What better place to start off your trip through Mexico! Playa del Carmen sits on the Mayan Riviera with miles of unspoiled, white, sandy beaches and crystal-clear Caribbean waters. And when you tire of sitting on the beach marvelling at the ever-changing aquamarine colours of the ocean, check out the restaurants, sidewalk cafes, handicraft stores. Night life in Playa is varied, depending on your taste: from a quiet last night out at a local Mexican restaurant to dancing the night away at one of the towns famous dance clubs, there’s something for everyone! As our time in Playa is limited, you may wish to book one or two nights of pre tour accommodation in order to explore the town and the surrounding area.

We continue up the highway towards Cancun, our jumping off point for the beautiful Caribbean island of Isla de Mujeres. This really is a fabulous place to kick back and relax on powder white beaches lapped by the warm, turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.   Indulge in some fine Margarita’s at a beach side bar or perhaps take an optional snorkelling trip.  From Isla Mujeres we travel to the Mayan site of Chichén Itza, one of the most spectacular ruins open to visitors. Built by the Mayans around AD 600-900, the city is dominated by the imposing ‘Castillo’, the huge pyramid in the centre, and the massive ball court, where they say the captain of the winning team was sacrificed – sacrifice was supposedly a great honour! We then journey on to steamy Mérida, capital of the Yucatan State. From here you could opt to visit Uxmal, a significant Mayan site along the Puuc Ruta. Mérida is a vibrant city and home to the traditional Mexican hammock. You will find a huge array of designs, colours and styles, as well as many other shopping opportunities.  From Merida we travel to the ancient Mayan city of Palenque. Palenque is an impressive archaeological site; an emerald jungle setting with many excavated temples and pyramids. Built at the height of the Classic period, it is one of the most beautiful and impressive of all the Mayan Ruins. We stay at cabanas in the forest  and we will also visit the nearby waterfalls of Agua Azul and Mishol Ha, with opportunities to swim amongst the spray and mist or explore the fern-lined trails between the dozens of waterfalls which cascade down the mountainside.

San Cristobal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas, nestles in the Jovel Valley. The city has a Bohemian feel to it but at the same time its people cling to their ancient Indian traditions. This is a great place to browse the markets and pick up some colourful weavings and other beautiful handicrafts. There are opportunities to relax in traditional cafes and enjoy steaming cups of the locally grown coffee. We take a trip to nearby, indigenous villages and learn more about their mysterious customs plus there’s the option to visit the stunning Sumidero Canyon.  In the evenings, enjoy a night out Salsa dancing at a local candlelit bar – San Cristobal is a great place to spend a fantastic couple of days!From here we take a night bus to our next stop, the beautiful city of Oaxaca. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, the city is a wonderful mixture of gorgeous colonial architecture and indigenous culture. There are many wonderful sights to see such as the Santo Domingo Church and the incredible, indigenous markets and food halls. Maybe enjoy dinner in the main plaza, listening to a Mariachi band and watching the world stroll past. We will visit the nearby ruined city of Monte Alban, situated on top of a hill overlooking the valley. These ruins were declared a World Heritage Trust Site in 1987 as well as being the ancient capital of the Zapotec Culture.

We make an early morning start towards Taxco, a beautiful, colonial city renowned for being the world capital of silver. We take some time to explore the maze of cobbled streets and alleyways, and discover a world of whitewashed houses with terracotta roofs, and colonial churches set on the steep hillsides. Taxco’s claim to fame is the silver that it produces and this is a fantastic place to browse the artists’ workshops and learn about the city’s silver-mining past.

Mexico City is one of the most populated in the world. Founded in 1521 by the Spaniards, the city was built on the remains of an Aztec city called Tenochtitlan. It is now a modern and bustling metropolis, with beautiful colonial architecture around every corner. In the evening, you can discover the wonderful Plaza Garibaldi, listening to the Mariachi bands and tasting some of the many different kinds of tequila. We travel north to the imposing ruins of Teotihuacan, meaning ‘The place of Gods’. Dating from around 300 BC, the ruins were once a fully functioning city filled with ceremonial centres, artists, merchants and labourers. Wander down the ‘Avenue of the Dead’, climb the magnificent Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, and just marvel at the grandeur of this ancient city. Your tour finishes mid-afternoon on Day 14 and you may want to spend an extra day or two in Mexico City in order to visit the ‘Centro Historico’, the main Zocolo with the Cathedral – the oldest and largest in Latin America. There is also the Diego Rivera Museum and the fabulous National Museum of Anthropology.