Viva Mexico: Ancient Ruins & the Mayan Riviera

Arrive at any time.

ACTIVITY: Connect with new friends on your first night out in a new destination. Only available on 18-to-Thirtysomethings tours.

ACTIVITY: Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.

Start the adventure off with a CEO-led walking tour through La Condesa and Roma neighborhoods. Stroll past bohemian cafes, bars, and restaurants. Your CEO will grab some street food snacks for the group ranging from street tacos to chilaquiles. Savour whatever you sample as you continue to get to know the area. Finish up the tour near the giant Bosque de Chapultepec. Then, spend the afternoon trying out the optional activities in the area like a visit to the ruins of Teotihuacán.

ACTIVITY: Get the lay of the land during a walking tour of Mexico City with your CEO. Start by visiting the La Condesa and Roma neighborhoods. Wander past the bars, restaurants, and cafes. Sample some street food snacks purchased by your CEO. The tour ends at Bosque de Chapultepec.

FREE TIME: AFTERNOON Take advantage of free time to get to know Mexico City on your own. Choose from a variety of optional activities in the area, seek out some great food spots, or search for some unique gifts to bring back to your friends and family.

Hit the road and travel south to Oaxaca from Mexico City. Once the group arrives we will head out for an orientation walk to the main square and some of the nearby markets. Soak in your first experience of the vibrant culture in Oaxaca. Enjoy a free evening to do as you please. Perhaps, find a lively restaurant and give your tastebuds something to dance about.

TRANSPORT: Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.

ACTIVITY: All walks will be slightly different, allowing your CEO to show off their favourite spots. You can expect to see the Santo Domingo Cultural Centre, walk through the zocalo and the famous 20th of November market. Opt to sample some delicious Oaxacan foods along the way such as mole, tlayudas or chapulines.

Today, enjoy a free day for optional activities in Oaxaca until late afternoon. Explore local taverns, discover the vibrant indigenous culture in the area, sample food from lively markets, try mole, and mezcal and fully experience the allure of this Mexican city. Later your CEO will accompany the group to the market where you can try a tlayuda, a toasted tortilla with tons of different toppings like refried beans, shredded cabbage, salsa, meat, and cheese. Cap off the day with a visit to a local chocolate-making shop and a free evening to keep the adventure going.

Additional Information: You can pre-book the Hierve el Agua Day Trip during check-out and pay a visit to a petrified waterfall outside of Oaxaca.

FREE TIME: HALF DAY From museums and galleries to markets filled with locally produced arts and crafts, it's impossible to run out of things to do in Oaxaca. Choose to stroll down more of the streets off the main square in search of street art, check out the intricately designed black pottery, hand-woven Zapotec rugs in local shops, and take in panoramic views of the city from Cerro del Fortín.

ACTIVITY: Your CEO will accompany the group to the market where you can try a tlayuda, a toasted tortilla with tons of different toppings like refried beans, shredded cabbage, salsa, meat, and cheese before capping off the day with a visit to a local chocolate-making shop.

The group will have additional free time today in Oaxaca for other optional activities. Afterwards, visit the Alebrijes Artisan Community for your G for Good moment. Meet a local artisan, speak with them, ask any questions the group may have, and learn more about how these handicrafts are made. In the evening board and overnight bus to San Cristobal.

FREE TIME: HALF DAY Enjoy more free time in Oaxaca. Taste more delicious food from the markets, book an optional cooking class and learn how to make mole, or shop for keepsakes at the many local stores and craft markets with featuring work by the artists who call Oaxaca home.

ACTIVITY: Alebrijes were created by a Mexican artisan named Pedro Linares who was known for making piñatas and carnival masks. After falling ill and hallucinating crazy figures and creatures inside his mind, the artist decided to bring what he saw to life by creating the small figurines we know as Alebrijes. Often made of a mash-up between animals, these figurines are now made by Oaxacan artisans out of wood and then painted with vibrant pigments and lots of patterns. Learn more about how these figurines integrated themselves into Oaxacan/Mexican folklore and how the craft expanded from originally being made from cardboard to now being carved from Copal wood. Meet a local artisan and speak with them, ask any questions the group may have and to learn more about how the Alebrijes are crafted.

TRANSPORT: Curl up and catch a snooze en route to the next stop.

