Ancient Mexico

The Trip

buzzing city

Touch down in Mexico City, one of the world’s great metropolis and head straight to the Condesa DF. After you’ve rested up our guides will give you a whistle stop tour to help you get under the skin of this chaotic city. You can be knocking back tequila in a cantina one minute and visiting an artist’s gallery another, then soaking up the ambience of the city’s archaeological wonders at sunset. See the museum of Anthropology and learn about the ancient cultures of this ever-fascinating land, before stepping foot in the Cathedral Metropolitana, the largest in the country.

heading south

Next stop is Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s hidden gems, and a treat for all visitors. Explore the wondrous archaeology of the area, and touch the Árbol del Tule, believed to be one of the oldest trees in the world and more than 2,000-years-old. Oaxaca is a mosaic of wonder, and much-loved by artists due to its bright southern light. Oaxaca has top-class museums, lovely architecture, charming inns and hotels and its own tasty version of Mexican cuisine. There’s almost a party every day that breaks out on its stunning squares, and you’ll be its welcome guest. During your stay your be pampered at the Camino Real.

meet the family

We’ll fly you to your next destination, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, steeped in the Mayan legacy and culture, and brimming with surprises. Here ancient customs sit side-by-side with utter luxury. There is no better place to sample this but in Posada Real de Chiapas. The region is full of villages in the Chiapas Highlands. You can sit and meet locals who descend directly from the ancient Mayans. Soak up the ambience of cobbled streets and colourful markets, and go down river through the Sumidero Canyon. No visit is complete without stopping off to marvel at the thundering cascades of Agua Azul and the 35m jungle waterfall of Misol-Ha, and we’ll take you up-close and personal, stopping off at the charming town of Palenque on the way, brimming with ancient ruins that tell the story of lost civilizations.

explore ancient corners

We whisk you next to Mérida the capital of Mexico’s most historic peninsula, it’s steeped in colonial history, with narrow streets, broad central plazas, and the region’s best museums. Throw in a dose of thriving markets and local characters, and you have what is many people’s best-loved towns. It’s a great hub for exploring some of Mexico’s most enthralling ancient history at Uxmal and Kabah ancient historic sites, that wow its visitors with its mysterious charm. Our guides will take you on an almost living journey back to the times of the culture that dominated these lands.

kickback

Next day we’ll take you to the Yucatán peninsula. You’ll stay in an authentic Hacienda XCanatún. The area is a stunning location where you’ll find ancient history, breathtaking beaches and time-honoured recipes for food and drink. Explore one of the great wonders of the world at Chichen-Itza, a historic sight that is said to bestow all those that respect it with longevity. End the holiday on the Riviera Maya with a few days on the paradise beaches below another ancient Mayan site at Tulum. You’ll be staying in a beautiful beach house directly on the sand Casa de las Palmas. A real treat in season is to swim with the biggest fish in the sea, the whale shark, these gentle giants drift around lazily swallowing up as much plankton as they can get their car sized mouths on! The area is also full of cenotes, beautiful grotto like caves filled with water that you can dive or snorkel through, a real treat on those scorching hot days. Fly home feeling a million dollars.