Yucatan Hacienda Tour

Day 1 — Cancun

Arriving in the late afternoon or early evening, you will be met at the airport and transferred the short distance to your overnight hotel.

There may not be any haciendas in or around Cancun but the Marriott Courtyard, with its faux colonial style and pleasant garden, does at least provide visitors with an immediate feel for the country.

Day 2 — Cancun to Chichen Itza

After breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel by your knowledgeable Driver / Guide, your guide for the duration of your Hacienda Tour. Departing Cancun, in no time at all you will be heading inland along the fast toll road that links the east coast with Merida in the west.

After a little under three hours you will exit the toll road for a quick tour of the charming, colonial-era town of Valladolid. After exploring town with your guide, and a break for lunch, it is then just a short 30-minute drive to Chichen Itza and your accommodation for the next two nights, Hacienda Chichen Itza.

Dating back to the early 16th century, the Hacienda Chichen Itza is one of the oldest such properties in the Yucatan and, as with almost every other such hacienda in the region, it evolved to satisfy the huge global demand for sisal.

With the collapse in the sisal trade, many haciendas were abandoned and left to rot in the tropical heat. Fortunately for the Hacienda Chichen Itza, it was bought by Edward Thompson, US Vice Consul to Mexico and a man with a strong interest in Mayan history. It was he who invited the renowned Carnegie Institute of America to set up their local HQ at the Hacienda in 1923.

As a fitting reminder of this important period in the Hacienda’s history, the guest rooms that clients enjoy today are the very same cottages that the first archaeologists occupied while excavating the nearby ruins.

Bordering the ruins and spread out over 20 acres, the Hacienda Chichen Itza also boasts its own Wildlife Sanctuary and beautiful gardens. Many of the indigenous plants from this garden are used at the hotel’s Yaxkin Spa which reflects traditional Mayan customs in many of its treatments.

After your long flight yesterday, and the drive from the coast this morning, we suggest taking the afternoon off to explore the property and surrounding gardens or to simply relax by the pool.

Day 3 — Chichen Itza (Ruins & Cenote)

One of the great advantages of staying at the Hacienda Chichen Itza is that the property is right next to the ruins, the most famous of all Mayan sites in Mexico.

As Chichen Itza receives more visitors than any other Mayan site, and to avoid the heat of the day, we would always recommend starting your exploration of the ruins as early as possible.

As one of the largest of all the Mayan cities, and certainly the most comprehensively excavated, one could spend days, not just hours, exploring its ruins. However, many of the sites most famous and important structures, such as the Temple of Kukulkan and Ball Court are clustered close together making it possible to enjoy the key highlights of Chichen Itza in half a day.

For more details on the site, please visit our dedicated Chichen Itza page.

Having returned to the Hacienda for a spot of lunch, you will then set off by car to visit a nearby cenote, one of the most famous natural features of the Yucatan Peninsula and a great place to spend a relaxing afternoon.

Day 4 — Chichen Itza to Izamal

Departing Chichen Itza in the morning, you’ll continue your journey west for an hour or so towards another of the Yucatan Peninsula’s charming little towns, Izamal.

Known as the Yellow City, for reasons that will be abundantly clear as soon as you arrive, many visitors bypass Izamal altogether although we feel that it’s well worth a stop-over.

Although typically referred to as a colonial town, Izamal was settled by the Mayans hundreds of years before the arrival of the Spanish. Unfortunately, most of the buildings dating back to this era were destroyed by the Spanish and / or built on top of. One of the few, surviving structures is Kinich Kak Mo, a huge pyramid that can be climbed for views over town.

Of the colonial-era buildings in Izamal, none stand out quite like the Convento de San Antonio de Padua, the central cloister of which is second in size only to St Peter’s in Rome.

Departing Izamal after lunch, it is then an approximate 30-minute drive to Cholul and the beautiful Hacienda San Jose.

Having checked in at the property, the remainder of the afternoon is free for you to explore the extensive grounds or simply relax by the enticing swimming pool.

Day 5 — Izamal to Campeche via Uxmal

Departing Hacienda San Jose and continuing west, you will skirt around the city of Merida before heading south towards Campeche.

Midway to Campeche, and for the first time on your holiday, the road climbs slightly as you reach the Puuc hills, home to a number of Mayan sites including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Uxmal.

Although not as large as Chichen Itza, Uxmal receives far fewer visitors and is regarded as the most architecturally sophisticated of all Mayan cities.

Pre-dating Chichen Itza, Uxmal was one of the largest and most prominent Mayan cities in the Yucatan Peninsula although its history is a relatively short one. Thought to have been founded near the start of the 8th century, the city grew in size and power over the next two hundred years and yet, by the start of the 13th century, it lay almost entirely abandoned.

Uxmal can easily be explored in three hours with the stand out attraction being the Pyramid of the Magician, unique amongst Mayan pyramids in that it is cylindrical in design. Other notable buildings include the enormous Quadrangle of the Nuns, House of the Tortoises and the Governor’s Palace.

