Culture & Natural Immersion in the Yucatan Peninsula
12 Days
Culture & Natural Immersion in the Yucatan Peninsula
12 Days
Destinations: Valladolid – Yalcobá – Chichén Itzá – Yokdzonot – Nuevo Durango – Tulum – Felipe Carrillo Puerto – Bacalar – Calakmul.
Highlights
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Enjoy Maya cuisine in a gastronomic workshop in Nuevo Durango
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Float through the ancient water canals of Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
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Stay overnight in the home of a local family and experience a cultural immersion
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Local crafts and archaeology, explore the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve
- From as little as $250 USD per person/day
DAY 1 - Self drive from Cancun Airport to your Hotel in Valladolid
Self drive (approx 2 hours)
- Self drive
DAY 2 - Visit Yalcobá and learn about the daily life of a Mayan community
Visit Yalcobá, a Mayan community near Valladolid, and enjoy a day of cultural immersion. You will have a full day of adventure and fun, here you will have a guided tour through the Milpa and the Mayan jungle, you will explore caves, and wonderful virgin cenotes where you can swim and abseil. Then you will have the opportunity to stroll through the craft workshop, which is distinguished by its beautiful dreamcatchers and comfortable hammocks. Mayan gastronomy is also one of the many treasures you will find here. You will taste the delicious typical dishes of the region during a lunch in the community.
DAY 3 - Visit Chichen Itza and swim in the mystical cenote of Yokdzonot
Today you will meet your local guide to visit the archaeological site of Chichen Itza. This pre-Hispanic city is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was once the most revered centre of worship and pilgrimage on the Yucatan Peninsula.
Then, you will have lunch and swim in the cenote of Yokdzonot. In 2005, a group of women from the rural community of Yokdzonot, Yucatan, organized to transform the Mayan cenote of their village into a unique ecotourism site. The cenotes were the main source of water supply in the middle of the Mayan jungle, which motivated the development of cities and settlements. They were also seen as symbolic settings and spaces for rain, life, death, rebirth and fertility rituals. This is why they were so sacred to this culture. This cenote is quite unknown, so it is not as crowded as others and its waters have a cool temperature to mitigate the heat outside.
DAY 4 - Gastronomic Workshop at Nuevo Durango Community
Today you will head to Nuevo Durango, a small community characterised by being a traditional Mayan village that has managed to maintain its cultural identity both in language and customs and has been driven by activities such as ecotourism and organic food production. Your local English-speaking guide will be waiting for you for a gastronomic workshop lasting approximately 4 to 5 hours.
Here you will have the opportunity, not only to enjoy a traditional meal (depending on the season), but you will be part of the whole process, from collecting fresh ingredients from the garden such as onions, tomatoes, avocado, lemons, oranges and everything you need to cook with members of the community some of their typical dishes among which we can find the cochinita and chicken pibil. Finally, you will be able to enjoy the food and an atmosphere of music and songs representative of Mexico and the Mayan culture.
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DAY 5 - Chemuyil Cenotes & Tulum Archaeological Site
Your adventure begins in the community of Chemuyil, a small beachfront town with plentiful white sand beaches and shallow waters. This project was initiated by 5 young people from the community of Chemuyil who seek to introduce and preserve the cenotes where they used to live and play during their childhood. Their initiative allows the visitor to explore virgin forests, discover the fauna, and become one with nature. You will be assigned a bicycle and start cycling through the charming town of Chemuyil. There you will continue your bike tour to visit 3 different cenotes of different shapes and sizes.
Then, you will visit one of Mexico’s most emblematic archaeological sites declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Together with your local English-speaking guide you will take a tour of approximately 1 hour and a half to learn why these ruins played a particularly important role in the maritime and land trade of the Mayan area, as well as functioning as an astronomical observatory and defensive system. This Mayan city is located in the middle of a mangrove ecosystem and on a cliff facing the beautiful Caribbean Sea, which makes it a unique and spectacular place.
DAY 6 - Ancient Canal at Sian Ka’an Reserve - homestay in Felipe Carrillo Puerto
Today you will visit the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, which in Mayan means “a place where the sky is born”. You will be transferred to the Muyil dock where you will take a boat to navigate through the reserve visiting the Muyil and Chunyaxche lagoons until arriving at the Xlapak dock. Once there, enjoy a serene dip in the water. It is a moment of reconnection with mother earth, as you float slowly through the channels of crystalline waters surrounded by mangroves and the soft sounds of the local birds and other animals. After this magical experience, you will visit the Capelchen Lagoon where with a little luck you will be able to observe manatees and crocodiles in their natural habitat. Back to Muyil where you will be welcomed back with a traditional meal to complete the excursion.
