Circuito de la Luna

Transcription

Circuito de la Luna

Circuito de la Luna
21 days 20 nights
Plan: BB
Venado 34-B, Mza 18, Lt 25, SM 20, Cancún, Q. Roo, CP. 77500, México, E-mail: [email protected]
Toll Free (US & Can) 1800 959 8053, Tel/Fax: (52 998) 887 2908, www.wegomexico.com
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Arrival
Teotihuacán
Mexico History Tour
Tepotzotlán & Tula
San Miguel de Allende
Guanajuato & San Luis Potosí
Husteca & Xilitla
Tajin
Catemaco
Chiapas I - Cañon del Sumidero , San Cristobal de las Casas
Chiapas II – Highlands native communities
Chiapas III – Hidden Worlds
Chiapas IV – Yaxchilán & Bonampak
Palenque
Ruta Puuc – Kabah & Uxmal
Celestún & Mérida
Chichén Itza
Cobá and Underworlds
Tulum
Riviera Maya
Departure
Please note that We Go Mexico expeditions are totally flexible for private groups (4 minimum),
and that each day has a main activity accompanied by at least one other which may be changed
due to contingencies without prior notice.
LUNA
Thank you for choosing We Go
Mexico!
The following expedition details
a home cooked design including the
highlights
of
the
central
and
southeastern landscape of Mexico. As
you will see, we have managed to
combine local culture, ancient history,
wildlife, lagoons and rivers, caves and
temples, sea and land, as well as
famous tourist destinations in an
exclusive and interactive trip for full
enjoyment of our private group.
Note: Each day tour includes all mentioned, 2 meals a day, hotel, entrances,
equipment, tour guide and 1st class transportation.
Day 1
Arrival
Welcome to Mexico! Your guide will pick you up at
Mexico’s international airport and drive you to your
hotel.
After the check-in, we’ll have a welcome
cocktail and a full briefing of our trip through our
beautiful land. It is important for our staff to know
personally your expectations as well as concerns you
might have in the details of our trip.
! Pick-up at international airport of Mexico
! Check-in hotel with welcome cocktail
! Full briefing with tour guide
Day 2
Teotihuacan
After our early breakfast, we cross part of Mexico
City and get to Tlatelolco. There, we’ll visit the
Plaza de las Tres Culturas (Place of Three
Cultures). This area is very rich in history
especially because it is the location of the fall of
the Great Tenochtitlán (the Aztec empire), and the
Franciscan influence in the posterior centuries, a
combination of modern architecture, baroque
temples and ancient Aztec ruins.
Then, we’ll visit the most important
archeological site in Mexico: Teotihuacán. It was the largest city in Mesoamerica for 9
centuries and for over 2000 years it has been revered as one of the most impressive
and enigmatic ancient monuments in North America. After our visit, we’ll have lunch in
a local restaurant and visit a craft shop where the owner will give us a demonstration
of the workings of the diversity of precious stones and the use of a variety of plant life
in the ancient and present customs, including the Mezcal and Tequila.
In the evening, we’ll
visit
Plaza
Garibaldi,
where
every
night
different bands fro all over
the country gather to play
typical Mexican music,
especially the Mariachi.
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Breakfast in hotel
Vsit Plaza de las 3 culturas
Archeological visit of Teotihuacan
Visit of handcraft shop with demonstrations
Visit to Plaza Garibaldi with Mariachi
Day 3
Zocalo & Museum of Anthropology
We continue today our trip through Mexico’s rich
history. Plaza del Zocalo is the main downtown
area of Mexico City. There we have government
buildings, catholic temples and Aztec ruins. We’ll
start by visiting the city’s Cathedral and have a
close look to the architectural and sculptural style
of the 16th and 17th century. Right behind, and
almost totally buried, is the Templo Mayor, the
main structure of the Aztec Empire. We’ll visit its
museum and learn about the continuous
excavations and findings of this great ancient city.
And across the street, we’ll visit El Palacio Nacional (The Nacional Palace) and
appreciate 500 years of history through the narrative paintings of Diego Rivera.
