Mexico's Yucatan - 3 stars
Day 1 - ARRIVAL CANCUN - Upon arrival at Cancun Airport, you will be escorted to Hotel Bel Air Cancun, 4 star beach front resort. Day 2 - CANCUN - MERIDA - Early in the morning transfer from hotel to bus station. Depart on coach to Merida. On arrival at Merida you will be met and transferred to The Hotel Gran Real Yucatan. Day 3 - UXMAL and KABAH - Depart to the Maya city of Kabah, where we visit its main and most extraordinary attraction: the Codz' pop, or Temple of the Masks, dedicated to the rain god Chac. Forty-five metres long with 260 Chac masks, it has been theorised that there was one mask for every day in the Mayan calendar. Continue north into the peninsula of Yucatan and to Uxmal, the largest and perhaps the best known archaeological city of the region, which was settled late in the Mayan chronology. Start a comprehensive and detailed visit to the magnificent archaeological vestiges of Uxmal: The Dwarf's Pyramid, the Governor's Palace and the magnificent Nunnery Quadrangle, with its perfect geometrical, allegorical bas-reliefs, are considered among world's most beautiful buildings, alongside with such other famous architectural pieces de résistance as the Athens' Parthenon and the Taj-Mahal. Late afternoon return to Merida. Day 4 - CELESTUN - Depart Merida through quaint, incredibly narrow country roads until reaching the Gulf of Mexico coast, and the fishermen's village of Celestún. Here we shall embark in small motorboats that will take us through the marshes and mangroves of a marvellous coastal inlet, allowing us to watch an unusually rich variety of wildlife. The highpoint of this outing will be, of course, our approach to several large flamingo colonies, which have made their home of this estuary. It will be an unforgettable experience to watch these sophisticated, stylised birds, elegantly flying over the water surface, tingeing the entire seascape with the vivid colours of their pink-and-orange plumage. Day 5 - MERIDA - CHICHEN ITZA - CANCUN - Morning departure across the Peninsula's plains, through sisal plantations and past tiny Mayan villages, until reaching the ruins of Chichén-Itzá, perhaps the most important ones in the Americas. Our visits will include the classical Maya, as well as the Maya-Toltec sectors, with such famous landmarks as the Observatory, the Ball Game Court, Kukulcán Pyramid, and also the Hall of One Thousand Columns. The sacred site was one of the greatest Mayan centres of the Yucatan peninsula. The Maya and Toltec vision of the world and the universe is revealed in their stone monuments and artistic works. The fusion of Mayan construction techniques with new elements from central Mexico makes Chichen-Itzá one of the most important examples of the Mayan-Toltec civilisation in Yucatan. For this reason, it was declared - as also was Uxmal- a World Heritage site. In the afternoon, continue to Cancun and drop off at Hotel Bel Air Cancun. Day 6 - CANCUN - Day at leisure in Cancun Day 7 - DEPARTURE - Leave Cancun and transfer to airport.
- Price AUD $1060 Per Person based on twin share
- Travel until 15 December 2009
- PRICE INCLUDES:
- Shared transportation with English speaking guide
- Regular tourist bus (first class) from Cancun to Merida
- 3 nights Cancun and 3 nights Merida based on standard rooms
- Daily American breakfast at hotels
- Lunch in Uxmal and Chichen Itza
- Boat ride in Celestun
- Entrance fees to museums and archaeological sites mentioned in the itinerary
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