23| Mexico City + Palenque + Extension Playa Del Carmen | 15 Days - 14 Nights

23| Mexico City + Palenque + Extension Playa Del Carmen | 15 Days – 14 Nights

An extended tour for those who are looking for places with a deep culture and historic legacy, full of museums, history, pyramids and nature that will allow to navigate through the authentic history, traditions, ethnicity, lifestyle and the intellectuality of well-preserved cultures. Hidden throughout the vast tropical forest, you will find Mayan pyramids which are amazing is architecture, series of nature waterfalls and mountainous landscapes that will make you feel between giants and to restart you battery, you will have the opportunity to relax on the shore of the Caribbean…

Monuments / Attractions Envisaged

Mexico City: National Palace, The Metropolitan Cathedral, Tenochtitlan Templo Mayor Pyramids, National Anthropology Museum, Teotihuacan Pyramids, Virgin of Guadalupe Shrine.

Palenque: Temple of Inscriptions, Royal Pakal Tomb, The Palace, The Temples of the Cross, The Temples of the Jaguar, The Temple of the Sun.

Roberto Rios Waterfalls: Natural waterfalls and swimming.

Bonampak: Temple of the Paintings, the Great Plaza, Stelaes, Frey Group.

Yaxchilan: Great Plaza, The Acropolis, The Labyrinth, Lintels and Stelaes.

Playa del Carmen: Sightseeing on the City.

Accommodation Overview

As part of the Mexico City and Palenque tour you will be staying at a selection of four star hotels.

Equipped with modern day facilities, these hotels are known to offer the utmost care and comfort along with high standards of service.

Accommodation for your tour will be as described below, at the following property:

3 Nights at Hotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar in Mexico City on Bed and Breakfast basis.

3 Nights at Plaza Palenque 4* or Similar in Palenque on Bed and Breakfast basis.

8 Nights at Sian Ka’an/Hacienda Paradise/Illusion Boutique 4* or Similar in Playa del Carmen on Bed and Breakfast basis.

Hotel Royal Reforma 4* – An executive hotel that combines comfort and service in a perfect way, it is distinguished by its 100% safety contemporary facilities and its strategic location between 3 of the most important avenues in Mexico City and which places it in the main financial area, near of the best entertainment and recognized shopping centers.

Plaza Palenque 4* – Just 15 minutes from the archaeological site of Palenque, this luxury hotel with tropical gardens, pool and restaurant, offers colorful and refreshing rooms. Here you will find comfort and a perfect family atmosphere surrounded by an impressive natural landscape and unique Mexican dishes.

Hotel Sian 4* Ka’an/Hacienda Paradise/Illusion Boutique 4* – With an strategic location in Playa Del Carmen, each property is located in the main area of the City, just a few steps from the 5th Avenue which is the principal touristic area, near of shops, restaurants, bars, Mayan culture entertainment and local nightlife. Here you will find comfortable and elegantly furnished rooms reflecting the nature and with a minimalist decor.

* Please note that should accommodation in the above listed hotel not be available at the time of your visit we will offer a similar standard.

Board Basis (Meal Plan) & Included Services

Welcome greeting at the airport in Mexico City, Oaxaca and Cancun.

Flight tickets: Mexico City to Villahermosa and Villahermosa to Cancun

Transportation in air conditioned vehicles.

English speaking guide during the days of the tour.

14 nights accommodation at the hotel mentioned above in DBL occupancy.

Daily breakfast at all the above hotel.

Visits mentioned in the itinerary, including entrance fees to the archaeological sites.

Government taxes.

Exclusions

Expenses of personal nature like tipping, laundry, telephone/fax calls, alcoholic/non- alcoholic beverages, camera/video camera fee at monuments, medical expenses, airport taxes, any insurance etc.

Any meals other than the mentioned.

Gratuities in hotel (maids and bell boys).

Gratuities during the excursions (tour guide & driver).

Information

15 Days - 14 Nights

Mexico City & Country Center

Departure/Starting City

Mexico City
Hotels during Tour

Hotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar (Mexico City) | Hotel Plaza Palenque (Palenque) | Hotel Sian Ka’an/Hacienda Paradise/Illusion Boutique 4* or Similar (Playa del Carmen)

From Our Gallery

Day 1: Arrival in Mexico City

Welcome at Mexico City International airport and transfer to the hotel.

Overnight in Mexico City | Hotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis

Day 2: Mexico City. City Tour & Anthropology Museum

After an included breakfast, you board a Mexico City guided tour visiting major attractions. We start where it all began, at the Zocalo. You will see the National Palace with an extended series of mural paintings that show a graphic evolution of the history of the country which were painted by Diego Rivera. The Metropolitan Cathedral, the oldest and largest cathedral in Latin America, is a spectacular building intended to distract the Aztec people from their own previous believes and convert them to the new religion. Right behind the Cathedral you can find the “Tenochtitlan Templo Mayor Pyramids” which were part of the big ceremonial center of the Aztecs. Templo Mayor was not only the most visible sight of an immense aborigine urban complex, but also represented the cosmic center of the universe for the Aztecs. You will drive by the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a 19th Century all white marble building functioning as a theater as well as an art museum, with many fine sculptures. To get a feeling of the city you will drive along the Paseo de la Reforma Avenue which was inspired by the “Champs Elysees” of Paris until you reach and visit the National Anthropology Museum, the largest in its type in the world.