We’ll
visit
the
Museum
of
Anthopology and get to know better
what encompasses the Mesoamerican
culture and its evolution for over five
thousand years.
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Breakfast in hotel
Visit of the Cathedral of Mexico City
Visit of Palacio de Gobierno
Visit of Templo Mayor and Museum
Visit of the Museum of Anthopology
Day 4
Tepotzotlan & Tula
The highlight of Tepotzotlán is The
National
Viceregal
Museum
(Museo Nacional del Virrenato).
Colonial Mexico attracts people
from all over the world for its vast
amount of churches with baroque
decorations of 16th, 17th and 18th
century. The Franciscan monastery
in Tepotzotlán is probably the most
impressive work of art of the
colonial period in Mexico.
And a few miles north, we’ll
travel through time and enter the
ceremonial site of the ancient
Toltecs: Tula. Where we can
appreciate 8th century
Mesoamerican architecture and the colossal statues, called “Atlantes”.
After we’ll drive to San Miguel de Allende and visit its vibrant streets.
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Breakfast in hotel
Visit of the museum of El Virreinato
Visit of the Archeological site of Tula
Chech-in hotel in San Miguel de Allende
Free evening in San Miguel de Allende
Day 5
San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende, located in the state of
Guanajutao, is an attractive tourist destination for
wealthy Mexico City residents and has a large American
and
Canadian
expatriate
community
comprised
primarily of retirees. The town was founded in 1542 by
the Franciscan monk Fray Juan de San Miguel. The town
featured prominently in the Mexican War of
Independence. General Ignacio Allende, one of San
Miguel's native sons, was a leading player in the war
against Spain for independence. Allende, captured in
battle and beheaded, is a national hero. San Miguel el
Grande renamed itself "San Miguel de Allende" in 1826
in honor of his actions. By 1900, San Miguel de Allende
was in danger of becoming a ghost town. Declared a
national historic
monument
in
1926
by
the
Mexican
government, development in the historic
district is restricted in order to preserve the
town's colonial character.
The city of Guanajuato was originally
built over the Guanajuato River, which flowed
through tunnels underneath the city. However,
after years of raising buildings to accommodate
repeated flooding, in the mid-twentieth
century, engineers built a dam and redirected
the river into underground caverns. The
tunnels were lit and paved with cobblestones
for automobile traffic, and this underground
road network carries the majority of cars
driving through the city today. It is one of the
most noticeable features of the city.
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Breakfast in hotel
Museum visit in San Miguel de Allende
Drive to Guanajuato
Check-in hotel in Guanajuato
Free evening in the downtown area of
Guanajuato
Day 6
Guanajuato & San Luis Potosí
The historic town of Guanajuato and adjacent mines are a World Heritage Site. It is
famous for its silver mines, markets and especially for its traditions and festivals. We’ll
walk in the streets, drive around, visit the local market and visit a few popular
museums. Then we’ll drive to the colonial town of San Luis Potosí, have a typical
potosino lunch and have some free time to visit the down town area.
Today, the downtown is one of plazas and
colonial architecture. The "Plaza de Armas" is home
to a cathedral and governor's palace (1770), and on
quiet evenings, chatting couples and families enjoy
popsicles. The nearby "Templo de Nuestra Señora
del Carmen," with its colorful tiled domes and
famous altars, is considered among Mexico's finest
churches. In addition, San Luis is home to the
bullring Plaza de Toros Fermin Rivera.
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Breakfast in hotel
City tour of Guanajuato
Drive to San Luis Potosí
City tour
Check-in hotel
Day 7
La Huasteca & Xilitla
La Huasteca is a region in the northeastern part
of Mexico, comprising mountains, hill country and
lowlands, centered on the watershed of the
Pánuco River, inland from the city of Tampico. It
includes parts of the states of Veracruz,
Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, and Hidalgo. It is
home to some 80,000 speakers of the Huastec (or
Wastek) language (the Huastec people) and
around a million speakers of Huasteca Nahuatl
dialects.
