From CAD $1,699 Was CAD $1,999
Guarantee
Small Group
Light
Rating
(20 reviews)
Experience Overview
This 14-day adventure through the heart of Mexico has so much to love. Kicking off in its buzzing capital and wrapping up on the white sands of the Mayan Riviera, you’ll eat your way through endless tacos and mole, exploring the country’s epic mountains, jungles, and waterfalls too. Throw in some ancient Mayan ruins like Palenque and Chichen Itzá — not to mention storied traditions and some of the friendliest people ever — and you have yourself a recipe for one tasty, tasty trip.
Highlights
- Hop on a boat tour and cruise through Sumidero Canyon
- Listen for howler monkeys as you explore the Mayan ruins of Palenque in the jungle
- Go for a dip in the Lagoon of the Seven Colours at Bacalar
- Take a guided tour of Chichen Itzá
Trip Details
Product Code: 1814
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Basic
Transport: Public bus, private vehicle, overnight bus, walking.
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
18 - 39 Year Olds Only
Supplier Code: CMMY
Starts: Mexico City, Mexico
Finishes: Tulum, Mexico
Duration: 14 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical rating:
Light
Includes
Activities
- Your G for Good Moment: Alebrijes Artisan Community Workshop, Oaxaca Your First Night Out Moment: Connect With New Friends Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group Your Foodie Moment: Oaxaca Market Visit With CEO, Oaxaca Your Discover Moment: San Cristobal de Las Casas - Free Time, San Cristóbal de Las Casas Your Big Night Out Moment: Tulum
- Mexico City street food crawl
- Alebrijes Artisan Community visit
- Boat trip to Sumidero Canyon
- Stop at Roberto Barrios Waterfall for a swim
- Tour the Mayan ruins in Palenque
- A boat adventure into a gorgeous lagoon in Bacalar
- Chichen Itzá ruins guided tour
- Free time in Mexico City, Oaxaca, Palenque, San Cristóbal de las Casas
- All transport between destinations and to/from included activities
Accommodation
- Simple hotels/hostels (12 nts), overnight bus (1 nt).
- 1 breakfast
Transport
- Public bus, private vehicle, overnight bus, walking.
Group Leader
- CEO (Chief Experience Officer) throughout, local guides.
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $1699 (CAD $121 /day)
Itinerary
Day 1: Mexico City
Arrive at any time.
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Connect with new friends on your first night out in a new destination. Only available on 18-to-Thirtysomethings tours.Activity - Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to 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.Accommodation - Hotel Benedicta
Day 2: Mexico City
Start the adventure off with a CEO-led walking tour through La Condesa and Roma neighborhoods. Stroll past bohemian cafes, bars, and restaurants. Your CEO will grab some street food snacks for the group ranging from street tacos to chilaquiles. Savour whatever you sample as you continue to get to know the area. Finish up the tour near the giant Bosque de Chapultepec. Then, spend the afternoon trying out the optional activities in the area like a visit to the ruins of Teotihuacán.
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Get the lay of the land during a walking tour of Mexico City with your CEO. Start by visiting the La Condesa and Roma neighborhoods. Wander past the bars, restaurants, and cafes. Sample some street food snacks purchased by your CEO. The tour ends at Bosque de Chapultepec.Free_time - Take advantage of free time to get to know Mexico City on your own. Choose from a variety of optional activities in the area, seek out some great food spots, or search for some unique gifts to bring back to your friends and family.Accommodation - Hotel Benedicta
Day 3: Mexico City/Oaxaca
Hit the road and travel south to Oaxaca from Mexico City. Once the group arrives we will head out for an orientation walk to the main square and some of the nearby markets. Soak in your first experience of the vibrant culture in Oaxaca. Enjoy a free evening to do as you please. Perhaps, find a lively restaurant and give your tastebuds something to dance about.
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.Activity - All walks will be slightly different, allowing your CEO to show off their favourite spots. You can expect to see the Santo Domingo Cultural Centre, walk through the zocalo and the famous 20th of November market. Opt to sample some delicious Oaxacan foods along the way such as mole, tlayudas or chapulines.Accommodation - Hostal Don Nino
Day 4: Oaxaca
Today, enjoy a free day for optional activities in Oaxaca until late afternoon. Explore local taverns, discover the vibrant indigenous culture in the area, sample food from lively markets, try mole, and mezcal and fully experience the allure of this Mexican city. Later your CEO will accompany the group to the market where you can try a tlayuda, a toasted tortilla with tons of different toppings like refried beans, shredded cabbage, salsa, meat, and cheese. Cap off the day with a visit to a local chocolate-making shop and a free evening to keep the adventure going.
