Mexico
To get our mini brochure for this holiday please click here, and we will email you a PDF copy.
Day One: Welcome to Mexico
Fly into Mexico City International, where you’ll be greeted and taken by private transfer to your hotel. On the drive from the airport, you’ll see the sheer scale of this mega-city, passing neighbourhoods packed with Art Deco and Art Nouveau buildings as well as modern skyscrapers. Once you’ve checked into your hotel, the rest of the day is free to get acquainted with its attractions. Perhaps wander through the Templo Mayor, the Aztec ruins right at the centre of the city, crammed between old colonial buildings packed with shops, cafés and government offices. Or settle down to dinner – the city is packed with restaurants vending excellent nuevo-Mexican cuisine.
Overnight in Mexico City
Classic - Hampton Inn & Suites
Premium - Hotel Zocalo Central
Deluxe - Hilton Reforma
Meals included: None
Day Two: Your First Taste of the City
You’ll spend your morning wandering Mexico’s buzziest barrios and most breath-taking buildings (including the biggest cathedral in Mexico, the Metropolitan) with a private guide. Then indulge in the country’s most celebrated crop – cocoa – on a chocolate tasting with the country’s master chocolatier, the internationally-renowned José Ramón Castillo. Castillo takes inspiration from the Mayans, who discovered cocoa back in 900AD, as well as the Aztecs, who used it for drinks, tax – and even suncream. Continue on to the National Museum of Anthropology, packed with perfectly preserved Mayan treasures. Marvel at frescoes, tombs and murals set in an ultra-modern building, In the evening, there’s an optional chance to watch respected dance company Ballet Folklórico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez perform dances from across the country, at the spectacular Palacio de Bellas Artes (see the Extras tab for information on cost).
Overnight in Mexico City
Classic - Hampton Inn & Suites
Premium - Hotel Zocalo Central
Deluxe - Hilton Reforma
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Three: Ancient and Mega-Modern
No trip to Mexico City is complete without time in the National Museum of Anthropology, packed with perfectly preserved Mayan treasures. Marvel at frescoes, tombs and murals set in an ultra-modern building, the visit the imposing modernist campus of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, a UNESCO World Heritage site where buildings are covered with murals (by Diego Rivera and others) depicting the country's history and culture. Later, you'll cruise by brightly coloured trajinera boat on the floating gardens of Xochimilco, 17 miles outside the city. Along these ancient canals, vendors sell street food, mariachi bands drift past carrying folk tunes on the breeze, and you can watch the world go by with a local michelada (beer Bloody Mary) or two.
Overnight in Mexico City
Classic - Hampton Inn & Suites
Premium - Hotel Zocalo Central
Deluxe - Hilton Reforma
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Four: The High Life
Time to leave the capital and visit one of the most important archaeological sites in Mexico - Teotihuacán. We've decided that the best way to garner the awesomeness of this ancient site (which means "place here men become gods") is on a hot air balloon flight. You'll jump aboard for unbeatable views of the entire site, then enjoy a glass of sparkling wine upon landing, before exploring the city's pyramids and temples by foot. You'll lunch on Mexican dishes at the Gran Teocalli Restaurant near to the site, before travelling by car to your hotel in Morelia, 200 miles west.
Overnight in Morelia
Classic - Hotel Mision Catedral
Premium and Deluxe - Hotel de la Soledad (differing room types)
Meals included: Breakfast; lunch
Day Five: A Pink City, Terracota Town and Blue Lake
Pink-hued Morelia is a city so well-preserved that it appears frozen in the colonial era. Your private guide will show you 'the most beautiful cathedral in Mexico', which took more than a 100 years to build. Then see the Garden of the Roses with it's pink quarry-stone fountain, and visit the Museo de Dulce - a museum of sweets situated in a tempting shop. Next, you'll make the hour-long trip by private car to the mountain town of Patzcuaro, ready to cross it's hazy lake to the car-free island of Janitzio. The conquistadors left this little island largely alone, and there's still a feel of indigenous culture - the local fishermen use butterfly-shaped nets to fish for the famously good local pescado blanco (white fish). You'll have the opportunity to lunch at one of Janitzio's fabulous restaurants before climbing the 40m high statue of independence leader Jose Maria Morelos. From here, you'll glimpse fantastic views of Patzcuaro (through a quirky viewpoint - Morelo's wrist), before the return journey to your hotel in Morelia.