There are a handful of hotels within walking distance of the entrance to Uxmal and, after lunch at one of them, you will continue your journey south until you reach your accommodation for the next three nights, the wonderful Hacienda Uayamon.

Day 6 — Hacienda Uayamon

The Hacienda Uayamon is quite possibly our favourite hacienda in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Dating back to the very start of the 18th century, the Hacienda Uayamon is located in beautiful countryside less than an hour’s drive from the city of Campeche.

Rather than simply restore and renovate the entire property, much of the charm of the Hacienda Uayamon is that it many of the original buildings have been left in a state of melancholic dereliction, a sharp contrast to the trappings of luxury found elsewhere in the hotel.

In a similar vein to the Hacienda Chichen Itza, the old workers’ cottages have been converted into luxurious guest rooms while the master suite once served as the hacienda’s hospital. The main part of the hacienda, where the owners lived, now houses the bar and restaurant while outdoors the outdoor swimming pool has been built within one of the old works buildings.

One could easily spend the day at the hacienda doing very little so that is entirely what we suggest. Do nothing.

Day 7 — Hacienda Uayamon (Day trip to Campeche)

Capital of the state of the same name, the city of Campeche is located on the Yucatan Peninsula’s west coast, less than an hour’s drive from the Hacienda Uayamon.

Despite its colonial centre being designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, Campeche’s relative remoteness means that it receives far less visitors than it deserves, another good reason to visit.

With a long history of having to fend off attacks from British & Dutch pirates, Campeche was once surrounded by huge fortified walls and, although these have mostly been knocked down, the parts that survive are certainly impressive.

Apart from these impressive fortified walls, Campeche boasts relatively few must-see buildings and / or museums. However, its beautiful colonial architecture and lack of crowds make this one of the most attractive cities in Mexico and one that is ideal for simply strolling around on foot.

After exploring the city on foot with your guide, and had a break for lunch, you will then return to the Hacienda Uayamon. (If you can’t get enough of Mayan sites, you can add on a visit to nearby Edzna either today or the day before – not included).

Day 8 — Hacienda Uayamon to South Merida

Departing from Campeche in the morning, you now begin your return journey, heading back north towards Merida.

En-route, we recommend that you stop and visit the Hacienda Sotuta de Peon, a restoration project-cum-museum that gives visitors a glimpse into how henequen (known as Green Gold in its heyday) was grown and processed and what life on a working hacienda would have been like.

As part of the tour, visitors will also briefly experience transportation on wooden platforms, known as ‘trucks’ which are pulled along rails by mules.

There is a restaurant at the hacienda where you can have lunch before continuing to your base for the next three nights, Hacienda Temozon.

The history and integrity of the original property has been carefully respected and restored while at the same time providing a luxurious and welcoming experience for guests.

As well as being a lovely place to stay, Hacienda Temozon is also ideally located for exploring the entire region South of Merida as well as the city of Merida itself.

Day 9 — South Merida (Day trip to Merida)

Traffic and parking depending (you’ll be thankful you’re with an experienced guide), it is an approximate 40-minute drive from Hacienda Temozon to the centre of Merida.

Most visits to Merida begin in the Zocalo, the city’s central, main square which is surrounded all four sides by grand, civic buildings as well as the San Ildefonso Cathedral, one of the oldest cathedrals in Mexico.

Radiating out from the Zocalo are streets lined with colonial era buildings and numerous smaller squares. Undoubtedly the grandest street in Merida however is the Paseo del Montejo, home to many of the city’s largest and most ostentatious mansions.

Merida also has a number of galleries and museums although the most impressive of these, the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya is on the northern outskirts of the city.

After a tour of the city, and a break for lunch, you will then return to the hacienda.

Day 10 — South Merida (Yaxcopoil & the Convent Route)

After breakfast, you will set off to nearby Hacienda Yaxcopoil to explore the atmospheric ruins of this abandoned, 17^th century property, now used primarily for weddings and other special events but also open to casual visitors with an interest in the haciendas of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Next up is a tour along the Convent Route. Running south from Merida, the Convent Route (aka Ruta de los Conventos), is a series of churches, chapels and convents that were established by the Spanish to convert the local Mayan population to the Catholic faith.  As with towns, these were almost always built at sites that were already sacred in the local faith.

There is no fixed itinerary or route that one has to follow, nor any shortage of opinion as to the key destinations to visit. Generally speaking, Teabo, Tekit, Tecoh, Acanceh and Chumayel will be on most experts list of places to visit. Your expert guide will advise you on the best options.

You will then return to your hacienda in the late afternoon.

Day 11 — South Merida to Cancun airport or beach

Depending on your flight time, you will depart the hacienda in good time for the 4-hour plus drive back to Cancun airport and your return flight home.

Alternatively, if you plan on staying on, we can arrange for you to be dropped off at the beach hotel of your choice.