Exclusive inclusions: Free_time - From museums and galleries to markets filled with locally produced arts and crafts, it's impossible to run out of things to do in Oaxaca. Choose to stroll down more of the streets off the main square in search of street art, check out the intricately designed black pottery, hand-woven Zapotec rugs in local shops, and take in panoramic views of the city from Cerro del Fortín.Activity - Your CEO will accompany the group to the market where you can try a tlayuda, a toasted tortilla with tons of different toppings like refried beans, shredded cabbage, salsa, meat, and cheese before capping off the day with a visit to a local chocolate-making shop.Accommodation - Hostal Don Nino
Day 5: Oaxaca/San Cristóbal
The group will have additional free time today in Oaxaca for other optional activities. Afterwards, visit the Alebrijes Artisan Community for your G for Good moment. Meet a local artisan, speak with them, ask any questions the group may have, and learn more about how these handicrafts are made. In the evening board and overnight bus to San Cristobal.
Exclusive inclusions: Free_time - Enjoy more free time in Oaxaca. Taste more delicious food from the markets, book an optional cooking class and learn how to make mole, or shop for keepsakes at the many local stores and craft markets with featuring work by the artists who call Oaxaca home.Transport - Curl up and catch a snooze en route to the next stop.Activity - Alebrijes were created by a Mexican artisan named Pedro Linares who was known for making piñatas and carnival masks. After falling ill and hallucinating crazy figures and creatures inside his mind, the artist decided to bring what he saw to life by creating the small figurines we know as Alebrijes. Often made of a mash-up between animals, these figurines are now made by Oaxacan artisans out of wood and then painted with vibrant pigments and lots of patterns. Learn more about how these figurines integrated themselves into Oaxacan/Mexican folklore and how the craft expanded from originally being made from cardboard to now being carved from Copal wood. Meet a local artisan and speak with them, ask any questions the group may have and to learn more about how the Alebrijes are crafted.Activity - Alebrijes were created by a Mexican artisan named Pedro Linares who was known for making piñatas and carnival masks. After falling ill and hallucinating crazy figures and creatures inside his mind, the artist decided to bring what he saw to life by creating the small figurines we know as Alebrijes. Often made of a mash-up between animals, these figurines are now made by Oaxacan artisans out of wood and then painted with vibrant pigments and lots of patterns. Learn more about how these figurines integrated themselves into Oaxacan/Mexican folklore and how the craft expanded from originally being made from cardboard to now being carved from Copal wood. Meet a local artisan and speak with them, ask any questions the group may have and to learn more about how the Alebrijes are crafted.
Day 6: San Cristóbal
Arrive early to Tuxtla Gutierrez, which is a city in southern Mexico and the capital of Chiapas. The group will travel by private bus to Sumidero Canyon for an included boat ride down the river. The trip is a few hours long and will take you through the canyon with some of the walls towering 2,500 feet above you. It's sure to make you feel small. Keep a lookout for the wildlife in the area and try to spot caves as you journey on. Afterwards, continue on to San Cristobal de las Casas where you will stop for the evening.
Meals included: Breakfast
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - Drive an hour before boarding a boat for a 2-hr journey through the deep Sumidero Canyon. Keep your eyes peeled for local wildlife, birds, monkeys and maybe even a river crocodile. Marvel at the tall waterfalls, hidden caves, and unusual rock formations along the Grijalva River. After, stop in a village to visit markets and enjoy lunch.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Accommodation - Hotel San Martin
Day 7: San Cristóbal
San Cristóbal de Las Casas is located in a high mountain valley at 2110m (6921 ft). Enjoy a free day to experience this city known for its 16th-century architecture. Opt to visit nearby indigenous Mayan villages to see their unique day-to-day, or visit Lagunas de Montebello National Park and the group of beautiful lakes near the Guatemalan border. You have a full day to do as you please and there are plenty of activities to try out.
