Mexico & Guatemala overland tours
Highlights
Mexico City | Puebla | Oaxaca | San Cristobal de las Casas | Palenque | Merida | Chichen Itza | Playa del Carmen | Tulum | Caye Caulker | San Ignacio | Tikal | Rio Dulce | Antigua | Chichicastenango | San Jorge La Laguna | Panajachel |Description of Mexico & Guatemala overland tours
This epic overland small group tour takes place over 31 days and enables travellers to experience many of Central America’s most exciting archaeological epicentres, tropical jungles and captivating Caribbean coastlines.Public transport, including first-class overnight buses, allow for loads of opportunities to live life like a local as you sit back and experience ever-changing scenery morphing from Mexico to Guatemala to Caye Caulker in Belize.
Spending time as part of a small group is all part of the adventure with an eclectic mix of city sightseeing, Mayan temples and beautiful beaches, adding to the classic combination of travelling and free time to explore.
From downtown Mexico City to the volcanic rim of Antigua via the Yucatan Peninsula, Oaxaca and the ruins of Palenque, this tour expands Central American horizons, in every sense, as well as providing plenty of chances to make new friends and have lots of fun along the way.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.comCheck dates, prices & availability
Small group adventure
What is a small group adventure?It's a great way to travel! Whether you are travelling on your own, with a partner or with friends, a small group trip is a fantastic way to see the world. You'll travel on a fixed itinerary that has been designed to help you discover the best of region. From the known highlights, the hidden gems that you won't find in the guidebooks.
Itineraries run on set departure dates, accompanied every step of the way by an English speaking local group leader. You chose the itinerary and the date that suits you best and you book on.
Why travel on a small group adventure?
Small groups allow us to explore where larger tour groups can't. Our maximum group size of 16 travellers allows us to use local transport to get from A to B, to visit rural villages, spend time with the locals and even stay at a local home overnight, and it allows us to give our travellers genuine, real life experiences of the countries we are visiting; what you'll be doing and how you'll travel depends entirely on your chosen itinerary.
Is an adventure right for me?
The word adventure means something different to everyone, and our range of trips reflects that. Whether you want to explore local markets, visit out of the way temples and meet local people or go on an early morning safari drive searching for the 'big five', we'll have a trip for you. If you are looking for a physical challenge such trekking the Kokoda Track or summiting Kilimanjaro, we can help with that too.
So what can I expect on this trip?
This is one of our Basix trips, designed specifically for budget travellers who still want the security of group travel without lots of added inclusions. These trips don't have many included activities and meals are rarely included in the price, giving you the opportunity to search out local restaurants and sample regional specialities to your heart's content. The amount of free time in these itineraries means that the Basix trips often appeal to younger travellers looking to explore independently and tailor the trip to your own interests. You often won't spend too many days in any one place and you'll pack lots of different locations into your holiday.
As you might expect, accommodation on a Basix trip will be fairly basic! We'll stay in 1-2 star accommodation, often including homestays and there may be nights where the group stays somewhere multi-share / in a dormitory-style. Most accommodation however will be twin share; with solo travellers automatically roomed with a fellow group member of the same sex, this means that there are no single supplements on Basix trips.
On camping trips you will be expected to help out around the camp; putting up and taking down your own tent, helping with meals and other camp duties. We often find the nights where we are without a few creature comforts are those that are most amazing; wild bush camping in Serengeti anyone?! We'll use local transport where ever possible which is a great way of seeing the country and meeting locals as we travel.
Can I book my flights with you?
Yes! We are a fully ATOL bonded tour operator meaning that we can book flights from the UK as part of your holiday package. Just ask us for a quote including flights when you make your enquiry.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.

The Impacts of this Trip
This trip gives you plenty of opportunities to get to know the culture and vibrant history of Latin America. There are numerous chances for local interaction as we cover so much ground using all means of public transport. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn from a friendly local who strikes up a conversation during your journey.
Your leader and the occasional local guide will be able to direct you to many local eateries throughout the trip, helping you discover real local fare at real local prices (and probably helping you learn some Spanish at the same time). All travellers are encouraged to explore with the group and on their own, learn a few words of the language and interact with the locals as much as possible.
Local guides are employed to help explain as much as possible about the cultural differences and the historically significant places that we visit. This also allows us to appreciate the importance of preserving and respecting these sites and to help us minimise the impact of our visits.
There are plenty of opportunities to support local merchants in the markets and stalls that we pass along the way. We can purchase traditional handicrafts from local artisans and learn more about the importance of preserving these crafts.



The Impacts of this Trip
This trip gives you plenty of opportunities to get to know the culture and vibrant history of Latin America. There are numerous chances for local interaction as we cover so much ground using all means of public transport. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn from a friendly local who strikes up a conversation during your journey.
Your leader and the occasional local guide will be able to direct you to many local eateries throughout the trip, helping you discover real local fare at real local prices (and probably helping you learn some Spanish at the same time). All travellers are encouraged to explore with the group and on their own, learn a few words of the language and interact with the locals as much as possible.
Local guides are employed to help explain as much as possible about the cultural differences and the historically significant places that we visit. This also allows us to appreciate the importance of preserving and respecting these sites and to help us minimise the impact of our visits.
There are plenty of opportunities to support local merchants in the markets and stalls that we pass along the way. We can purchase traditional handicrafts from local artisans and learn more about the importance of preserving these crafts.

1 Reviews of Mexico & Guatemala overland tours
Reviewed on 05 Nov 2013 by Laura Palmucci
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The nicest part was the homestay in a pleasant little village with a lovely
family.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Get prepared to organize your trip (for instance rent a car somewhere to get to
places you could never see), try and learn some Spanish to interact with people
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Inasmuch as tourism helps local communities if you rely on local structures.
Otherwise the interaction of this trip in local life was minimum
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Good.
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