Day 1 - Tour members arrive and gather in Cancun and then transfer to                 in Tulum -  Along the way there will be a brief orientation.  At the hotel there will be a welcome reception and dinner. After dinner there will be a presentation by Dr. Gonzalo Merediz, Marine Biologist and Project Coordinator of the the Yucatan's Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site being developed as a model of sustainable development by the local population.  Sian Ka'an harbors more that 1.3 million acres of tropical forest, fresh and saltwater savannas and mangroves, beaches and coral reefs and is home to an amazing variety of flora and fauna including jaguar, puma, ocelot, spider and howler monkeys, tapir and more than 300 species of birds.  Also , as you will learn very well, the crocodile.  (D)

 

Day 2 - Tulum, Muyil, Sian Ka'an - After breakfast, tour members are transferred to the ancient walled Mayan city of Tulum, beautifully situated 45 feet above the Caribbean Sea.  This is the largest Mayan site built along any coast of the Mayan world.  The largest structure, El Castillo, is thought to have functioned as a lighthouse and watchtower.  The Temple of the Frescoes still has traces of the original murals that once covered the structures and the well-preserved "diving god". Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.  The tour will then continue to the site of Muyil with its unrestored steep pyramids and tall "roof combs". The tour then continues through the jungle to a nearby lagoon for a swim and a boat ride through the ancient Mayan canals of Sian Ka'an.  Later the tour will return to the hotel and proceed to dinner. (B, L, D)

              

Day 3 - Puerto Morelos Snorkeling and Diving, Marin Botanical Garden, Sian Ka'an Crocodile Tagging -  After breakfast, the tour will proceed to Puerto Morelos for snorkeling and/or scuba diving at the nearby National Underwater Park.  Then Dr. Martha Navarro will lead the group through the Jardin Botanico Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marin.  The gardens have been dedicated to Dr. Marin who dedicated the better part of his life to the study and preservation of the Maya way of life, their natural environment and their knowledge and use of the region's medicinal plants.  The garden is located on 120 acres of jungles and mangroves and features many of the native plants and well as many bird species and even monkeys.  Dr. Navarro will lecture on the flora of the garden and the Yucatan.  Lunch will be served at a local restaurant and take your time and enjoy - because on this night you will be participating in the Crocodile Research Program at Sian Ka'an, measuring and tagging crocodiles after the experts catch them and bring them on board your boat - an unforgettable experience! (B, L, D)

 

Day 4 - Cobá, Valladolid, Chichén Itzá - After breakfast today's Mayan tour journeys to Cobá, once a large city and the site of the tallest pyramid in the northern Yucatan. Cobá was a major trading center in the ancient Mayan world with a network of limestone covered roadways (sacbés), now covered by jungle, that once connected other trading partner cities.  Next the tour travels to Valladolid, a charming provincial town with a wonderful central square and market where locals still wear their traditional dress and speak the Mayan dialect of their ancestors.  Lunch will be served off the square at El Mesón del Marqués and will be followed by a city tour.  Afterwards the group will continue to Chichén Itzá for accommodations and dinner.  (B, L, D)

 

Day 5 - Chichén Itzá, Uxmal - Today the tour visits the spectacular Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzá.  Lunch will be included.  Later there will be a dinner and the Uxmal Light and Sound show.  (B, L, D)

 

Day 6 - Uxmal, Kabah, Loltun Caves, Merida - After breakfast the Mayan tour continues to Puerto Barrios, to  the Banana Palms beach resort for dinner and an overnight stay. (B, L, D)

   

Day 7 - Ek Balam, Ría Largatos, Cancun - The tour's day begins with breakfast in Merida and then an exploration of the extraordinary site of Ek Balam, a little gem of a Mayan city that is a real treat and should not be missed!  At Ek Balam there is the amazing tomb of the ruler of Ek Balam with an amazing and exquisite  stucco wall making up the opening of the tomb. The doorway to the tomb is made in the shape of a jaguar's mouth with fearsome looking fangs all around it. There are full figure statues with so much detail you can see the braids in their hair and the pattern of their loincloths. Hieroglyphs of corn sit next to warriors with skulls on their belts. In some places you can see some wall paintings in excellent shape. This unique stucco wall takes the breath away from even the most seasoned ruin buff and is in itself reason enough to visit Ek Balam. Its equal cannot be found anywhere else in the Mayan World.  Later, it's on to the Ría Largatos Biosphere Reserve which protects over 150,000 acres of near-pristine estuaries, mangroves, and tropical forests. Here, at times, over 10,000 pink flamingos migrate here. As the only mainland breeding and feeding areas for the pink flamingo in all of North America, the area was given biosphere status--the highest level of protection in Mexico—in 1979.  In addition to the pink flamingo, the coasts and wetlands of Ría Lagartos are important habitat for over 300 other species of birds, including herons, ducks, seagulls, and a number of migratory wading birds from the U.S. and Canada. The beaches of the reserve is the main nesting areas in Mexico for the endangered hawksbill sea turtle. Other endangered species such as jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay, and marsh and river crocodiles also find refuge in the reserve.  The it's back to Cancun for overnight accommodations.  (B, L, D)

 

Day 8 - Cancun - Transfers to Cancun International Airport for a return flight. (B)

 

 

Discounted Continental Airlines airfares are available with all our packages!

This Tour Includes:  

·        Services of a professional archaeological guide.  

·        Hotels and lodges, hotel taxes service charges, and tips for baggage handling.

·        Breakfasts (B) and Lunches (L) OR Dinners (D) as detailed in the tour description with Full Board available.

·        Carefully maintained air-conditioned motor coach; maximum 10 tour members per vehicle; experienced driver. 

·        All entrance fees to parks and archaeological sites are included in the program.

·        Complete program of sightseeing and cultural events as described.  

Please Note:  

·        Other accommodations could be substituted for like kind and quality based upon availability.

 

The Mayan Traveler/Tropical Travel

5 Grogan's Park, Suite 102

The Woodlands TX  77380

1-800-451-8017 / tel 281-367-3386 / fax 281-298-2335

email:  TheMayanTraveler@wt.net