Mexican Heritage
15 Days / 14 Nights
Mexico
is a fascinating country and has so much to offer in the way of culture,
history, archaeology, dress, music, food and of course scenery. Join
with us for a trip through the classical part of this country and experience
at first-hand many of these attractions.
Day
1 - Arrival day in Mexico City
Meet and greet at the airport. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight.
Day 2 - City Tour
/ Museum
Breakfast in the hotel. The morning City Tour will concentrate on
the area of the Zocalo. It will include visits to the 18th Century Cathedral,
the National Palace with the famous murals by Diego Rivera and there
will be an option for those who wish to visit the ruins of the 'Templo
Mayor' (Not included in the price). This is a recently-discovered ruin
of an Aztec Temple next to the Cathedral and it also has a small museum.
The afternoon will be devoted to the Museum of Anthropology, considered
the best of its kind. It displays many treasures of the different pre-Hispanic
Mexican cultures. Overnight. The visits will take approximately 6 hours.
Day 3 -
Teotihuacan
Breakfast in the hotel. The tour will first stop at the Plaza of
3 Cultures, so-called because of the ruins of an Aztec Temple, a church
from the Spanish Conquest and a 'modern' housing estate all to be seen
in the area. The tour continues to the Basilica of Guadalupe - the most
important religious shrine in all Mexico and America's pilgrimage center,
the people can appreciate the old Basilica as well as the newer building.
Then the tour continues to the imposing Pyramids of Teotihuacan, probably
the greatest vestige of the Aztec Empire, where the people will visit
the two Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, the temple of Quetzatcoatl,
walk along the 'Avenue of the Dead' and also visit the Museum. Overnight.
The visits take approx 7 hours.
Day 4 -
Mexico City / Cuernavaca / Taxco / Tequesquitengo
Breakfast in the hotel. The tour takes the people firstly to Cuernavaca
- the city of 'Eternal Spring' where the Spanish Conqueror, Hernan Cortes,
had his summer palace. The people visit the Cathedral, which is the
oldest in the Americas and will have the option of visiting the Museum
dedicated to Cortes (Not included in the price). Then the tour continues
on to the silver mining City of Taxco, which is today under monument's
protection and where you can find the best silver handicrafts in the
country. Coaches are not allowed in the center of the town, so the people
will walk up to the impressive center along the cobble stoned streets.
There will be a visit to the splendid Santa Prisca Church on the main
square, which was built by Don Jose de la Borda as a gift to Taxco,
this is a landmark in the area and then the people will have time for
shopping in the silver shops before leaving to Tequesquitengo. Overnight
at Hacienda Vista Hermosa. DISTANCE - Approx 150 kms . TIME - Approx
7 hours.
Day 5 -
Tequesquitengo / Oaxaca
Breakfast in the hotel. The journey across the Sierra Madre mountains
to Oaxaca is very scenic. You will see amazing landscapes and vegetation.
When you arrive in Oaxaca, you will understand why it was declared "Cultural
Heritage of Mankind" by the UNESCO. This old colonial town shows in
its plazas, in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo and in many more enchanting
places, all the richness of the Spanish Period. Overnight. DISTANCE
- Approx 500 kms . TIME - Approx 8-9 hours with various stops on the
way!
Day 6 -
Oaxaca
Breakfast in the hotel. The morning is spent visiting the city of
Oaxaca and the most important stops will be at the Regional Museum,
which is a fascinating place and the famous Santo Domingo Church. A
lot of the visit can be made on foot, as the center of Oaxaca is quite
small. In the afternoon the excursion is out to Monte Alban, built on
a hilltop -flattened by the Zapotec Indians- overlooking Oaxaca over
2500 years ago, and the trip there takes about 25 minutes only. Overnight.
Day 7 -
Oaxaca / Tehuantepec
Breakfast in the hotel. As the ruins at Mitla are on the road to
Chiapas we plan the visit on leaving Oaxaca. Mitla was a Zapotec settlement
from as early as 100 AD.After the decline of Monte Alban, it became
one of the most important Zapotec centers. The trip to Mitla takes about
45 minutes and after the visit the journey continues over the mountains
and on to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to the city of the same name. Overnight
at Hotel Calli. DISTANCE - Approx 255 kms. TIME - Approx 7-8 hours,
including the visit to Mitla.
Day 8 -
Tehuantepec / San Cristobal
Breakfast in the hotel. The continuation to Chiapas and Tuxtla Gutierrez
is over the hot dusty Isthmus , we will pass the capital of Chiapas,
Tuxtla Gutierrez, a clean, surprisingly lively and prosperous city.
Just at the other side of the town is the magnificent Sumidero Canyon,
where the River Grijalva cuts its way through the high rock formations.
This is the place where the local Indians hurled themselves into the
Canyon rather than submit to the Spanish Conquerors. The group will
be taken on a spectacular boat ride into the Canyon itself that will
give you the chance to see it at it's best. Following this to San Cristobal
is about another 2 hours. Overnight. DISTANCE - Approx 350 kms. TIME
- Approx 8 hours, including the visit to the Canyon.
