Yucatan, Mexico
| country: | Mexico |
| departures: | 2004: Please contact us for departures |
| price: | £580 , includes food and accommodation, excludes flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
introduction to Yucatan, Mexico
When you journey into the Yucatan Peninsula, you are journeying into the realm of the Maya. You will find archaeological sites galore, handsome colonial cities, popular seaside resorts and quiet coastlines where you can find exotic tropical birds.
You will be based on the outskirts of the village of Poop, 60 km south of Valladolid, which is a small city between Mérida and Cancun. The forest has a great variety of tropical plants, such as wild fruits, lumber tropical species, melliferous trees and medicinal plants, all of which can be visited by following the trails. Poop is a traditional Mayan village of the Yucatan peninsula, where 100 families live raising corn, their staple crop.
All its inhabitants speak Mayan and about one half of the population speaks Spanish. Poop is a very peaceful isolated village. The area around Poop has various sites of historical interest such as Chichen Izta and Ek Balam. In addition, the area is known to be the heart of the Caste War, fought from 1840 to 1890. This revolutionary movement tried to establish the Yucatan peninsula as an independent country but was repressed by the federation government. Poop is surrounded by several underwater lakes (cenotes), where you can swim in the clear water; it is an hour drive from Valladolid, which offers typical Mayan food, arts and crafts, colonial churches and monasteries, as well as all the facilities useful to the traveller. Finally it is also only three hours away from the Caribbean Sea with its beautiful beaches!
Accommodation
Basic accommodation (sleeping bags and hammocks) is provided by the local community with access to shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Your hammock will be made by members of the local community, it will be a reminder for you to take home after the projects. An alternative of camping is available, the camp site is one km from the village in a quiet location in the middle of the forest and has electricity, water and toilets.
Leisure activities during your free time
Included in the cost of the holiday are visits to: two beautiful cenotes in Valladolid and Dzitnup and its markets, Museum of the Caste War at Tihosuco, the world famous archaeological sites of Chichen Itza and Ek Balam, a colonial church and archaeological site of Ichmul. In the village you can enjoy playing baseball or soccer with local people, swimming and walking through the forest. Valladolid is accessible any day if need arises and local transportation is quite inexpensive.
You will be based on the outskirts of the village of Poop, 60 km south of Valladolid, which is a small city between Mérida and Cancun. The forest has a great variety of tropical plants, such as wild fruits, lumber tropical species, melliferous trees and medicinal plants, all of which can be visited by following the trails. Poop is a traditional Mayan village of the Yucatan peninsula, where 100 families live raising corn, their staple crop.
All its inhabitants speak Mayan and about one half of the population speaks Spanish. Poop is a very peaceful isolated village. The area around Poop has various sites of historical interest such as Chichen Izta and Ek Balam. In addition, the area is known to be the heart of the Caste War, fought from 1840 to 1890. This revolutionary movement tried to establish the Yucatan peninsula as an independent country but was repressed by the federation government. Poop is surrounded by several underwater lakes (cenotes), where you can swim in the clear water; it is an hour drive from Valladolid, which offers typical Mayan food, arts and crafts, colonial churches and monasteries, as well as all the facilities useful to the traveller. Finally it is also only three hours away from the Caribbean Sea with its beautiful beaches!
Accommodation
Basic accommodation (sleeping bags and hammocks) is provided by the local community with access to shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Your hammock will be made by members of the local community, it will be a reminder for you to take home after the projects. An alternative of camping is available, the camp site is one km from the village in a quiet location in the middle of the forest and has electricity, water and toilets.
Leisure activities during your free time
Included in the cost of the holiday are visits to: two beautiful cenotes in Valladolid and Dzitnup and its markets, Museum of the Caste War at Tihosuco, the world famous archaeological sites of Chichen Itza and Ek Balam, a colonial church and archaeological site of Ichmul. In the village you can enjoy playing baseball or soccer with local people, swimming and walking through the forest. Valladolid is accessible any day if need arises and local transportation is quite inexpensive.
a day in a life of a volunteer
You will be working on a variety of projects with community members, assisting with projects such as; the organic management of horticulture, maize, fruit and forest trees; terracing in the agro-forestry plots; constructing and maintaining tracks within the agro-forestry unit or nearby places; ecological maintenance of the home-garden, giving informal education on environmental issues. The exchange of ideas is central to this project. Please be prepared for flexibility.
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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We are working with the local organisation 'El Hombre Sobre la Tierra' (HST and the mayan families who they support. All the activities during this holiday will strengthen the ongoing projects, increasing awareness of environmental issues and improving livelihoods.
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Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |