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Participant, CLF 2022-2023 Director, CLF 2023-2025 Harvard College Class of 2029
August 7, 2025
June 19, 2025
Ancient Maya ruins, stunning cenotes, vibrant markets, and white-sand beaches.
Journey through Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula on a guided adventure exploring ancient Maya cities, swimming in breathtaking cenotes, and spotting flamingos in nature reserves. Discover colorful towns, taste authentic cuisine, and relax on beaches while immersing yourself in the region’s history and culture.
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Arrive at Cancun Airport and transfer to the hotel. Enjoy a bus drive while we transfer to Tulum (2 hours) and if lucky get in time for our first sunset at Tulum beach. Enjoy your first authentic Mexican meal. Bienvenidos!
Enjoy a privately guided bike tour of the ancient Maya city of Coba where an estimated 6,500 structures remain to be excavated. Along the way, an expert tour guide will unravel the mysteries of the ancient Maya by discussing their engineering, architecture, and societal structures. After lunch, enjoy time swimming at the Kaan Luum lagoon; our first cenote abierto; one of the three types of cenotes that we have in Mexico and that we will see during the trip.
An early start allows for a visit to Chichen Itza, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, before the crowds arrive from Cancun. Here, a guide will dive even further into the ancient Maya world and explain all about Chichen Itza’s most famous ruin, the stepped pyramid known as El Castillo or the Temple of Kukul’kan. We will have a chance to observe the Ik kil cenote abierto.
We will have lunch at a traditional restaurant where we will be able to experience local women making tortillas, and we can try different traditional plates like cochinita pibil and el lechón, prepared using a Mayan pit-style oven that’s made in the ground.
Then, head to the mysterious yellow city of Izamal for a guided tour and to visit its magical Franciscan monastery. The second largest atrium of the world. Izamal is called the town of the three cultures and we will be able to explore this town in oxcards to see its beautiful pyramids.
After a long day of exploring ruins, relax while we drive for 1 hour to Merida, get a delicious dinner and rest for tomorrow’s adventures.
Known for its large population of flamingos, Celestún is a large salt-water lagoon awash with pink birds. The area is well protected and preserved by local people as well as the local authority, ensuring that it remains the ideal habitat for the 2,000 or more flamingos and hundreds of other species of birds that flock there. Arriving at Celestún, enjoy a boat ride into the lagoon that also has various cenotes (sinkholes) under the surface that create springs in the water. Celestún is home to an abundance of flora and fauna, including red mangroves, many fish, prawns and alligators, some or perhaps all of which you will see from the boat.
In the afternoon, explore Merida’s historic city centre. The city was founded in 1542 by the son of Conquistador Francisco Montejo, who was from Mérida in Spain, and gave this capital city of Yucatán state its name. Start in the main square of the city (Zócalo), visiting all four corners, exploring the oldest Cathedral in the Americas, the Government House with paintings by Fernando Castro and the Municipal Palace.
While we visit the historic city centre, we will have a chance to try some sorbets and trompos (traditional tacos al pastor).
Explore two ancient Maya archeological sites with the benefit of a guide. First, visit Uxmal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the famed Pyramid of the Magician – a rounded pyramid with a mystical and mythical foundation story.
After touring Uxmal’s ruins and some free time for lunch at a chocolate museum (choco story); we will learn the process of making chocolate and try some of this delicious product. In addition to that, we will be able to see some rescued animals like monkeys and jaguars. After lunch, head to Kabah, a smaller Maya site home to the Palace of Masks. Returning to Merida, if there is time left, we can enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure.
We will depart early to visit the natural reservation of “El Corchito.” We will take a guided boat tour to explore several cenotes that we can swim in and enjoy the flora and fauna of this magical place. After lunch we have a couple of options: Either, we visit the largest port of the world in Puerto Progreso or visit Chicxulub, allegedly the place where the meteor that extinguished the dinosaurs and created the cenotes landed. On our way back to the city, we will visit the markets of Lucas de Galvez, artisan markets and food farmers in the Santiago neighborhood. Notice the market’s seasonal fruits and vegetables, sombrero stalls, hand-made hammocks and religious articles. Peek into the tortilla factory to see a staple of Mexican cuisine in the making.
Return to the vans and head down Paseo de Montejo, the main thoroughfare into the city, modeled on the Champs-Elysees and lined with trees and large colonial houses, once the city homes of rich Hacienda owners.
In the morning, head to the Ek Balam Archeological Site for a privately guided bike tour of its ruins nestled within lush jungle. Take the chance to swim and cool off in Cenote X´canche, which is also located in Ek Balam. At X’canche we will be able to canopy and rappel down to the water. After visiting this cenote, we will head to a different type of cenote, cenote cerrado (closed cenote) just in time for dinner; where we will have a buffet style dinner, and if lucky a yucatecos dance show. After a long day of swimming in cenotes, enjoy a 2 hour bus ride back to Tulum for a good night of rest.
Day 8-10: Days at leisure
Take the time to relax and enjoy the beauty of Playa del Carmen beaches for the last few days.
On our last day, we will transfer to the Cancun area and stay in a hotel close to the airport, get covid tested and have one last delicious meal.
On departure day, transfer to Cancun International Airport for onward flights home. We hope you enjoyed your time in Mexico and safe travels.
Rustic Pathways Group Travel works with academic institutions and individual groups of all ages from around the world. We work with you to help create the perfect group travel program that suits your needs, drawing on year-round operations in 38 countries across the globe and an arsenal of the best international and local staff imaginable. Rustic Pathways offers you the chance to create your own perfect travel program, whether it is based around intense service, deep local immersion, adventure and exploration, experiential academics, or simply the opportunity to relax and soak up the beauty of far away lands.
We employ some of the best staff in the industry. We draw on a pool of all-stars from Ivy League schools to remote jungle villages, each with their own intricate knowledge of the regions they serve, a passion for the programs they create, and a dedication to enriching the lives of our group participants through service, learning, and travel.
Cooks take advantage of the abundance of fresh foods available in all of the countries we visit. Experiencing local cuisine is a major component of all of our culturally immersive programs, and should be seen as a key ingredient that makes these programs so unique. That being said, we can accommodate most dietary restrictions in all of our countries of operations as well.
We can cater for almost any dietary requirements, including vegetarianism. It is very important that you advise us of any allergies or special dietary needs at the time of your enrollment.
Every program includes staff members with a minimum certification of First Aid and CPR. Many of our programs include staff members with Wilderness First Responder (WFR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Ocean Lifeguard, and other certifications.
In almost all cases, Rustic Pathways Groups programs include all touring, activities, and admission fees as specified in the trip itinerary. We also cover all internal ground transportation, accommodation, and meals. Personal items such as souvenirs, laundry, Internet, snacks, and phone calls are not included. The cost of international and domestic airfare is also not included in the program price.
Yes. While Rustic Pathways’ programs are quite comprehensive and include almost all necessities, participants will need some spending money for optional expenses, such as souvenirs, personal phone calls, internet access, laundry and add-on activities. We do not like hidden extra charges, and we include all of the essentials that make our programs great.