Overnight in Mexico City | Hotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis

Day 3: Mexico City – Guadalupe Shrine - Teotihuacan – Mexico City

After breakfast you will take a guided excursion to the outstanding Teotihuacan Pyramids, starting with a visit to the Virgin of Guadalupe Shrine. This church is a place of pilgrimage for millions of Mexicans and followers from all over the world. The day will then dedicate a visit to the ancient archaeological zone of Teotihuacan, north of Mexico City. This was the Toltec-Aztec ceremonial center of Teotihuacan, an archeological site with buildings bigger and as impressive or more, as the Egyptian pyramids. These monumental buildings where constructed by Toltec architects, a very advanced culture dominated by the Aztecs before the colonization of Mexico. You will see its impressive Toltec pyramids dedicated to the sun and the moon, the Quetzalcoatl Temple and the fortresses, the largest monuments of their type in the world.

Overnight in Mexico City | Hotel Royal Reforma 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 105 km

Day 4: Mexico City – Flight to Villahermosa – Palenque

Transfer from the Hotel to Mexico City International Airport to board a flight to Villahermosa. Arrival in Villahermosa and transfer to Palenque (2:30 hrs aprox). Afternoon at leisure to explore the town.

Overnight in Palenque | Hotel Plaza Palenque 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 900 km

Day 5: Palenque – Roberto Barrios Waterfalls – Palenque.

In the morning we will visit the archaeological site of Palenque. This ancient Mayan City reached its peak from the sixth to the eighth centuries A.D. Palenque, is a more rigidly conservative architecture compared to other Classic Maya sites. Still Palenque is one of the most enigmatical Sites and has held its secrets for over twelve hundred years. The setting is nestled against the mountain wall, surrounded by flourishing vegetation deep in the rain forest. You will see endless levels of Maya man-made terraces, bearing uncounted structures, most of which appear to have been mausoleums. You will find a marked contrast between Palenque and other Classic Maya sites. The most outstanding buildings are: The Temple of the Inscriptions, a majestic pyramid with a secret crypt; The Fabulous Royal Pakal Tomb; with an exquisitely engraved monolithic sarcophagus; The Palace with a four story high square tower, probably used as an astronomical observatory; The Temples of the Cross, The Temples of The Jaguar and The Temple of The Sun. Palenque added additional roof toppings to its buildings producing an extra height, compared to other Classic Buildings. Continue to Roberto Barrios waterfalls. Roberto Barrios is a lovely waterfall visited by both tourists and locals. Some people prefer it to other falls in the area due to its less crowded condition. Make a dive and spend part of the day surrounded by nature and the powerful sound of water falling into a blue natural pool. The falls are not as high as in other similar spots near Palenque, but what makes Roberto Barrios special is how numerous the falls are. After the visit we will return to Palenque.

Overnight in Palenque | Hotel Plaza Palenque 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 78 km

Day 6: Palenque – Bonampak – Yaxchilán – Palenque

Today we will depart early in the morning to visit the Bonampak ruins, discovered in 1946. It is famous for its well-preserved and colorful wall paintings, which adorn the interior of the multi-room temple and reflect the traditions of the Maya. Then we will continue to Yaxchilán. No roads lead to this place, which is located on a large “U” bend on the Usumacinta river, 75 miles south-east of Palenque, in the jungle of the Lacandon Rainforest on the Guatemalan border. No roads lead to the site, it is reached by boat, from Frontera Corozal. Yaxchilan was first inhabited around 200 A.D., but most of the structures at the site date from about 500 to 800 A.D. included in the Classic Period. The sacred city was dominated by the cult of the Jaguar dynasty, beginning with Yat-Balam, or Penis of the Jaguar, in 320 A.D., and reached it's peak during the reigns of Escudo-Balam, or Shield-Jaguar, and his son, Pajaro-Balam, or Bird-Jaguar, who ruled from 681 to 771 A.D., building many of the supreme temples and most of the engraved Stalls and hieroglyphics on the monuments at the site. Like most Classic Mayan sites, Yaxchilan was apparently abandoned shortly after 800 A.D. The city consists of a series of long plazas and terraces, surrounded by numerous buildings situated on the shoreline above the “U” bend of the river; as well as, a series of magnificent hilltop temple complexes set high above the Main Plaza. The site continues to the east, well beyond the Main Plaza, but this area has not been explored and is not open to the public. Numerous large carved stalls and hieroglyphics have been recovered from the site, as well as some of the finest carved lintels in all Mexico. After the visit we will take the boat back to Frontera Corozal and then back to Palenque.

Overnight in Palenque | Hotel Plaza Palenque 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 355 km

Day 7: Palenque – Villahermosa – Flight to Cancun - Playa del Carmen

Transfer from Palenque to Villahermosa Airport to board a flight to your beach destination. Arrival in Cancun, pickup at the airport and transfer to hotel in Playa del Carmen.

Overnight in Playa del Carmen | Selected Hotel 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis | Travelling Distance Approx. 1055 km

Day 8 -14: Playa del Carmen

Days at leisure.

Overnight in Playa del Carmen | Selected Hotel 4* or Similar | Standard room on Bed & Breakfast basis

Day 15: Playa del Carmen - Cancun International Airport

Departure transfer to Cancun Airport.

Travelling Distance Approx. 55 km