The Huasteca's distinctive cultural features
include Huapango music and dance.
Unlike most of the rest of Mexico, this area does
not have a rainy and dry season because it rains
all year round in the mountain areas. Therefore, this region is
covered in rainforest and has the highest concentration of
rivers and floodplains in the country.
Cities in San Luis Potosí that are within the Huasteca
area include: Ciudad Valles, Xilitla, El Pozo de las Golondrinas,
Tamúl, Tamasopo, Consuelo and Taninul.
Touristically, the area is not well-known or visited by either
Mexican or international tourists. For this reason, many areas
are still “virgin” for any number of activities, including rafting,
kayaking, rappelling and spelunking in its caverns such as the
Sótano de las Golondrinas, in San Luis Potosí.
We’ll cross the Huasteca of the State of San Luis Potosí,
visit the natural abyss of El Sótano de las Golondrinas, pass
through small villages and visit Xilitla,
the Castle of Edward James and its
gardens, and have lunch by the
natural waterfalls of Las Pozas.
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Breakfast in hotel
Drive through La Huasteca
Visit El Sotano de las Golondrinas
Visit Xilitla
Lunch in local restaurant
Check-in hotel in Ixmiquilpan
Day 8
Tajín
El Tajín is a Pre-Columbian
archaeological site located in
the present-day municipality
of Papantla, in the Mexican
state of Veracruz. It was the
major site of the Classic
Veracruz culture and one of
the largest cities in western
Mesoamerica
during
the
Classic era.
Tajín means city or place of thunder in the Totonac language,
and is believed to have been one of the names for the
Totonac god of thunder, lightning and rain. The ceremonial
center of the site is covers only about 1 km square, but there
are mostly unexcavated remains of subsidiary buildings
extending for a considerable distance beyond. The ceremonial
center has number of temple-pyramids, palaces, and several courts for playing the
Mesoamerican ballgame. The site's most famous building is the Pyramid of the Niches.
The step pyramid of 6 terraces is some 60 feet high. While only medium as
Mesoamerican pyramids go, the ornamented architecture creates a striking and
visually pleasing effect. The terraces are of well cut stone forming a series of 365
niches. A staircase rises up the pyramid's east side. Originally the pyramid was topped
by a temple, but little remains of this.
A number of the buildings have carved reliefs on them, and the site also has
some free standing stone stelae. Many of the sculptures depict the ritual ballgame and
ritual bloodletting by the elite.
The site is now a tourist destination,
and has a moderate sized museum.
Papantla is a city in the
northern part of the Mexican state of
Veracruz.
It
serves
as
the
administrative
seat
of
the
municipality of the same name. It
was named a "Pueblo Mágico" in
2006.
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Breakfast in Hotel
Visit the archeological site of Tajin
City tour of Papantla
Drive to Veracruz
Check-in hotel in Veracruz
Day 9
Catemaco
After our breakfast in Veracruz, we’ll drive through
the coast line and enter the mountain range of Los
Tuxtlas. We’ll start by visiting a small village called
santiago Tuxla, visit the local market and the
colossal Olmec head in the center plaza. Learn a
bit about the Olmec culture and the Tuxtlas in the
local museum of antropology, and continue our
way to Catemaco. But first we’ll visit the beautiful
falls of Eyipantla, and arriving to Catemaco, we’ll
have a boat tour of the Lagoon of Catemaco
Historically
an
isolated
community, the city now has an
international
reputation
for
Catemaco
Brujos,
a
local
phenomena
of
witchcraft
practitioners
with
commercial
interests. Mel Gibson recently
filmed parts of Apocalypto in the
vicinity. He joins Sean Connery's
Medicine Man and many others
who have used the Catemaco
vicinity as a backdrop for jungle
scenes.
