Day 1 - UK/Mexico City
Meet your travelling companions in the executive lounge prior to your scheduled flight to Mexico City for a three night stay. Enjoy a welcome drink before dinner this evening.
Day 2 - Mexico City
Mexico City, dating back over 1,000 years, is the oldest and one of the most beautiful cities in the Americas. Our included city sightseeing tour takes us to visit the vast Zocalo, the city’s main square, the spectacular National Palace, Chapultepec Park, site of the Emperor Maximilian’s castle, and the world-famous National Anthropological Museum.
Day 3 - Teotihuacan
We stop at the Shrine of the patron saint of Mexico, the Virgin de Guadalupe, before driving on to the 2,000-yearold city of Teotihuacan to see the wide Avenue of the Dead, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl and the massive Pyramids of the Sun and Moon.
Day 4 - Puebla & Oaxaca
Leave Mexico City and drive to Oaxaca, stopping in the town of Puebla en route. Puebla’s main square and historic centre are packed with colonial buildings adorned with brightly coloured tiles. We pay a visit to the imposing cathedral and the Rosaria Chapel, before continuing on our journey to Oaxaca. On arrival we enjoy a guided walking tour of Oaxaca’s main sights, including the Baroque Santo Domingo Church and the cultural museum, located in a former Dominican convent. We then pay a visit to the famous Benito Juarez Market, packed with goodies such as clothes, flowers, fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese and more. It’s then on to the historic centre of the city, with its selection of colonial buildings, cathedral and central square. We then check in to your hotel for a two night stay.
Day 5 - Monte Alban & Mitla
Our tour today starts with a visit to Mitla, a former Zapotec ceremonial centre whose name translates as ‘Place of the Dead’. Here, the buildings are decorated with incredible stone mosaics that have to be seen to be believed. We will see the ruins of four magnificent palaces from the Mixtec and Zapotec civilisations before moving on to the incredible Tule Tree, one of the world’s most extraordinary natural sites. This unique and gigantic tree is 130 feet high, over 170 feet in diameter, weighs 509 tons and is approximately 2,000 years old. This afternoon, we visit the amazing archaeological ruins at Monte Alban, the ancient capital of the Zapotec people. This incredible site stands on a flattened hilltop, 400 metres above the surrounding valley and offers a fascinating insight into the culture of the Mesoamerican people. We return to the hotel at the end of the day.
DAY 6 - Merida
Today we fly to Merida, where we stay for the next two nights. On arrival we enjoy a tour of this multicultural city, which shows us resplendent colonial mansions and traditional Mayan architecture.
Day 7 - Chichén Itzá
Today we drive to Chichén Itzá, which surely has to be the highlight of any visit Oaxaca the largest and best preserved Mayan City, and our tour of the site includes a visit to the awe-inspiring temple of Kukulcan, a ‘calendar’ pyramid with four stairways, 365 steps, one for each day of the year, and 18 terraces, the number of months in the Mayan calendar. Enjoy a farewell meal this evening
Day 8 & 9 - Merida/UK
Transfer to Mexico City airport for your return flight to the UK, arriving the next day.