Mexico tour to the advanced civilisations in a small group - INTI Tours

Reception at the airport and transfer to the hotel. On the way, you will gain your first impressions of the metropolis. The remaining day is at leisure.

Extensive city tour of, among others: Palace of Fine Arts, Zócalo, Cathedral, National Palace and the remains of the Templo Mayor, the religious and spiritual centre of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlán.We drive through different parts of the city to the Anthropological Museum, which gives an excellent overview of the ancient Mexican civilisations. The adjacent Chapultepec Park with the castle of Maximilian von Habsburg invites you to take a stroll afterwards. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon.

The pyramids of Teotihuacán, located about 60 km northeast of Mexico City, are the imposing legacy of one of Mexico's most important advanced civilisations, the Teotihuacán. Founded a good 2,000 years ago, the city was the cultural centre par excellence and the largest city in ancient America (UNESCO World Heritage Site). We climb the Pyramid of the Sun and Moon and visit the Quetzalcóatl Palace. After lunch in a typical local restaurant (not included in the price), we drive to the world-famous Basilica of Guadelupe with the Black Madonna. In the afternoon, return to the hotel.

Passing the proud five-thousand-metre peaks Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, we drive to Puebla, where we have lunch in a restaurant with traditional cuisine (not included in the price). From Puebla we drive for about four hours on the highway to Oaxaca. The drive goes through the beautiful landscapes of the Sierra Madre.

In the morning we go shopping at the local and colourful Benito Juárez market and buy food. After the visit to Monte Albán, you will eat this together with a Zapotec family in the form of a tasty dish (included in the tour price). On the artificial platform above Oaxaca, the Zapotecs built the imposing ceremonial centre Monte Albán with more than 20 buildings and pyramids almost 2000 years ago. We have plenty of time to visit the entire complex.The afternoon is at leisure. Explore the city on your own and take a short city walk through the listed old town of Oaxaca (UNESCO World Heritage Site). The cathedral and the church of Santo Domingo are particularly impressive.

Drive to Tehuantepec. On the way, we visit the over 2000-year-old cypress tree of Tule, the weaving village of Teotitlán del Valle and Mitla, which, along with Monte Albán, is considered the most important centre of Zapotec culture. Visit to the excavation site and lunch (not included in the price) in a rustic restaurant, where we learn interesting facts about the high-proof speciality Mezcal. In the afternoon, we continue our journey through the Sierra Madre del Sur to Tehuantepec.

In the morning departure to Sumidero Canyon. At noon, impressive boat trip through the up to 1000 m deep Sumidero Canyon. Afterwards lunch in Chiapa de Corzo; here settlement traces of a more than 3500 year old postolmec regional culture were discovered. Our last destination is San Cristóbal de las Casas, melting pot of local indigenous cultures.

In Zinacantán and San Juan Chamula we learn about the culture and ancient rituals of the indigenous people of the Tzotzil Mayan tribe. Lunch in San Cristobál de las Casas. In the afternoon we visit the church of Santo Domingo and then have time for a tour on our own.

Today we leave the highlands of Chiapas for Palenque. On the way we visit the beautiful turquoise waterfalls of Agua Azul in the middle of the jungle and Misol Há, a beautiful cascade. The cool water offers wonderful refreshment. After arrival at the hotel, you will have enough time for a swim in the pool.

Today, an absolute highlight of our journey awaits us: The Mayan site of Palenque, which had its heyday in the 7th century, is one of the most beautiful and best renovated archaeological sites in the country. The Temple of the Inscriptions and the palace complex are particularly impressive. Afterwards, we drive to the Gulf Coast. On the way we enjoy a swim in the sea and fresh sea specialities in a beach restaurant. In the charming colonial city of Campeche we move into a beautiful hotel directly in the historic centre.

In the morning, city tour of Campeche (UNESCO World Heritage Site). The goods stored here for shipment to Europe (including silver, cocoa, jade) attracted many pirates in the 16th and 17th centuries. For protection, the Spanish built a huge city wall and metre-thick defensive bastions in 1686. Continue to Uxmal, the most important Mayan site in the Puuc region (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Apart from pyramids, Uxmal is characterised by so-called Cuadrángulos, large rectangular squares around which buildings in the Puuc style are erected. Unique in the Maya world are the "Pyramid of the Magician" with its oval ground plan and the Nuns' Quadrangle (North Temple). At noon, the journey continues to Mérida. Caribbean joie de vivre awaits you here. Enjoy the colourful hustle and bustle at the Zócalo.

West of Mérida is the Celestún National Park, a paradise for flamingos and pelicans, which we admire in their natural habitat on a two-hour boat trip. Afterwards, we have the opportunity to enjoy fresh sea specialities on the beach. In the evening we return to Mérida.

Visit the most famous archaeological site in Yucatán - Chichén Itzá. The Mayan and Toltec site is dominated by the nine-tiered temple of Kukulkán, the Mayan Quetzalcóatl, symbolised by two mighty serpent heads. The architecture of the site was strongly influenced by astronomical-astrological ideas. Afterwards, drive to the Caribbean coast to Tulúm. Here we will make a short photo stop. The small but quite extraordinary Mayan fortress of Tulúm proudly presents itself on a rock above the turquoise blue Caribbean Sea. Afterwards, drive to the airport.

Optionally, there is the possibility of an individual bathing extension.