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Enjoy a free day to experience this city known for its 16th-century architecture. Opt to visit nearby indigenous Mayan villages to see their unique day-to-day, or visit Lagunas de Montebello National Park and the group of beautiful lakes near the Guatemalan border.Accommodation - Hotel San Martin
Day 8: San Cristóbal/Palenque
Get ready for a full day of travel from San Cristóbal de Las Casas to Palenque. Along the way the group will stop to swim in the pristine turquoise waters of Roberto Barrios waterfall. Arrive to Palenque in the evening.
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Visit the Zapatista community of Roberto Barrios and swim in stunning turquoise cascade waterfalls. Then, join an agroecological experience at the Pej'Pem Center you will support local entrepreneurship and the sustainable transformation of communities in Chiapas.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Accommodation - Hotel Maya Tulipanes
Day 9: Palenque
Enjoy a guided tour of the impressive Mayan ruins of Palenque followed by free time for an optional jungle trail hike, or just relax at the hotel keeping an eye out for nearby birds and wildlife.
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Experience the elegant jungle site of Palenque on a guided tour. See the highlights -- the Temple of the Cross Group, Temple of Inscriptions and the Grand Palace. Howler monkeys sound in the distance as the fog rolls in and out of this mystical site, one of the most important centres for trade and culture during the end of the Classic Maya period.Free_time - Enjoy a free afternoon for an optional jungle hike or otherwise just kick back at the hotel and listen to the sounds of the jungle. Ask your CEO for more recommendations should you need them.Accommodation - Hotel Maya Tulipanes
Day 10: Palenque/Bacalar
Spend the day travelling to Bacalar in the eastern part of Mexico from Palenque. Sit back as the scenery changes outside your window and rest up for the next part of the trip.
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Accommodation - Bacalar Magico Hotel
Day 11: Bacalar
Spend a full free day enjoying optional activities in the area, or just relax and keep the good vibes going.
Exclusive inclusions: Free_time - Take advantage of free time for optionals in the area. Explore the San Felipe Bacalar Fort or visit the lagoon again for some kayaking.Accommodation - Bacalar Magico Hotel
Day 12: Bacalar/Valladolid
The group is in for a treat this morning with an included boating adventure in the lagoon. In the afternoon it's onward to Valladolid. Travel north and inland from Bacalar to a city on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Upon arrival your CEO will lead you on an orientation walk of the small Mayan town filled with quaint taverns, vibrant indigenous culture, and loads of street food vendors. Smell the delicious aromas as you walk and sample a few snacks along the way.
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Head out into the Bacalar lagoon by boat this morning for a fun adventure. Start by visiting the Canal de los Piratas for a swim in the clear waters. Then, visit Cenote Negro, an open-air cenote and also the deepest point in the entire lagoon. From there the boat will stop at Cenote Esmeralda to admire the different shades of blue. Finally stop at Cenote Cocalitos, home to stromatolites, which are living stones that are thought to be the oldest form of life on Earth. Here you’ll enjoy a prepared picnic featuring fresh fruit.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - 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 smelling the delicious aromas from the street food vendors. Sample some delicious treats and get to know this vibrant Mayan town.Accommodation - Hotel Santa Ana
Day 13: Valladolid/Tulum
After a short, but sweet visit in Valladolid the group will travel to the Chichen Itzá ruins for a guided tour. These ruins hold the history, beliefs, and rituals that defined ancient Mayan civilization. See the Pyramid of Kukulcan, the famous Castillo, the cenote, and the Nunnery. Afterwards, travel to Tulum for a free evening. Tulum is filled with trendy beach clubs where you can dance the night away, or stretch out on white sand beaches to admire the colors at sunset.
Exclusive inclusions: Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Activity - 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.Transport - Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.Free_time - Take this time to soak in the spectacular coastline of Tulum. Swim in the cobalt waters off of the white sand beaches. Hunt down some delicious street food and have a picnic in the sand. Or if you're still feeling adventurous, head out for some cave and cavern exploring in the nearby cenotes.Activity - Enjoy a night out on the town with your travel friends and truly let your hair down in the fun and lively atmosphere of Tulum.Accommodation - Hotel Casa Colonial
Day 14: Tulum
Depart at any time.
Exclusive inclusions: Activity - Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.
