Mayan and Aztec empires tours in Mexico

country:	Mexico
trip type:	Group tour with the group size up to 30
departures:	2008: 23 Oct, 6 Nov, 20 Nov 2009: 5 Feb, 19 Feb, 12 Mar
price:	From £2199 (16 days) including UK flights. Price includes accommodation, transport including internal flight, services of expert local tour guides, contribution to UNICEF's School Development Programme in Mexico and carbon-offsetting contribution to Climate Care

Mexico holidays

History tours

the amazing things you'll be doing

Join us on this spectacular holiday, discovering many of the glories of Mexico, from vibrant Mexico City to the spectacular heritage of the Mayan and Aztec empires. From seemingly timeless colonial cities to Mayan villages, visit regions of outstanding natural beauty.

Mexico is the second largest country in Latin America, with a vast central plateau flanked by ranges of mountains that run parallel to the coasts. Its fascinating history, shaped by the Mayan and Aztec empires and then transformed by the conquest of the Spanish has left the Mexico of today with a truly remarkable range of historic sites.

Our itinerary has been arranged in conjunction with our specialist tour operator partner in Mexico and undoubtedly offers the very best way to experience this wonderful country. Once in Mexico, you will travel by private coach in the company of our local guides, along the central highlands to the Yucatan peninsula, enjoying unforgettable sights, sounds and experiences all the way. You will not only enjoy the country's wonderful sights, you will also learn about its incredible history and the mysteries of the great Mayan and Aztec empires and the Spanish conquest. Accommodation will be in high quality hotels and our holiday price includes all touring, excursions and admissions to the historic sites.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Welcome to Mexico. London Heathrow - Mexico City. Transfer to hotel, ideally located in the Polanco district, facing Chapultepec Park and the National Auditorium. Hotel facilities include a choice of restaurants, bars and an indoor swimming pool.
Day 2:	Discover Mexico City. Full day in Mexico City. We have arranged a full day sightseeing tour of the city visiting the Metropolitan Cathedral, the baroque Palacio Nacional, the remains of the Templo Mayor and the Palacio des Beaux Arts. Our afternoon visit to the vast, airy, National Museum of Anthropology is a just setting for the world renowned collection of finds from Mexico’s pre-Columbian cultures. In the late afternoon return to the hotel where the evening is free.
Day 3:	Teotihuacán. Visit to Teotihuacán, one of the most impressive cities of the ancient world. En route, stop at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas and the Basílica de Guadelupe. In Teotihuacan we see the Temple of the Plumed Serpent which could hold 60,000 worshippers, and the 200 foot high Pyramid of the Sun; the third largest in the world. The ceremonial centre, with its temples, palaces, and pyramids, bears witness to the city’s splendour but has revealed little about its creators and inhabitants. Their origin, way of life, and even demise remain a mystery. On your return to the hotel relax and prepare for the adventures that lie ahead.
Day 4:	Puebla. We head west towards Puebla, well known for the beautiful Talavera tiles that adorn its walls, domes and interiors and then continue our journey, heading south, to Oaxaca. Your two-night stay in Oaxaca is at a four-star hotel, surrounded by landscaped gardens and superbly located on a hillside, offering some of the best views of the city.
Day 5:	Oaxaca and Monte Albán. This morning we have organised a walking tour of Oaxaca. We visit the Plaza de Armas, the geographic and social centre of the city, the nearby cathedral, the central market, the Government Palace, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Regional Cultural Museum. In the afternoon, we make the short journey to the archaeological site of Monte Albán. In a triumph of engineering, the mountaintop was levelled to allow for the creation of the ceremonial site. Excavations have revealed 170 tombs, palaces and sacrificial altars to ensure the daily rising of the sun god. The evening is free to relax and watch the world go by.
Day 6:	Mitla. After breakfast, we drive south for a tour into the Tlacolula Valley. We visit Santa Maria del Tule, one of the world’s largest trees reputed to be over 2,000 years old. Afterwards, we continue to Mitla and explore the Iglesia de San Pablo, the Catholic church that dominates the site. From Mitla, we continue south east to Tehuantepec.
Day 7:	Sumidero Canyon. Today our tour takes you to the breathtaking Sumidero Canyon. Here, you will be taken on a boat trip along the river, passing caves and waterfalls. The boat trip also provides an opportunity to see a variety of unusual plants, and many animals and birds, including monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas, herons and kingfishers. From the canyon it is a short drive to your delightful four-star hotel, set close to the historic centre in San Cristóbal de las Casas, where we will stay for two nights.
Day 8:	San Cristóbal de las Casas. In the morning, our guide will take you to visit the nearby Indian villages of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan. These Indian towns, less than an hour from San Cristobal, allow us to observe the traditional everyday life of the inhabitants. In the afternoon we return to San Cristóbal for a walking tour around the pleasant streets of this beautiful town including the baroque cathedral with its magnificent altarpiece, the fine old Santo Domingo Convent, the Altos Cultural Centre and the baroque church of the same name that has a strong influence of popular art from neighbouring Guatemala. The evening is free to relax in the hotel’s flowerfilled courtyard gardens.
Day 9:	Agua Azul. This morning we follow the Rio Tulija river northwards through the jungle to the spectacular waterfalls and rapids at Agua Azul - there are over 500 cascades and a series of aquamarine-coloured rock pools – where we will have time to explore and have a swim. After this refreshing stop, we will complete our journey to Palenque. Our hotel for the next two nights is located in attractive gardens, around ten minutes drive from the renowned archaeological site.
Day 10:	Palenque. After breakfast, our guide will take us to visit what many consider to be the most impressive of all the archaeological sites in Mexico. Palenque is mysterious, solemn, well preserved, and imposing in its beautiful jungle setting. The undoubted highlights of any visit include the Temple of the Inscriptions, including the Tomb of King Pacal and The Palace, a labyrinthine complex of courtyards, corridors and rooms standing on a raised platform and distinguished by a four-tier tower that probably served as an observatory or lookout post. The evening gives time to relax in the gardens of the hotel and enjoy a swim in the large outdoor pool.
Day 11:	Campeche. This morning we travel into the heart of the Yucatán Peninsula. We head for the coastal town of Campeche, where the Spanish first set foot on Mexican soil. Our guide will take us on a short walking tour around the old walled-city before we continue our journey to Uxmal and our four-star accommodation, located within walking distance of the archaeological site.
Day 12:	Uxmal and the Puuc region. Visit the late-classic Maya site of Uxmal, before we travel by coach to see some of the lesser-known settlements situated along the low ridge of the Puuc hills. Highlights in Uxmal include the Governor’s Palace, the Nunnery Quadrangle and the Magician’s Pyramid, the tallest and most striking structure at Uxmal. Our journey of exploration will continue into the Puuc hills where we visit some of the four Maya sites in the region. In the late afternoon we drive on to Mérida and our base for the final three nights of our tour.
Day 13:	Mérida and Celestun. Mérida's historic prosperity is reflected in its grand mansions, squares, parks and statues that are seen today. Before visiting the city, our guide will take us to the small fishing village of Celestun. With its stunning white beaches, the unique wetlands of Celestun form part of a special biosphere reserve, where you can observe the pink flamingo in its natural habitat as you tour the wetlands by boat. In the afternoon, we explore colonial Mérida, known as 'The White City' because of its white houses and buildings. This evening is at leisure in Merida.
Day 14:	Chichén Itzá. For many, today’s guided excursion will be the highlight of the tour. Chichén Itzá, recently selected as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World, is undoubtedly the best-preserved Maya site on the peninsula. The site was built with such knowledge of cosmology and mathematics that astound scholars from around the world. The most awe-inspiring structure at the site is the pyramid known as The Castle (El Castillo) built around AD 800. Other highlights include The Observatory, El Caracol, one of the most fascinating and important of all the Chichén Itzá buildings. We will return to Mérida in the late afternoon.
Day 15:	Relax in Mérida. We have left this morning free to allow you to enjoy a leisurely start to the day and to complete your sightseeing and shopping in Mérida. We have then arranged your flight back to Mexico City. On arrival at Mexico City airport, you will then make the connection for your overnight flight home.
Day 16:	Welcome home. We arrive back in the UK, at the end of what will have undoubtedly been a wonderful tour of this spectacular country.

