Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula: Mayan Ruins & Cenotes

Day 1  Playa del Carmen        
Welcome to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, a region of incredible landscapes, history and food. Sitting on a stretch of white sand beach along the Mayan Riviera, Playa del Carmen bursts with energy and international travellers. Strolling the pedestrian Quinta Avenida takes you past seemingly endless shops, bars and restaurants with the beach and blue sea just beyond.    

Day 2  Playa del Carmen to Valladolid      
At the first glimpse of the massive pyramid at Chichen Itzá, you'll see why photos can't properly do it justice as you appreciate the sheer size and craftsmanship. Duck between the shade of trees to escape the blazing sun and explore what was a massive Mayan city, one of the most important in the region in its heyday. Jungle surrounds the site along with giant sinkholes in the limestone called cenotes, leading to the vast network of underground rivers, all of which played an important part in the cosmology and daily lives of the Maya inhabitants.  

Day 3  Valladolid to Merida Hacienda
In many ways life at a working ranch, or hacienda, mirrors what it would have been like hundreds of years ago, using traditional techniques in agriculture and raising livestock. The harvesting of henequen, a type of agave plant known locally as ‘green gold’ is important in all sorts of practical ways as the fibres are used to make ropes, twine and even local spirits.  

Day 4  Merida Hacienda    
Pedalling through the jungle, you'll approach a giant cenote filled with clear blue water that beckons you to take a break from the heat in the cool, fresh water. This part of the Yucatán is littered with these iconic landmarks that were so sacred to the Maya and serve as the perfect way to cool off and swim. The nearby city of Merida serves as the capital city of the Yucatán and embodies a unique cultural heritage of the indigenous cultures and the Spanish who settled here in the 1500s.

Day 5  Merida Hacienda    
The Mayan ruins of Uxmal may not be as well-known as Chichen Itzá but they are similarly spectacular and with less visitors. If you're looking for something more active, then perhaps a kayaking trip in the Celestún Biosphere may hold more interest, the choice is yours. Flexibility is the order of the day for you to experience the Yucatan on your own terms.  

Day 6  Merida Hacienda to Tulum  
What was once a small unknown town on the Mayan Riviera has now become the next big thing. The ruins themselves are one of the very few Mayan site lying along the coast, and in its day Tulum was an important outpost for trade and for strategic positioning. The azure blue water and white sand beaches make it one of the most beautiful places you have ever seen.  

Day 7  Tulum  
Meaning ‘The Place Where the Sky is Born’, the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve is one of the most beautiful places along Mexico's Caribbean coast, designated as a UNESCO Heritage Site for its vast biodiversity and wetlands. Explore by boat along a network of canals dug out by the Mayans and search for wildlife like monkeys, crocodiles and tropical birds. Swim in the impossibly blue water and keep an eye out for manatees coming up for air in the mangrove shorelines.  

Day 8  Tulum    
The adventure finishes today, and you can depart at any time.