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Tour Operator
G Adventures
G Adventures, founded in 1990 by Bruce Poon Tip, is a global adventure travel company specializing in small-group tours that emphasize authentic, sustainable, and culturally immersive experiences. Originally launched as GAP Adventures (“Great Adventure People”), the company pioneered the concept of community-driven travel by offering affordable trips that connect travelers with local communities while minimizing environmental impact. Today, G Adventures operates in more than 100 countries, offering a wide range of itineraries across themes such as active adventures, wildlife, wellness, family, and National Geographic–partnered tours, while maintaining a strong commitment to responsible tourism and social enterprise through its Planeterra Foundation.
In Business Since 1990
Reviews
Mark Jan A. - Traveled, November 2023
Overall super satisfied, but there is always room for improvement
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/30/2023
William D. - Traveled, November 2023
I have enjoyed every tour I've taken with G
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/30/2023
Tristan G. - Traveled, November 2023
I had a great experience and the group tour made it very easy to travel and much less stressful.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/09/2023
Donald H. - Traveled, November 2023
Juan Carlos was amazing, he made everything so smooth and got us doing some really adventurous things that we might not have without his encouragement and confidence.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/09/2023
AndrŽ H. - Traveled, November 2023
it's all planned, you've got a guide with you, who you can for help ask anytime! you meet new people from different countries - just perfection!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/09/2023
Sandra B. - Traveled, November 2023
Very well organized, good recommendations on site from the guide, very nice group
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/09/2023
David T. - Traveled, November 2023
It was excellent
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 12/09/2023
Eve A. - Traveled, October 2023
It was great to see things I may have missed had I not been on a tour. It was also great to be surrounded by like minded people who also love to travel
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/25/2023
Rebecca H. - Traveled, October 2023
I travelled with G Adventures this time last year and had an incredible time (I did the Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam trip), so I booked this trip with the same excitement for some more adventures. Sadly, for various reasons, I didn't have a great time, in all honestly ? for reasons this review will go on to talk about. I think the company is great, but for many reasons this trip didn't come together, so in all honestly, it has put me off doing another G Adventures, which is a real shame.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/25/2023
Sienna B. - Traveled, October 2023
it was a well mapped out trip but definitely had issues with the CEO (may have been like a one off poor CEO though)
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/25/2023
Eleanor J. - Traveled, October 2023
I had a really good time and really enjoyed the previous trip I did with you around Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. However I did not feel the same about the Viva Mexico trip I just did
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/25/2023
Oliver N. - Traveled, September 2023
This tour was my 7th G Adventures tour, the standard and organization of the trip is always 10/10 and never disappoints.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/21/2023
Jessica H. - Traveled, September 2023
I had a really good time
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/21/2023
Robert C. - Traveled, September 2023
Easier than independent travel but still adventurous.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/21/2023
Grace F. - Traveled, September 2023
Detailed, thoughtful, immersive tours & brilliant, educated, kind guides
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/21/2023
Jack W. - Traveled, September 2023
I have been on a lot of tours with G Adventures, and really enjoyed them, but the most recent was too crowded.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/21/2023
Janelle P. - Traveled, September 2023
I had a really great time, but there were a few things I didn't like
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/21/2023
Gregory - Traveled, May 2024
I've been fortunate to have traveled extensively over the past 20 years to many countries and this was one of my best experiences, thanks in large part to my guide Damaris. Damaris really enjoys her job and loves sharing the true Mexican experience with travelers, many of whom only know Mexico as home to coastal resorts and all-inclusives. She made an extra effort to introduce our group to the "real" Mexico and had many surprises for us along the way. She's also great at keeping everyone together in a group (which is not easy). The structure of the tour is also really nice. It allows more independent travelers such as myself to spend their days exploring on their own, while others who prefer a traditional group tour can join day tours to many sites led by knowledgeable guides. Then everybody reconnects in the evening and shares their stories. I felt totally safe the entire time and Damaris took us on hour-long orientation walks in each city, which were extremely helpful. My arrival transfer didn't show timely at the airport, but I won't hold that against them. Taxi was easy to find and they refunded me immediately. Great experience! Thank you!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/06/2024
Sarah - Traveled, March 2024
Excellent trip. Fabulous guide well informed and extremely helpful. Well organized and so much variety
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 04/19/2024
Willie - Traveled, February 2024
Kevin was an excellent guide. Hotels in all of the centers were very good with the exception of the hotel in Puerto Vallarta. This Hotel was in a very noisy section of town. Time in Mexico city requires fine tuning for example a brief city tour would be useful.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 03/28/2024
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