Day 9 -
San Cristobal
Breakfast in the hotel. The Indian villages of San Juan Chamula
and Zinancantan lie just outside San Cristobal. San Juan Chamula is
where the Chamula Indians live and there will be a visit to the special
church where they carry out their religious practices (no cameras allowed
!). Zinacantan is where the Indians wear brightly-coloured clothes,
the road to this village offers a fabulous scenery! (Again no photos
allowed!) In the afternoon there will be time to walk around San Cristobal
and see some of the beautiful colonial architecture of the city. Overnight.
Day 10
- San Cristobal / Palenque
Breakfast in the hotel. The road to Palenque comes out of the Chiapan
Highlands and down to the more jungle-like scenery in the area of the
famous ruins. About 1 hour out of Palenque nearby the road are the beautiful
Waterfalls of Agua Azul, considered one of the wonders of Mexico, the
water comes straight out of the mountains and cascades down several
falls into turquoise pools surrounded by jungle. The people can swim
there if they so wish. Continuation to Palenque afterwards. Overnight.
DISTANCE - Approx 250 kms. TIME - Approx 5-6 hours
Day 11
- Palenque / Campeche
Breakfast in the hotel. The whole morning is taken up with visiting
the extensive ruins at Palenque, surrounded by emerald jungle, Palenque's
setting is superb and its Mayan architecture and decoration are exquisite,
at the peak of Palenque's power, the entire city was painted vermilion,
you should not miss the crypt in the Temple of inscriptions and the
museum, everything you will see here was achieved without metal tools,
pack animals or the wheel! From there it is on to Campeche, a city filled
with historic buildings. Overnight. DISTANCE - Approx 300 kms. TIME
- Approx 6 hours.
Day 12
- Campeche / Merida
Breakfast in the hotel. The distance from Campeche to Merida is
relatively short and between there are the ruins at Uxmal and Kabah.
The first ruins visited are at Kabah, undoubtedly the most impressive
building here is the Palace of the Masks, offering an amazing sight,
with its façade covered in nearly 300 masks of Chac, the rain god or
sky serpent. Then one of the highlights of Yucatan, the ruins at Uxmal.
There will be plenty of time to visit all the major points of the ruins
such as the Pyramid of the magician, the Nunnery quadrangle, the House
of turtles and the Governor's Palace before continuing on to Merida
to arrive in the late afternoon. Overnight. DISTANCE - Approx 200 kms.
TIME - Approx 9 hours, including the visits.
Day 13
- Merida / Cancun
Breakfast in the hotel. The new highway from Merida to Cancun passes
by Chichen Itza, one of the largest and best kept sites in Mexico. It
actually is two cities, one ruled by the Mayans during the 6th - 10th
centuries, and the older, a Toltec-Mayan city emerged around 1000 AD.
Don't miss the towering Castillo with its cosmological symbolism - There
are 365 steps (depicting the solar year), 52 panels (for each year in
the Mayan century) and 18 terraces (for the number of months in the
religious year). The enormous ball court nearby, is the largest ever
discovered, and is lined with fascinating carvings. Continuation to
the world-famous resort of Cancun is direct and the road is very straight.
Overnight. DISTANCE - Approx 400 kms. TIME - Approx 9 hours, including
the visit.
Day 14
- Cancun
Breakfast. A final day of leisure to enjoy the beautiful waters
and the clear - white sand of Cancun. Overnight.
Day 15
- Cancun flight out
Breakfast. Free time until the transfer to the airport for the flight
out of Cancun.
***
End Of Our Services ***
Prices
available upon request. |
This
price include all transport costs in a full-sized, air-conditioned
coach with audio system and microphone, 14 nights on DBL basis, 14
American breakfasts, tips and service charges at the hotels and airports,
tips for the guide and driver, 01 English-speaking guide throughout
the program, 01 free for the Tour Leader on SGL basis.
NO airfare nor airport taxes are included in the above mentioned prices.
Drinks and beverages: NO drinks or beverages are included in the above
mentioned prices.
Tips to guide and driver: Tips to the guide and driver are included
in the above mentioned prices. |
Hotels to
used:
Standard Hotels: Hotel Casablanca in Mexico, Hacienda Vistahermosa
in Tequesquitengo, Hotel Mision de los Angeles in Oaxaca, Hotel
Calli in Tehuantepec, Hotel Diego de Mazariegos in San Cristobal
de las Casas, Hotel Plaza Palenque in Palenque, Hotel del Mar in
Campeche, Hotel Los Aluxes in Merida, Hotel Villas Tacul in Cancun.
First Class Hotels: Hotel Galeria Plaza in Mexico, Hacienda
Vistahermosa in Tequesquitengo, Hotel Camino Real in Oaxaca, Hotel
Calli in Tehuantepec, Hotel Casa Mexicana in San Cristobal de las
Casas, Hotel Mision in Palenque, Hotel del Mar in Campeche, Hotel
El Conquistador in Merida, Hotel Sheraton Resort & Towers in
Cancun.
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Comments:
Transport: I quoted a full-sized, air-conditioned coach (44
seater) with audio system and microphone.
Tour Leader from your side: One Tour Leader from your side
is included for free (on SGL basis) in the above mentioned prices.
Guide: An English-speaking guide will be with the group throughout
the program. The guide will not stay with the group on the beach in
Cancun.
Entrance fees: Entrance fees to the museums, archaeological
sites and boat ride at the Sumidero Canyon mentioned in the itinerary
are included in the prices.
Half board: This price is based on 14 fixed Dinner menus at
the below mentioned hotels. |
All our tour packages
include: Please
click here
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