! Breakfast in hotel
! Drive to Catemaco
! Visit Santiago Tuxtla and the
museum of the Olmec culture
! Visit Salto de Eyipantla
! Afternoon boat ride in the lake of
Catemaco
! Check-in hotel in Catemaco
Day 10
Chiapas - Cañon del Sumidero
& San Cristóbal de las Casas
Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico, located
towards the southeast of the country. Chiapas is
bordered by the states of Tabasco to the north,
Veracruz to the northwest, and Oaxaca to the west. To
the east Chiapas borders Guatemala, and to the south
the Pacific Ocean. Most people in Chiapas are poor,
rural small farmers. "Chiapas is aptly described as rich
land with poor people." About one quarter of the
population are of full or predominant Maya descent,
and in rural areas many do not speak Spanish. The
Sumidero Canyon is regarded as an important tourist
attraction in the state of Chiapas. The importance and
cultural symbolism of Sumidero Canyon for Chiapans
are so great that its silhouette is the base of the Coat
of Arms of the state of Chiapas. Its cliffs are 900 meters above sea level and overlook
the Grijalva River. The Sumidero Canyon is home to a great variety of wildlife including
crocodiles. We’ll do a full boat tour of the Sumidero Canyon and appreciate its
magnificence and look for wildlife.
San Cristóbal de las Casas is a
municipality and city in the central highlands of
Chiapas. After checking in the hotel, we’ll have
some free time to enjoy this beautiful village
with its very own style and personality.
! Drive to Tuxtla Gutierrez with box
breakfast
! Visit of Sumidero canyon
! Boat ride in the river of the canyon
! Drive to San Cristóbal de las Casas
! Check-in hotel in San Cristóbal
with free time in the downtown
area
Day 11
Zinacantán & Chamula
San Cristobal de las Casas has
many places to visit, and just
the streets of the downtown
area is a wonderful place to
be. Spend some free time with
recommendations and after
we’ll drive to Chamula, one of
the icons of Chiapas native
culture.
The church of San Juan Chamula, in the municipal
cabecera (headtown), is filled with colorful candles, and
smoke from burning copal resin incense, commonly
used throughout southern Mexico. Along the walls of
the church, as in many Catholic churches, are dressedup wooden statues of saints in large wooden cases,
many wearing mirrors to deflect evil. The local form of
Catholicism is a blend of pre-conquest Maya customs,
Spanish
Catholic
traditions,
and
subsequent
innovations. There are no pews in the church, and the
floor area was completely covered in green pine
boughs, and soda bottles, mostly Coca-cola, on the
pine needle carpet. Curanderos (medicine men) diagnose the medical, psychological or
‘evil-eye’ afflictions and prescribe remedies such as candles of specific colors and sizes,
specific flower petals or feathers, or in a dire situation a live chicken, to be brought to
a healing ceremony. Chamula families kneel on the floor of the church with sacrificial
items, stick candles to the floor with
melted wax, drink ceremonial cups of Posh
or in recent years Coca Cola or Pepsi, and
chant prayers in an archaic dialect of
Tzotzil.
After, we’ll also visit the town of
Zinacantan, famous for its colorful
handcrafts and beautiful people of the
highlands of Chiapas.
! Free time in San Cristobal de las Casas with
recommendations
! Visit the temple of Chamula
! Visit the people and traditions of Zinacantán
Day 12
Toniná & Agua Azul
After our breakfast in San Cristobal de las Casas we’ll start our way down the
mountains. We’ll stop at the ancient Mayan city of Toniná and appreciate its temples,
sculptures and hieroglyphics. This will be our first visit of a wonderful journey through
the world of the ancient Maya. Toniná is truly a jewel and seldom visited by general
tourism.
We’ll continue the sinuous road to the low lands of Chiapas and make a stop in
the natural sanctuary of the falls of Agua Azul. Take a swim in the crystal water of the
river and have some free time with view of the falls.
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Breakfast in hotel
Visit the Mayan ruins of Tonina
Visit the water falls of Agua Azul
Check-in hotel in Palenque
Day 13
Yaxchilán & Bonampak
Very early in the morinung, we’ll drive from
Palenque to the river Usumacinta where we’ll
jump in a boat and navigate in between the
borders of Mexico and Guatemala until we find
the hidden city of Yaxchilan. Yaxchilan is known
for the large quantity of excellent sculpture at the
site, such as the monolithic carved stelas and the
narrative stone reliefs carved on lintels spanning
the temple doorways.