Overnight in Morelia
Classic - Hotel Mision Catedral
Premium and Deluxe - Hotel de la Soledad (differing room types)
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Six: Brilliant Butterflies
Travel from Morelia to Angangueo, arriving in the sleepy old mining town at lunchtime. Nearby, in a fir forest, sits a sanctuary that's the winter home to millions of Monarch butterflies who have travelled more than 3,000 miles from North America on their migration. Cars are banned in order to protect these creatures and their habitat, so you'll travel by horse to the sanctuary to see them en masse. It's an incredible sight: the fir trees are blanketed by thousands of butterflies, and thousands more float through the air, resting wherever there is a perch - including on you. The delicate creatures fill the sanctuary with tranquility, and you will find yourself relaxing to match the butterflies' steady pace. Return to Angangueo town for the evening.
Overnight in Angangueo
Classic, Premium and Deluxe - Hotel Posada Don Bruno (differing room types)
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Seven: Onwards to Puerto Vallarta
After breakfast, you’ll transfer to the airport for your flight to Puerto Vallarta. Upon arrival, you’ll be picked up and taken to Garza Blanca Reserve. Now it’s time to settle in, explore the hotel’s facilities and relax.
Classic, Premium, Deluxe - Garza Blanca Reserve
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day Eight & Nine: Time to Relax
The next 2 days are at your leisure and can be as active or as relaxed as you want them to be. Unwind in the hotel’s spa with an incredible range of treatments, hydrotherapy experiences, enjoy sumptuous cuisine, book onto an exciting excursion or two or just lie on the beach and enjoy the Mexican sun.
Classic, Premium, Deluxe - Garza Blanca Reserve
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day Ten: Homeward Bound
After a final breakfast and dip in the ocean (dependent on flight time), you’ll be transferred back to Puerto Vallarta Airport for your flight home.
Meals included: Breakfast
Overall meals included: 8 Breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners
Accommodation:
You will get a choice of hotel options for the duration of your experience:
Classic ★★★
Classic hotels provide mid-range accommodation (minimum three-star rated), with comfortable rooms and private facilities. We’ve selected these hotels based on positive client feedback.
Premium ★★★★
Premium hotels are typically upper mid range (usually four star), with more amenities than our classic choices. They all have comfortable rooms with private facilities and have received good client feedback.
Deluxe ★★★★★
Deluxe hotels are luxury hotels with excellent facilities and service, usually categorised as 4.5 or 5 star. Clients rate them extremely highly.
When booking an experience, please remember that the hotel category you select is for the whole tour. The table below displays the hotels listed for each category. Please note that the actual hotel selection will be driven by availability at time of booking.
What's included:
- Private English-speaking guides unless stated otherwise
- Private transfers and internal flights, unless stated otherwise
- Meals as listed
- Mandatory taxes and service fees
- Entrance tickets and permits unless stated otherwise
- Hot air balloon flight over Teotihuacán pyramids with glass of sparkling wine
- Horse ride to see monarch butterflies
- Boat excursion to see and swim with whale sharks
What's not included:
- International flights to/from experience: call 0208 432 0885 for AX specially negotiated flight rates
- Optional extras listed
- Tips for guides, drivers, hotel and restaurant staff
- Any visa, customs, airport taxes or similar charges before or after the tour
- We cannot guarantee the included hotel breakfast for early departures
- Drinks during meals unless stated otherwise
- Personal expenses, such as laundry
For Home Office travel advice to this country, read more here
Children: Children must be aged 8 or older for the hot air balloon flight over the Teotihuacan pyramids and aged 7 or older for the Angangueo Monarch butterfly sanctuary.
To check out all our Mexico trips, click here!
GETTING THERE
Typical return Economy flights from London cost around £600 per person and take approximately 12 hours outbound, 15 hours inbound depending on exact flight configurations and layover times.
For this particular experience, we have found that the best option is to book a multi-stop flight from London - Mexico City - La Paz - London.
Experience start point: Mexico City (MEX). Arrive at any time.
End point: La Paz (LAP). Depart at any time.
Prices for departures to 30th October include a 20% Pioneers Club discount and are subject to Pioneers Club terms & conditions. Click here for more information about the Pioneers Club.
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