Arrive early to Tuxtla Gutierrez, which is a city in southern Mexico and the capital of Chiapas. The group will travel by private bus to Sumidero Canyon for an included boat ride down the river. The trip is a few hours long and will take you through the canyon with some of the walls towering 2,500 feet above you. It’s sure to make you feel small. Keep a lookout for the wildlife in the area and try to spot caves as you journey on. Afterwards, continue on to San Cristobal de las Casas where you will stop for the evening.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

ACTIVITY: Drive an hour before boarding a boat for a 2-hr journey through the deep Sumidero Canyon. Keep your eyes peeled for local wildlife, birds, monkeys and maybe even a river crocodile. Marvel at the tall waterfalls, hidden caves, and unusual rock formations along the Grijalva River. After, stop in a village to visit markets and enjoy lunch.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

San Cristóbal de Las Casas is located in a high mountain valley at 2110m (6921 ft). Enjoy a free day to experience this city known for its 16th-century architecture. Opt to visit nearby indigenous Mayan villages to see their unique day-to-day, or visit Lagunas de Montebello National Park and the group of beautiful lakes near the Guatemalan border. You have a full day to do as you please and there are plenty of activities to try out.

ACTIVITY: Enjoy a free day to experience this city known for its 16th-century architecture. Opt to visit nearby indigenous Mayan villages to see their unique day-to-day, or visit Lagunas de Montebello National Park and the group of beautiful lakes near the Guatemalan border.

Get ready for a full day of travel from San Cristóbal de Las Casas to Palenque. Along the way the group will stop to swim in the pristine turquoise waters of Roberto Barrios waterfall. Arrive to Palenque in the evening.

ACTIVITY: Visit the Zapatista community of Roberto Barrios, Chiapas, have a swim and explore the cascading waterfall. If it hasn’t rained for a few days, you will be astonished how bright the light blue water can get.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Enjoy a guided tour of the impressive Mayan ruins of Palenque followed by free time for an optional jungle trail hike, or just relax at the hotel keeping an eye out for nearby birds and wildlife.

ACTIVITY: Experience the elegant jungle site of Palenque on a guided tour. See the highlights -- the Temple of the Cross Group, Temple of Inscriptions and the Grand Palace. Howler monkeys sound in the distance as the fog rolls in and out of this mystical site, one of the most important centres for trade and culture during the end of the Classic Maya period.

FREE TIME: AFTERNOON Enjoy a free afternoon for an optional jungle hike or otherwise just kick back at the hotel and listen to the sounds of the jungle. Ask your CEO for more recommendations should you need them.

Spend the day travelling to Bacalar in the eastern part of Mexico from Palenque. Sit back as the scenery changes outside your window and rest up for the next part of the trip.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

Spend a full free day enjoying optional activities in the area, or just relax and keep the good vibes going.

FREE TIME: AFTERNOON Take advantage of free time for optionals in the area. Explore the San Felipe Bacalar Fort or visit the lagoon again for some kayaking.

The group is in for a treat this morning with an included boating adventure in the lagoon. In the afternoon it’s onward to Valladolid. Travel north and inland from Bacalar to a city on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Upon arrival your CEO will lead you on an orientation walk of the small Mayan town filled with quaint taverns, vibrant indigenous culture, and loads of street food vendors. Smell the delicious aromas as you walk and sample a few snacks along the way.

ACTIVITY: Head out into the Bacalar lagoon by boat this morning for a fun adventure. Start by visiting the Canal de los Piratas for a swim in the clear waters. Then, visit Cenote Negro, an open-air cenote and also the deepest point in the entire lagoon. From there the boat will stop at Cenote Esmeralda to admire the different shades of blue. Finally stop at Cenote Cocalitos, home to stromatolites, which are living stones that are thought to be the oldest form of life on Earth. Here you’ll enjoy a prepared picnic featuring fresh fruit.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

ACTIVITY: Marvel at Valladolid’s colonial buildings, which includes a 16th-century convent of San Bernardino of Siena, and the San Gervasio Cathedral. Walk through the streets of town smelling the delicious aromas from the street food vendors. Sample some delicious treats and get to know this vibrant Mayan town.

After a short, but sweet visit in Valladolid the group will travel to the Chichen Itzá ruins for a guided tour. These ruins hold the history, beliefs, and rituals that defined ancient Mayan civilization. See the Pyramid of Kukulcan, the famous Castillo, the cenote, and the Nunnery. Afterwards, travel to Tulum for a free evening. Tulum is filled with trendy beach clubs where you can dance the night away, or stretch out on white sand beaches to admire the colors at sunset.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

ACTIVITY: Join up with a local expert and learn about the history of Chichén Itzá and the beliefs and rituals that defined this ancient Mayan civilization. This dramatic site includes a 30m (98 ft) high temple, known as the Pyramid of Kukulcan, famous for its balustrade of 91 stairs up each of the four sides, a ball court with a grandstand, and towering walls. Visit the highlights of the site including the famous Castillo, the ball court, the cenote, and the Nunnery.

TRANSPORT: Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.

FREE TIME: EVENING Take this time to soak in the spectacular coastline of Tulum. Swim in the cobalt waters off of the white sand beaches. Hunt down some delicious street food and have a picnic in the sand. Or if you're still feeling adventurous, head out for some cave and cavern exploring in the nearby cenotes.

Depart at any time.

ACTIVITY: Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.