On our way back to Palenque, we’ll stop at
Bonampak, drive through the think jungle,
climb the main pyramid and take a look at the
famous Temple of the Paintings.
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Breakfast in hotel
Drive to Frontera Echeverría
Boat trip to Yaxchilan
Archeological visit of Yaxchilan
Archeological visit of Bonampak
Return to Palenque with Temazcal steam bath
ceremony, with dinner
Day 14
Palenque & Campeche
Palenque is a medium size archeological
site but with extensive detail, worth to
spend many hours and admire its art and
architecture. Our visit includes main
temples (Temple of the cross, the Palace,
Temple of the inscriptions), monuments,
jungle walk through the preclassic
Palenque, relax and free time in the
gardens, museum and souvenirs shop.
On our way to Campeche, we’ll
drive through the popular fishermen city
of Champotón.
Campeche is situated on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
and it is surrounded by fortresses in defense of the pirate
attacks of the 17th century. This beautiful city is considered
Patrimony of Humanity by the UNESCO. We’ll drive
around the main avenues and look at the architecture, have
some free time to spend in the downtown area and simply
breathe the air of this historic Mexican city.
! Archeological visit of Palenque
! Drive to Campeche
! Check-in hotel in Campeche and city tour
Day 15
Kabah, Loltun & Uxmal
On our way to Uxmal we enter la
Sierra Puuc, the only elevations
found in the Yucatan Peninsula. All
this area is very rich in history and
is a gold mine for archeologists.
Here, the Maya built their firsts
settlements and also very large
cities between the 3rd and 11th
century.
We are going to start today’s
expedition by visiting the Mayan
Temples of Kabah. The most
famous structure at Kabah is the
"Palace of the Masks", the façade
decorated with hundreds of stone masks of the longnosed rain god Chaac; it is also known as the Codz
Poop, meaning "Rolled Matting", from the pattern of
the stone mosaics. This massive repetition of a
single set of elements is unusual in Maya art, and
here is used to unique effect. Loltun is one of the
most important caves systems of the Yucatan, not
only for its size but also for its archeological
findings. We are going to explore this cave in a
guided tour and learn how important was the caves,
and in particular this one, for the ancient mayan
culture.
We continue our drive to Uxmal passing through many colonial villages and
we’ll stop to relax, check-in and have some free time in the gardens of a Hacienda.
In the evening, our long awaited
visit of Uxmal in a spectacular light and
sound show.
Breakfast in hotel
Archeological visit of Kabah
Visit the caves of Loltún
Check-in Hacienda hotel
Free time in the gardens of the
Hacienda
! Light and sound show of Uxmal
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Day 16
Celestun & Merida
On the northeast side corner
of the Yucatan peninsula,
where the Atlantic Ocean and
the Gulf of Mexico meet, is
the biosphere reserve of
Celestún.
The
inlet
of
Celestún divides the Mexican
states of Campeche and
Yucatan. Celestún is one of
the main natural attractions
in the north of the peninsula,
especially because of the high
diversity of exotic birds. We’ll
take a boat trip in the inlet and through the mangrove canals in look for these
creatures and natural springs. The most popular character of Celestun is the pink
Flamingo, where hundreds of then gather to feast of the marina fauna of the inlet.
We drive all the way to the main
city of the peninsula: Merida. Also
known as the White City for its opulent
and huge 18th century white houses.
We’ll drive through the main avenue
Paseo de Montejo and spend the warm
evening in the downtown area, visiting
museums, handcraft shops and simply
listening and breathing the air of a
traditional Mexican city.
! Breakfast in Hotel
! Boat expedition in the natural
reserve of Celestun
! Check-in hotel in Merida
! City tour and free time in the
downtown area
Day 17
Izamal & Chichen Itza
After our breakfast at the hotel in
Merida, we’ll drive to the historic
City of Three Cultures: Izamal.
