Beyond the Border - Parkwest Air Tours

Parkwest Air Tours
2015 Season
Beyond the Border
The 2015 trip to Mexico features something old,
something new, something borrowed and lots of blue
(sky, that is)! This 12-night tour samples the diversity of
Old Mexico from San Luis Potosí, Morelia, Pátzcuaro,
Zacatecas and Alamos.
FEBRUARY 28 – MARCH 12, 2015
Itinerary
Trip Highlights:
Tour Length: 12 nights
Starts: Laredo, TX (LRD)
Ends: Douglas, AZ (DGL)
Approx. Flight Distance: 1410 nm
(LRD - DGL)
Highlights include diverse Mexican
flying, luxury hotels, day tour to
magical Pátzcuaro, historic walk of
San Luis Potosí, underground mine
tour and silver shopping in
Zacatecas, a cooking class with a
Mexican chef, and more! There is a
3-night stay scheduled in Morelia
allowing for an optional, but highlyrecommended, day trip to see the
Monarch butterflies.
Saturday, 2/28
Arrive Laredo, TX (LRD) by 1:00 pm. Transfer to La Posada Hotel.
Afternoon tour briefing and Welcome Dinner at local restaurant. D
Sunday, 3/1
Breakfast at hotel. Morning flight briefing at hotel. Lunch and afternoon
free time on own. Group dinner. B/D
Monday, 3/2
Breakfast at hotel, then transfer to airport for flight to San Luis Potosí.
After arrival procedures, transfer to hotel Museo Palacio San Agustín.
This “hotel museum” was once part of the San Augustine monastery and
is now home to the city’s most elegant hotel. Hotel tour and cocktails,
and afternoon walk around the city’s historic center. B/L
Tuesday, 3/3
Breakfast at hotel, then depart for half-day tour outside the city to Santa
María del Rio, where the traditional reboso (shawl) is still made by hand
in small, family-owned factories. This garment forms part of most any
traditional Mexican costume, and is the most important and original
handicraft from this region. B/L
Over…
Itinerary – cont.
Wednesday, 3/4
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to airport for
flight to Morelia, Michoacán. Check into
the impressive Hotel Los Juaninos in the
historic center. Free time in the
afternoon to enjoy at your leisure
Morelia’s plazas, cafes and one of the
most impressive cathedrals in all of
Mexico. Dinner at hotel. B/D
Thursday, 3/5
After breakfast, embark on a day tour to
magical Pátzcuaro, the heart of
Purépecha (indigenous) country.
Craftspeople from the surrounding
villages come here to sell their art and
wares, amidst the backdrop of this
historic town with cobbled streets, old
churches and bustling plazas. You’ll be
back in downtown Morelia for dinner
and leisure time on your own. B/L
Friday, 3/6
Breakfast at hotel, then (optional) tour day to witness one of the most fascinating events in the natural world: the
overwintering of millions of Monarch butterflies in this seemingly randomly-chosen-yet-consistently-populated
fir forest in the Mexican highlands. It’s an all-day trip from Morelia to reach the preserve and back, and might
include hiking and/or horseback riding at altitude, but it is a journey you will never forget. B/D
Saturday, 3/7
After breakfast, transfer to airport for flight to Zacatecas. Transfer to hotel Quinta Real, a luxury hotel situated
around the country’s oldest—and now retired—bullring. Leisure time in the afternoon before dinner at the
hotel’s elegant La Plaza restaurant. B/D
Sunday, 3/8
We’ll have a leisurely day in Zacatecas today: shopping for silver, touring an underground mine, and enjoying
the overhead scenery from the city’s cable car ride up the La Bufa hillside. For adrenaline junkies, there is also
an opportunity to zip line over a former open-pit mine. B/L
Monday, 3/9
After breakfast in hotel, transfer to hotel for flight to Alamos, Sonora via Culiacán for fuel. Transfer to elegant
Hacienda de los Santos for an afternoon of leisure: poolside, around town, at the spa, your choice. No one will
blame you if you don’t ever want to leave the confines of the hotel walls. B/L/D
Tuesday, 3/10
Enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Alamos, a sunny, friendly town with lots of artistic and gringo influence.
The Hacienda’s own Chef René will give us a class on Mexican cooking today, and we’ll wind down with a
relaxing dinner and live music at the Hacienda. B/L/D
Wednesday, 3/11
Transfer to airport after breakfast for departures to Obregón, then Douglas, AZ. Transfer to historic but newly
renovated Gadsden Hotel for Farewell Dinner and tour movie! B/D
Thursday, 3/12
Breakfast at hotel on own. Shuttle to airport for departures at your leisure.