Northern Yucatan Highlights

Day 1 — Cancun

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

Day 2 — Cancun to Valladolid

After breakfast, you will be met at the hotel by your English-speaking driver / guide who will accompany you throughout your tour of the Yucatan Peninsula.

First off, you’ll head along the fast toll road until you’ll reach Valladolid, your base for the next three nights.

Originally settled in 1545, and named after the one-time capital of Spain, the charming little town of Valladolid is a destination in its own right as well as a popular base for exploring a wide variety of nearby attractions.

A great place to simply go for a stroll, Valladolid boasts a number of attractive, colonial-era buildings, most of them clustered around the main square, Parque Francisco Canton. If you like quirky museums, the privately owned Casa de los Venadas houses an impressive collection of over 3000 pieces of Mexican folk art and is well worth a visit.

Having arrived in town and checked in at the hotel, you will then proceed on a tour of town with your guide, including the Convento San Bernardino.

After this tour, you can either further explore on your own or simply relax by your hotel pool.

Day 3 — Valladolid (Day trip to Chichen Itza & Cenote)

After an earlyish breakfast, you will set off to visit perhaps the Yucatan Peninsula’s single best0known attraction, the ruins of the great Mayan city of Chichen Itza.

As the Yucatan’s most visited Mayan site, we suggest an early start to beat not only the worst of the crowds but also the heat of the day.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, and more extensively excavated than any other Mayan city, one could spend days exploring the myriad ruins of Chichen Itza.

From a historical perspective, Chichen Itza was one of the last Mayan cities to flourish, only reaching its pomp long after the great cities of the south, such as Calakmul, had been abandoned. Quite who founded the city is something that the experts still disagree about although many feel that Chichen Itza was populated by more than one ethnic group.

Today, Chichen Itza is home to numerous, superbly renovated structures, none more photographed than the Temple of Kukulkan (aka El Castillo) as well as the iconic Ball Court, location for the Mayan’s somewhat grisly ball games.

After a full morning’s tour followed by lunch at a local restaurant, there will be an opportunity to relax and cool-off at a nearby cenote where one can enjoy a swim.

Cenotes are a unique feature of the Yucatan Peninsula. The word cenote is derived from the Mayan word ‘dzonot’ that means a well. Cenotes are essentially sinkholes, created when the prevalent limestone bedrock collapses and exposes the subterranean groundwater.

Cenotes are found right across the Yucatan Peninsula, both inland and by the coast, and can be either freshwater or saltwater. However, many of the most impressive cenotes are found around Chichen Itza and Valladolid and your guide will know just where to find them.

Day 4 — Valladolid (Day trip to Rio Lagartos & Las Coloradas)

Having enjoyed many of the Yucatan Peninsula’s Mayan & Colonial highlights, today is an opportunity to experience some of the best that the region had to offer from a natural perspective with a day trip north to Rio Lagartos & Las Colaradas.

Rio Lagartos is a small fishing village and jumping off point for Reserva de la Biosfera Ria Lagartos, a UNESCO Biosphere since 2004.

Rio Lagartos means ‘Alligator River’ but, in fact, the Spanish who gave it its name were wrong on both fronts – there is no river (it’s a lagoon) and the alligators are actually crocodiles; and while there are certainly plenty of crocodiles be found within the reserve, its principal draw is the vast colony of flamingos that make this their home.

In addition to a whole lot of flamingos, the mangroves around Rio Lagartos are home to a wide variety of bird species including tiger herons, cormorants, black hawks, white ibis and both snowy and red egrets. For self-evident reasons, you don’t even need to leave the fishing village of Rio Lagartos to enjoy this birdlife.

Having explored the biosphere by boat with your guide, you will next visit Las Colaradas Pink Lakes.

While there are a number of small fishing villages along this quiet stretch of coast, salt production has been an important micro industry in the region since long before the arrival of the Spanish.

The actual process of producing salt is relatively straightforward but does rely on having the right natural environment in place.

At Las Colaradas, seawater from the nearby mangrove floods onto the adjacent, flat, hard terrain. Under the heat of the Mexican sun, the water then evaporates, leaving behind salt.

Why pink? Well, as the water evaporates, it becomes the perfect habitat for multiple, tiny organisms such as red algae, plankton and brine shrimp which, together, have a distinctly pinkish hue. The more the water evaporates, the darker the shade of pink left behind, hence the different coloured lakes.

Exploring over, you will then return to your hotel in Valladolid.

(As an alternative to Las Coloradas, there is the option of visiting the smaller, much less visited – compared to Chichen Itza – Mayan site of Ek Balam).

Day 5 — Valladolid to Izamal

After 3 nights in Valladolid, you’ll continue your tour around the northern Yucatan with the short drive to another of the region’s delightful, little towns, Izamal, aka ‘The Yellow City’.

Although often described as a ‘colonial town’ there was a Mayan settlement here for hundreds of years before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16^th century. As was their way, the Spanish destroyed almost all the existing Mayan buildings and used the very same stone to build their own town.

By far the biggest and most important of these colonial-era buildings, and located right in the centre of Izamal, is the Convento San Antonio de Padua, a Franciscan monastery whose vast cloister is only exceeded in size by that of St Peter’s in Vatican City.