Izamal is the location of the first
mayan settlements 3000 years
ago and is one of the first cities
conquered by the Spaniards.
Take a carriage tour in its
ancient streets, visit the main
pyramid and the cathedral and
breath in the feeling of a small
colonial town.
Visit the latest Wonder of the
World “Chichén Itza”. It is here
where on Spring Equinox the God
Kukulcan descends the Pyramid as a Snake in an incredible combination between Light
and Shadows. The visit last about 3 hours and includes: The Pyramid of Kukulcán, the
Temple of the Warriors, the Largest Ball Court in Mesoamérica, the Observatory and
much more.
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Breakfast in hotel
Visit of the town of Izamal
Archeological visit of Chichen Itza
Check-in hotel in Tulum
Day 18
Cobá & cenotes
Cobá is one of the largest
and most ancient cities of the maya.
Coba is located around two lagoons.
A series of elevated stone and
plaster roads radiate from the
central site to various smaller sites
near and far. These are known by
the Maya term "sacbe". The site
contains
several
large
temple
pyramids, the tallest, known as
Nohoch Mul, being 42 meters in
height.
Climb the tallest pyramid in
southeast Mexico and explore the
white roads where hundreds of
constructions are still totally covered by the dense vegetation. Because of the size of
the archeological site, there is the option of renting bicycle or tricycle-taxis for the
tour.
After our visit, we’ll take a swim in the crystal clear water of two magnificent
cenotes. Cenote water is often very clear, as the water comes from rain water
infiltrating slowly through the ground, and therefore contains very little suspended
particulate matter. The groundwater flow rate within a cenote may be very slow at
velocities ranging from 1 to 1000 meters per year. Cenotes attract cave divers of
around the world who have documented extensive flooded cave systems through
them, some of which have been explored for lengths of 100 kilometers or more.
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Breakfast in hotel
Archeological visit of Cobá
Swim in 2 cenotes
Return to Tulum
Day 19
Tulum
Tulum is one of best places to be in the
Mexican Caribbean. We will have some
free time to spend at the beach before we
go visit the beautiful ancient city. Tulum
was one of the few remaining mayan cities
at the arrival of the first Europeans. Being
built on the coast gives an impressive view
and majesty to Tulum, and the main
reason for its popularity. After our
archeological visit, we’ll check-in a special
category all-inclusive Riviera Maya spa
resort.
In the evening, we’ll continue our tour to the town of Playa del Carmen.
Walk along the 5th avenue with folkloric and bustling restaurant-bars, boutiques and
handcraft shops.
! Free morning in Tulum
! Archeological visit of Tulum
! Check-in spa resort of the Riviera
Maya
! Evening visit of Playa del Carmen
Day 20
Riviera Maya
The Riviera Maya is completely within the state of Quintana Roo on the Yucatan
Peninsula of Mexico. The terrain is flat and covered by low tropical jungle. The geology
is high purity carbonates down to a depth of 0.5 - 1.5 km below the surface. Mean
annual rainfall is 1.5 m per year and the efficient infiltration results in the complete
absence of any surface rivers. As is common in karst, underground river network have
formed by dissolution, and these have been explored and mapped by cave diving
through sinkhole collapses locally called cenotes. The whole of the Yucatan Peninsula is
underlain by a density stratified coastal aquifer system with a lens shaped fresh water
body floating on top of intruding saline water. The groundwater resources are accessed
via the thousands of cenotes throughout the landscape, and these water resources
supported the Maya civilizations and remains today the only natural source of potable
water for this area.
The Caribbean coastline is a series of crescent shaped white sand beaches
interrupted every 1 - 10 km by rocky headlands and inlets through which groundwater
discharges into the coastal water that are locally called caletas. Large sections of the
extensive mangrove swamps that lie behind the beaches and headlands are included in
the areas scheduled for tourism development.
! Free day at the hotel
! Optional tour to Cancun and handcraft market
Day 21
Departure

Circuito de la Luna

Transcription

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