how this holiday makes a difference

We work with a specialist Mexican owned and managed travel company and with local tour guides who support our aims, namely to:

Encourage a positive impact from tourism for local people, including both social and economic benefits

Create a positive impact on the environment in Mexico

This holiday supports UNICEF in Mexico, the United Nations body working to provide health, education, equality and protection for all the world’s children. The holiday therefore not only offers a unique travel experience, but also the opportunity for passengers to support their work.

The tour provides direct economic support to local humanitarian projects, through our support of UNICEF. For every passenger that travels US$50 is donated by ourselves to support projects organised by UNICEF in Mexico. The funding given is used for projects directly related to the UNICEF School Development Programme, which aims to provide a stable education to children who, due to their personal circumstances, would not otherwise receive full time education.

We have also developed a scheme with Climate Care to offset the carbon emissions from passengers’ international flights. Payment of £20 per person will be made on the passengers’ behalf by ourselves, which will be used to fund projects across the world that will reduce greenhouse gases through sustainable energy or rainforest reforestation. The value of this payment equates to the emissions level of the flight arrangements.

We work with a locally-owned and managed travel company who supports our responsible tourism aims. This relationship further encourages them to develop and improve their local practices, as a result of the commercial benefits they enjoy by supplying their services to us. We also give practical support to ensure they successfully develop their own responsible tourism policies.

We always use local specialist tour guides to ensure that we support the local economy and population and do not simply generate earnings that are returned to the UK by a UK guide. We agree rates locally that ensure they are paid fairly for their services. We ensure that they are treated as equals, are given a reasonable workload and that their working hours are within local regulations.

We aim to arrange a talk and discussion session with expert local staff from UNICEF in Mexico to enable passengers to learn about the challenges and issues the organisation faces and the projects they are undertaking to try and resolve them. This session is also extremely beneficial to the local UNICEF staff as it provides them with a very rare opportunity to speak directly to an overseas audience and enables them to ensure that foreign visitors learn the genuine facts behind the issues of child welfare and education in Mexico.

We also provide the opportunity for passengers to meet local people, dine at local restaurants, shop at local stores and learn about local cultures during their stay. This provides direct benefits to the communities and destinations visited by generating income for local restaurants, local shops and market stall holders.

We endeavour to minimise any negative impact caused by visitors. We ensure:

We only visit areas where existing tourism programmes are taking place

Tour group size is limited to 30, a level that is sustainable in the areas visited

Passengers are advised to turn off lights, television, air conditioning and fans when leaving their hotel rooms and not to leave their towels for daily changing

Hotels are encouraged to operate a laundry system that minimises unnecessary use of water, such as replacing towels every day; and to recycle where possible

When visiting historical sites, passengers are advised of local guidelines and regulations, in particular with regard to keeping to the official pathways and refraining from making excessive noise

We brief passengers on local customs, traditions, religion, body language and eating habits in the destination, to foster understanding and avoid causing offence.

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.