Fantastic Yucatan
1.- ARRIVAL CANCÚN/MEXICO (D)
Welcome by your local mexican guide for transfer to your centrally located hotel in Cancún for a first overnight. Resting time of day at leisure. Dinner in hotel.
Hotel: Cancún 1 Night
2.- CANCÚN – VALLADOLID – EK BALAM – DZIDZANTUN (B, D)
Breakfast in hotel.
Early departure after breakfast to enter into the heart of Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. After an approx. 2 ½ hour drive, reach the Magical Town and colonial city of Valladolid. Enjoy a look into the local market hall, full of colours, flavours, fruits and vegetables – an atmosphere typical for Mexico. After this morning stop, reach nearby Ek Balam archaeological site with its wonderfully preserved stucco figures on the main temple. In the late afternoon, get to your charming overnight place in an ancient hacienda. Enjoy a first welcome walk there and taste from the family’s traditional recipes for dinner.
Hotel: Dzidzantún 2 Nights
3.- DZIDZANTÚN & SURROUNDINGS (B)
Breakfast in hotel.
The morning is dedicated to birdwatching on the grounds of your overnight hacienda, where among the trees and bushes so many animals are living. Drive then out to a seldomly visited lagoon between mangroves and have a fascinating boatride through the labyrinth to see local flora and fauna. Afternoon return to your hotel to relax.
4.- DZIDZANTÚN – NORTHERN YUCATÁN GULF COAST – MÉRIDA (B)
Breakfast in hotel.
Depart for a ride along Yucatan’s northern Gulf coast. The scenic ride allows to oftenly sea the open sea on one side, and sometimes some inlet lagoons where pink flamingo birds are living. Have an intermediate stop to visit the small archaeological site of Xcambó near the coast, as well to have a relaxing moment in coast town of Progreso, which is famous not only for its endlessly long landing pier in the sea, as well as for its seafood cuisine. Late afternoon arrival in Mërida, so called “White City” and capital of state of Yucatán. Enjoy the resting time of day free at leisure, for your to make a stroll around, enjoy some of the oftenly presented cultural events and to have dinner on your own in one of the numerous restaurants in the city’s historical center.
Hotel: Mérida 2 Nights
5.- CELESTÚN & THE WHITE CITY (B, L)
Breakfast in hotel.
Today’s itinerary is dedicated to Mérida and its surroundings. Morning drive out to the fishertown of Celestún, there to have a boat ride into the wide inlet lagoon to see locally living birds, among others also the big flocks of pink flamingo birds. The water visit also leads into the magrove labyrinth, where you can discover a freshwater pond, which pours as a spring out of the underground. Afternoon return to Mérida, for there to have a panoramic ride along the elegant Paseo Montejo with its remains of the great architecture from glorious Sisal baron houses. Resting evening free at leisure.
6.- MÉRIDA – UXMAL – MAYA CUISINE – CHICHÉN ITZÁ (B, L)
Breakfast in hotel.
Morning departure from Mérida into so called Puuc Region, which in Maya language means something link hilly region. Reach here the archaeological site of Uxmal, a splendid example of prehispanic Maya architecture here, which bursts in great façade décor. The great PYramid of the Dwarf is based on oval shape, dominating the place, where the other highlights are the Nun’s Quadrangle and the Governor’s Palace with its great stone relief patterns and masks. For lunch, reach a Maya family place near Uxmal, where you taste from the typical recipe of earth oven Cochinita Pibil, accompanied by freshly handmade tortilla, for then to cover today’s resting traject to reach your hotel in Chichén Itzá. For tonight, optional Light & Sound show over Chichén Itzá temple site.
Hotel: Chichén Itzá 1 Night
7.- CHICHÉN ITZÁ & CENOTE – MEXICAN CARIBBEAN (B, L)
Breakfast in hotel.
Take advante of your hotel being so near to the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá to visit it right in first possible morning hour, so to anticipate the more massive visits in later morning hours. During the visit walk, see the main and most important parts of this place, which counts among the 7 New Wonders of the World. Kukulkán Pyramid, giant Pelote ball game court, Temple of Warriors and the so important Observatory are only some of the outstanding elements of Chichén Itzá. Another fascinating place awaits you for lunchtime: get to a typical Cenote, a natural water sinkhole which is typical in the porous yucatecan limestone underground. Have the optional possibility for a refreshing swim here, as well as you will have lunch from a tasty yucatecan buffet. Afternoon proceeding drive to reach the Mexican Caribbean Coast again in the later afternoon. The program can end in apt. CUN or in some of the beach destinations of Mexico’s Caribbean Coast.
Not any ongoing flight ticket included in package of services in this program, nor any possible beach extension night and furtherly needed services like transfers.
This program is intended also to be enriched with furtherly available and more tailormade details, like visits of remote Maya communities to learn about their ancient traditions, or even to easily take this program and complete it to be a great turn over all, nothern and southern peninsula of Yucatán. Yucatán peninsula can also be combined with the state of Chiapas, so to have a view on low and highland Maya cultures in Mexico. Furthermore, the Maya region in Mexico oftenly is combined with this culture and surrounding natural highlights in neighbour countries like Guatemala, Honduras and Belize. – feel free to ask the team of Mexcellence Travel!
