwined with Catholic customs. For example, in the local church you won't find a priest but a shaman, seated on the ground, giving advice to the villagers. Back in San Cristobal later that day you'll have time to wander round the local market.

The next day of the Mexico three week itinerary is completely free. Take a walk around the town, go horse-riding or drive out into the spectacular countryside. You can also take a boat trip down the river in the steep Sumidero gorge to spot crocodiles, monkeys and bird colonies along the river banks. It's totally up to you. 

Today, the road will take you down from the mountains into the jungle. You'll drive through wooded valleys and through villages where pigs block the road and horses graze freely on the roadside, and it's one of the most beautiful routes you'll find in Mexico. Just be sure to drive carefully - lazy cattle and unexpected twists in the road are easily missed when you're admiring the view.

Palenque is in the heart of the jungle, where it's hot and humid (35 degrees). This is why we've booked accommodation in rather more refreshing surroundings just outside the village, surrounded by tropical gardens and with a big swimming pool where you can cool off with a dip. The ruins of Palenque are a mere 10 minute drive away.

Distance: San Cristobal de las Casas - Palenque: approx 5 hours including rest breaks. 
 

Today, you'll be able to explore Mexico's most spectacular Mayan ruins at your own leisure. Make sure you bring plenty of water - it's very hot so you'll be sweating buckets. However, the amazing views across the overgrown temple ruins and surrounding jungle will soon make you forget the heat.

When you've finished exploring, head to one of the nearby waterfalls to cool off. There are several hidden in the jungle like the Agua Azul (blue water), one hour from the Palenque ruins.
 

Today you'll get a rest from driving. Instead, you'll be picked up at the crack of dawn for a great day trip. Be sure to bring your passport as you'll need it to get past the checkpoints.

After breakfast (included) you'll set off on a one-hour boat ride across the wide Uscumancita river to Yaxchilan. Unlike Palenque, Yaxchilan was built on the banks of a river, so many animals now live among the ruins. You'll have the rest of the morning to explore the ruins and after lunch (included) you'll head to the temple chambers of Bonampak. The murals, surprisingly intact after all these centuries, depict stories of the lives of the Mayans. In the early evening you'll arrive back at the hotel. 
 

You can spend this morning relaxing and enjoying the beautiful tropical surroundings before continuing on your Mexico three week itinerary. Alternatively, if you leave Palenque early in the morning, you can visit the Mayan city Calakmul on the way to Chicanna (another 1½ hours drive to your hotel). The complex is fairly unknown so it's a lot quieter than the ever popular Palenque, but with its colossal pyramids, dizzying steps, royal tombs, jade masks and rare vases it's no surprise this city once rivalled its larger counterpart Tikal. We recommend planning around 3 hours to explore the complex.

We feel that the distance from Palenque to the Caribbean coast is a little too far to cover in one day, so we've booked a night in an eco-village near Chicanna. There's no village here and no other hotels. You'll be staying in the forest with just the hummingbirds, parrots and toucans as your neighbours. The eco-village is made up of wooden two-storey bungalows built around a swimming pool in beautiful surroundings. The rooms are spacious and have a modern bathroom. In the restaurant you can enjoy some delicious meals with home-grown vegetables.

Driving distance: 5 hours including rest breaks.

In the morning, you can spend some time in the swimming pool or listen to the birds twittering from the comfort of your rocking chair. Then it's time to head towards the tropical Caribbean along the so-called Riviera Mayan coast road to Tulum.

Distance: Chicanna - Tulum: 6 hours (7 hours if you include a visit to the recently discovered ruins of Kohunlich, or 8 hours if you also include a lunch on Lake Bacalar.)
 

You'll finish off your trip in style with 3 nights in wonderful Tulum, where you'll enjoy a couple of days of sun, sea and sand in Tulum. You'll stay in a beach cabaña 7km from Tulum and just a 15 minute drive from the famous cliff-top Mayan ruins (take your swimming gear, there are two fantastic beaches).  

There are several small hotels along the beach at Tulum. Most of them have a small bar and behind these hotels you'll find a sandy road with a handful of shops. Don't expect a buzzing nightlife here, Tulum is very laid-back and small-scale - which is a significant part of its charm. With an average temperature of 24ºC (28ºC in summer), it's a great place to recharge your batteries before you head back home. 

Day 20: Tulum - Cancun - End of the Mexico three week itinerary