For a great view of the town, one can visit one of the few Mayan buildings that survived the Spanish building onslaught, namely the pyramid of Kinich Kak Mo.

Incidentally, if you’re wondering why almost every building in the centre of town is painted yellow, the ‘tradition’ only goes as far back as 1993 and the Pope’s visit to Izamal.

Having explored Izamal with your guide, you will then proceed to your accommodation on the outskirts of town.

Day 6 — Izamal to Campeche via Uxmal

Heading out of Izamal after an early breakfast, you will follow the ring road to the south of Merida before branching off and heading due south towards Campeche State.

Although it is possible to continue to Campeche in time for lunch, we suggest breaking your journey in the Puuc Hills, something of a rarity in the mainly pan-flat Yucatan Peninsula, to visit the Mayan ruins at Uxmal.

Although not as extensive as Chichen Itza, the ruins at Uxmal (which is pronounced with a soft x, ie Oosh mahl), are equally impressive and are especially noted for the sophistication of its architecture and the detail of its stone carvings.

Undoubtedly, the most famous building at Uxmal is the Pyramid of the Magician, the only Mayan pyramid which is cylindrical in design rather than the traditional four-sided.

Exploring Uxmal normally takes from 2 to 3 hours and there are hotels nearby for lunch. Although it is very unlikely that you will have time, the Puuc Hills are home to a number of other, smaller Mayan sites such as Kabah, Sayil & Labna.

From Uxmal, it is then a further 90 minutes or so to your next stop, the coastal city of Campeche.

Day 7 — Campeche

Located on the Gulf Coast of Mexico, a very different coastline to the Yucatan’s Peninsula’s fabled east coast, Campeche was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1999.

As with Izamal, there was a Mayan settlement here long before the Spanish arrived, thought to have been named Can Pech, hence the name Campeche.

Having been founded in the middle of the 16^th century, Campeche’s strategic location meant that it was subject to repeated raids and attacks by pirates, generally British. As a result of these attacks, the city authorities built some of the largest fortified walls to be found anywhere in Latin America although, sadly, only a small section remains intact today.

While Campeche might lack any must-visit sites or museums, it’s historic centre is one of the most attractive in Mexico, with street after street lined by pastel coloured, colonial buildings.

Not only is the city a joy to simply stroll around but, due to its relative isolation, it attracts far fewer visitors than one might expect so you won’t have to share it with that many fellow tourists.

After breakfast, you will set off with your guide on a morning’s tour of the historic centre. The afternoon is then free for you to relax at your hotel, explore further on your own or even hire bikes to ride along the seafront promenade.

(If you wish to extend your time in Campeche, and can’t get enough of visiting Mayan ruins, those at nearby Edzna also draw very few visitors).

Day 8 — Campeche to Merida via Sotuta de Peon

Having reached the southern-most part of your itinerary, it is now time to turn around and head back the way you came towards the city of Merida.

Rather than driving straight through to Merida, a journey of around 3 hours, we suggest a stop en-route at Hacienda Sotuta de Peon.

The Yucatan Peninsula is now well known for the many haciendas that have been saved from dereliction and converted into luxury accommodation.

While the Hacienda Sotuta de Peon does offer accommodation, it is also a working hacienda-cum-museum that offers a glimpse into the trade that led the Yucatan Peninsula to boom and then bust. You’ll be able to see how henequen is grown and then processed as well as understanding what life would have been like on a 19^th century hacienda.

There is a small restaurant at the hacienda where you can have lunch after the tour.

After lunch, you will then continue north to your final stop on this itinerary, Merida. Depending on time and how you feel, there is the option of visiting another hacienda, this time the atmospheric ruins of Hacienda Yaxcopoil.

Day 9 — Merida

The largest city in the Yucatan Peninsula, Merida is also very much its cultural heart.

Combining Mayan, Colonial & modern influences, Merida today is a wonderful, relaxing destination in its own right as well as a great base from which to explore the surrounding region.

Founded in 1542 by Francisco de Montejo, Merida is similar to most colonial-era cities with its historic centre focussed on a large square, known as the Zocalo, around which are a number of the city’s most important buildings including San Ildefonso Cathedral, one of the oldest cathedrals in the whole of Latin America.

Most of the city’s sights can be found in its original, colonial centre that can easily be explored on foot. Accordingly, after breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel for a morning’s tour of this fascinating and lively city. The remainder of the afternoon is free for you to relax and / or explore further on your own.

There a number of museums and galleries worth visiting in Merida including the strikingly modern Gran Museo del Mundo Maya which is located in the northern outskirts of the city.

Day 10 — Merida (Day trip to Celestun & the Convent Route)

After an early breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel for the approximate hour-long drive to the Gulf of Mexico and the internationally famous bird sanctuary at Celestun.

Here, you will board a boat for a ride through the mangroves and an opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of flora and fauna including, typically, large numbers of flamingos.

After lunch at one of the nearby restaurants by the beach (not included), you will return to Merida via what is known as the Convent Route.

Located to the south of 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.

You will then return to Merida in the late afternoon.

Day 11 — Merida to Cancun & Home

The morning is free for you to relax before you set off back to Cancun, an approximate 4-hour drive, where you will be dropped off at the airport in good time for your overnight flight back home.

Alternatively, you may prefer to extend your holiday at one of the Yucatan Peninsula’s many beach resorts.