Then, you will continue to Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Here you will be welcomed by a local family, who will open the doors of their home to invite you to spend the next two nights. You will enjoy dinner with them.
DAY 7 - Mayan classes and kayak tour in the Sijil Noh Lagoon
You will have breakfast with your local family. Then you will participate in a 2 hours of Maya language class. Continue your day with a cooking workshop where you will prepare chicken en pib (buried), make tortillas, salsa and juice. Then, you will have time to enjoy your own creation. After the lunch, you will visit the Maya cemetery, and participate in a Traditional Maya ceremony. Finally, you will visit the local lagoon Sijil Noh Ha where you will have the opportunity of swimming and kayaking. Dinner with your local family.
DAY 8 - Transfer to Bacalar to enjoy the lagoon of 7 colour
A true paradise awaits travelers in Bacalar Lagoon.
The town sits on the Lagoon of Seven Colors, a lake nicknamed for its beautifully colored water, which makes it the perfect place for stunning sunsets, fresh seafood, and cenote swimming.
Let's plan your trip
DAY 9 - Bacalar Lagoon catamaran sailing boat tour
You will start your tour at the Bacalar dock, where you will board a catamaran sailing boat with your local English-speaking guide. This shared experience lasts 3 to 4 hours, and you will start english toward the south of the lagoon. During the tour, you will enjoy fresh fruit, fruit water, water or beer while you observe and learn about the importance of the mangroves. It is a perfect opportunity to connect with nature sustainably since you will only need the wind to navigate and avoid polluting the ecosystem.
You will visit the famous “Pirates Channel” where you can swim and snorkel. Then, you will continue to the Cenote de la Bruja or Cenote Negro; here, you will also be able to explore its waters and enjoy the colors of the different depths. You will also visit the Isla de Los Pájaros, a locally declared sanctuary, where you will see several species of birds and the famous shades of blue of the Bacalar Lagoon. Finally, you will venture to Cenote Esmeralda, an area of outstanding beauty.
DAY 10 - Workshops and hiking in Mayan communities
You will head to 20 de noviembre Mayan community. First you will explore the richness of the natural heritage area, here you will have a tour on unique trails in the jungle where you will have the opportunity to observe native flora and fauna and appreciate the reforestation initiatives carried out by the community.
Then you will visit Rogelio and his family who will welcome you in their workshop to show you their original crafts made with local materials. His specialty is stone carving, such as limestone, petrified fossils, quartz and obsidian and creating tablets with their own designs inspired by the Mayan culture. With materials such as jade he creates jewelry objects such as earrings and charms. For visitors they offer a complete experience that includes the explanation of the technique and demonstration of stone carving, to then play to become an archaeologist, looking for a piece hidden in the garden of the workshop. To finish, you will have the opportunity to try to carve your stucco piece and take it as a souvenir.
DAY 11 - Explore the ancient archeological site of Calakmul
This tour will allow you to see the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Calakmul. You will start the visit early in the morning and during the 60 kilometers that lead you to the archaeological site, you will have the opportunity to appreciate the rich biodiversity of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. On the way it is possible to observe the ocellated turkey, hoco pheasant, coati, spider monkey and howler monkey. Upon reaching the archaeological site, you will visit its main monuments and the famous structures I and II that give the site its name. You will learn about its history, architecture, daily life in the city, Mayan rituals and ceremonies. The site covers 25km2 and there are 6224 structures in total, of which 21 can be visited. At the end you will head again to Bacalar where you will spend the night.
DAY 12 - Self drive from Bacalar to Chetumal Airport
Self drive to Chetumal International Airport.
- Self drive
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See more itinerary examples
History in Tulum
- Tulum Archaeological Site
- The Mayan underworld
- Explore Coba by bike
- Punta Laguna Nature Reserve
- Float in the Biosphere Reserve
Yucatan Peninsula
- Gastronomic workshop
- Canal float
- Cultural immersion
- Calakmul Biosphere Reserve
- Bacalar Lagoon catamaran
Culture & Natural Immersion
- Explore subterranean world
- Archaeological site of Tulum
- Swimming with beautiful turtles
- 7-color lagoon of Bacalar
- Swimming with Whale Sharks
