Mexico: Central Mexico & the Yucatan Peninsula

You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel to start your adventure.

Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. 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.

Set off on a walking tour of charming Oaxaca, rich with history and culture. See the Santo Domingo Cultural Centre, walk through the zocalo and the famous 20th of November market where you can opt to sample some delicious Oaxacan foods along the way such as mole, tlayudas or chapulines. Transfer to the nearby archaeological site of Monte Albán, a Zapotec site dating back to 500 BC which features platforms, pyramids, plazas, and a ball court sitting on a leveled mountaintop. Enjoy the 360-degree views, see Olmec carvings, and be sure to visit the museum to see artifacts and stele excavated in the early 20th century.

Oaxaca is all yours this afternoon. Try optional activities in the area like exploring Oaxaca's plazas, shops, and cafes.

Pedal through the valleys of Oaxaca from Santa Maria del Tule to Tlacolula. Drive around 30 minutes from Oaxaca City to the start of the biking portion. Listen to a safety briefing and begin the route through farm fields, agave plantations, and small Zapotec villages with mountain views, glimpsing daily life in Oaxaca. Once in Tlacolula de Matamoros the bikes will be put away and a 1-hour drive to Hierve el Agua will commence.

The Valley of Oaxaca is renowned as the birthplace of mezcal. Not to be confused with tequila, this distilled liquor is made in small batches from a variety of species of agave (spiky green plants that look like the tops of pineapples). Visit and Agave farm, learn about the process and sample different types, including white un-aged mezcal (often sold with an agave larva inside), along with “reposado” and “añejo” (aged) batches. Grab a slice of orange that's coated in salt and mixed with chili and ground worms. Now, it’s time to sip and enjoy.

Travel to Hierve del Agua. This stunning natural formation consists of a series of mineral pools near the edge of a cliff. Over thousands of years, the heavily calcified water has flowed over the cliff, leaving mineral deposits as it does. The result is known as a "petrified waterfall" – nearly white rock formations that resembles a cascading fall. Enjoy time to explore the area and go for a swim in one of the mineral pools, and sit down for a traditional lunch on site.

Settle in and scan the scenery as you journey to your next destination.

Spend a free afternoon enjoying Puebla on your own. Opt to visit Cholula, the city's churches, or wander the markets sample local treats.

The route will vary for each tour, allowing our CEOs to share their personal favourites. You can expect to see the zócalo, artisans' market and visit the historic buildings within centre of this World Heritage city, as well as gain entrance to the Talavera studio and workshop.

Learn to make the traditional sauce of mole, made with an assortment of chilis and chocolate. Sample your mouth-watering creation when you're done and sit down for an included group dinner at the hotel.

Settle in and scan the scenery as you journey to your next destination.

Take on the famous canals of Xochimilco in a vibrant coloured gondola boat past vendors, mariachi bands and local artisans. Feel the vibes of the music around you as locals shop in the floating markets and hopefully you'll find something to bring back home too.

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

Visit the famed "Blue House" where Frida Kahlo was born, lived and died. Her lifelong home is open to those looking to learn more about or see what life was like for the celebrated artist. The museum consists of ten rooms throughout the home, each filled with original furniture from when she lived there with her husband Diego Rivera, and personal items of Frida's from letters, art materials, original works of art, to handcrafted kitchenwares.

Spend a free evening in Mexico City and grab dinner on your own.

Option 1: Enjoy a half-day visit to the archaeological site, Teotihuacán. Bring water, wear a hat, solid walking shoes, and climb the pyramids to learn all about this pre-Columbian Mesoamerican city. Don't forget to stop by the museum too! Option 2: Partake in a culinary-focused tour of Mexico City with a visit to a market with lots of stops for food sampling as you walk. Fill up on the local flavours and get to know what daily community life is like in the city.

Spend the afternoon on your own. Opt to visit museums or other monuments. Then come back together with the group for an included dinner this evening.

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... yup, it is a plane, actually.

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

Enjoy an orientation walk around Playa del Carmen with your CEO and opt to walk to the beach.

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

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

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 with your CEO and smell the delicious aromas from the street food vendors. Opt to sample some delicious treats and get to know this vibrant Mayan town.

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 and then transfer to nearby Pisté for lunch at a local restaurant.

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

Learn all about the traditional techniques of the preparation of cochinita pibil, one of the region's most beloved and delicious dishes. The method involves marinating pork in citruc and adding annatto seed which gives it a deep red colour, before then wrapping it in a banana leaf and slow-roasting it underground beneath a hot fire. Not into pork or meat? No problem, there are plenty of other delicious local delicacies available.

Wander the hacienda grounds on a private tour with the staff. Sip on a welcome drink, learn the history of the ranch, see all of the work being done to keep everything running smoothly, visit the rope making factory, and a nearby cenote for some optional swimming.

Spend the remainder of the afternoon on your own at the hacienda enjoying the amenities and the beautiful natural surroundings.

Sit back and enjoy the scenery from the comfort of your private vehicle as you travel from the hacienda to the Santa Barbara Cenote Complex.

Head out in the morning from the hacienda into the jungle to a state reserve that is full of cenotes, natural sinkholes in the earth that were sacred to the ancient Maya. Cycle between 3 of them and swim in the crystal clear water to cool off from the heat before a delicious lunch, then continue to Mérida in the afternoon.

Sit back and scan the scenery from the comfort of your private vehicle as you travel back to Merida from your cenotes excursion for your city tour with a local guide.

This afternoon you will embark on a short city tour of Mérida with a local guide. This vibrant capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán is rich in Mayan and colonial influences. See the city's focal point Plaza de la Independencia, the fortresslike Mérida Cathedral, and the white limestone Iglesia de la Tercera Orden as you learn the layout of the city.

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

Option 1: Visit the Mayan ruins of Uxmal, almost as spectacular as Chichen Itzá, but far less well-known. Enjoy a guided tour of the archaeological site, see the Pyramid of the Magician, and visit nearby Kabah, one of three neighbouring sites. Option 2: Dip those paddles in the water and Kayak in the Celestún Biosphere. This wetland happens to be the winter home of flocks of flamingos and other bird species that migrate here. The biosphere is also the hatching ground for endangered sea turtles.

Once your morning activities come to an end, you will return to the hacienda and enjoy free time on the grounds to relax or cool off in the pool.

The Maya built the ancient seaport of Tulúm in the late 13th century. Located some 130 km (80 mi) south of Cancun, this picturesque site features a number of limestone structures protected on three sides by a 7m (23 ft) thick wall. Visit the ruins and admire the impressive array of structures in a picturesque setting overlooking the aquamarine waters.

After checking into the hotel in Tulum, you will have free time to relax and grab some dinner on your own.

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

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

Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve is one of Mexico’s most important protected areas due to its diversity in bird and animal species. The Reserve uses ecologically responsible technologies, including systems for wetland waste management, rainwater collection, and solar and wind energy generation to protect the environment. Visit the reserve and take a boat ride across the lagoon before hopping into the crystal clear water of one of the canals. Next, enjoy nature's lazy river as you float past Mayan ruins and mangrove forests, letting the current slowly bring you down stream.

After enjoying lunch at a local restaurant, return to the hotel and spend free time on your own before dinner this evening with the group.

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