Mexico, Guatemala & Belize

Day 1 | Monday 5 April
Arrive Mexico City
Founded by the Aztecs as Tenochtitlán in 1325 CE on an island in Lake Texcoco, Mexico City became the imperial capital of the most powerful state in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica before being razed and rebuilt by the Spanish after 1521. The layered result – Aztec foundations beneath colonial baroque – makes it one of the most historically complex urban centres on earth. Our tour commences this evening in the hotel, where we gather for an introductory talk, accompanied by a welcome drink.
We then walk to the historic Café de Tacuba, one of the city’s most venerated dining institutions, for dinner together. Overnight Mexico City (D)

Day 2 | Tuesday 6 April
The National Museum of Anthropology & Historic Centre
Opened in 1964 on the Paseo de la Reforma, the National Museum of Anthropology illuminates the depth and breadth of pre-Hispanic civilisation, with its collections spanning from the earliest human presence in the Americas through the great civilisations of the Olmec, Teotihuacano, Maya, Toltec and Aztec peoples. After spending our first morning touring the magnificent Aztec galleries here, we make our way into the historic centre to explore the grand Zócalo – one of the largest central squares in the world. Lunch is enjoyed together on arrival, followed by a visit to the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Templo Mayor, the ceremonial heart of Tenochtitlán. A stroll down Madero Street, past the Torre Latinoamericana, brings us back to our hotel, where an evening talk introduces tomorrow’s excursion to Teotihuacán. Overnight Mexico City (B, L)

Day 3 | Wednesday 7 April
Teotihuacán
Just 50 kilometres northeast of the capital lies Teotihuacán, one of the most consequential cities of the ancient world. Meaning ‘the place where the gods were created’ in Nahuatl, the city reached its peak around 500 CE, when it was among the largest cities on earth. Our visit to Teotihuacán today begins with a walk along the Avenue of the Dead – the great ceremonial spine of the city that stretches nearly four kilometres between the Pyramid of the Moon to the north and the Ciudadela to the south. We then tour the Pyramid of the Sun – the third-largest pyramid in the world – and the elaborately decorated Temple of the Feathered Serpent. Lunch is enjoyed at the nearby Gran Teocalli Restaurant. On our return to the city this evening, we attend the Ballet Folklórico at the Palacio de Bellas Artes – a celebrated performance showcasing the regional dance traditions of Mexico, staged beneath one of the building’s most extraordinary features: a 24-tonne Tiffany stained-glass curtain depicting the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, assembled from nearly one million pieces of coloured glass. Overnight Mexico City (B, L)

Day 4 | Thursday 8 April
Coyoacán
The southern district of Coyoacán – ‘place of the coyotes’ in Nahuatl – was once a separate village on the shores of Lake Texcoco and the site from which Hernán Cortés directed the siege of Tenochtitlán. Today it retains much of its colonial charm, with cobbled streets, leafy plazas and painted facades. The district is closely tied to three of the most compelling figures of 20th-century Mexico: Frida Kahlo, her husband Diego Rivera and the Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky, who lived here in exile until his assassination in 1940. Our day is spent exploring this charming bohemian borough, with visits to the Trotsky House Museum and the Casa Azul – Frida’s birthplace and home, where her rooms and garden still echo her presence. There is also the option to visit the recently opened Casa Roja – the Kahlo family’s former home, which houses a significant collection of her work. On our return towards the hotel, we also visit the Mural Museum at Alameda Central, home to Diego Rivera’s extraordinary panoramic work depicting four centuries of Mexican history. Overnight Mexico City (B)

Day 5 | Friday 9 April
Mexico City to Palenque via La Venta Park
The Olmec civilisation – the first major complex culture of Mesoamerica, flourishing along the Gulf Coast between approximately 1500 and 400 BCE – remains, in many respects, an enigma. Yet their monumental stone heads, some weighing up to 40 tonnes, and their sophisticated iconography left a deep imprint on all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures. Departing Mexico City this morning, we fly southeast to Villahermosa, where on arrival we visit La Venta Museum Park. Set in open tropical grounds, the park houses more than 30 Olmec monuments rescued from the original site of La Venta – including four of the famous colossal heads. Lunch is enjoyed at the nearby Los Tulipanes Restaurant before we continue south by road to Palenque, arriving at our jungle villa hotel in time to freshen up before dinner. Overnight Palenque (B, L, D)

Day 6 | Saturday 10 April
Palenque
Palenque prospered between 600 and 800 CE, when its rulers – above all Pakal the Great, who reigned for 68 years – commissioned a program of building and inscription that produced some of the most detailed dynastic records in the Maya world. Using the hieroglyphic texts carved across these temples, epigraphers were able to reconstruct a royal genealogy stretching back centuries. After a morning talk providing context of the site, we make the short drive to the Palenque ruins. With our local guide we explore the Temple of the Inscriptions – beneath which the intact tomb of Pakal was discovered in 1952, its sarcophagus lid carved with one of the most celebrated images in pre Columbian art – the Palace, with its distinctive observation tower, and the Group of the Cross, a trio of temples whose inscriptions record the accession of Pakal’s son, Kan Bahlam II. On return to the hotel, the remainder of the day is at leisure. Overnight Palenque (B)

Day 7 | Sunday 11 April
Bonampak and Yaxchilán
Deep in the Lacandón jungle of Chiapas, two Maya sites illuminate very different dimensions of Classic period civilisation. Our first of the sites this morning is Bonampak – whose name means ‘painted walls’ in Yucatec Maya. Discovered by outsiders only in 1946, it is celebrated for the extraordinary murals found in its main temple. Still luminous after more than a millennium, they offer the most complete surviving painted record of Maya court life. Lunch is taken at the Escudo Jaguar restaurant in Corozal, before we journey to our second site, Yaxchilán, reached by boat along the Usumacinta River that forms the modern border between Mexico and Guatemala. This was once a powerful city-state whose rulers erected finely carved lintels that recorded alliances, warfare and bloodletting ceremonies with precise hieroglyphic detail. Later in the afternoon we make the return journey to our hotel, stopping for dinner enroute at the Maya Cañada restaurant. Overnight Palenque (B, L, D)

Day 8 | Monday 12 April
Yucatán Lowlands
The drive south to Calakmul – some 360 kilometres across the Yucatán lowlands – is itself a journey into one of the most biodiverse regions of the Americas. The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, which surrounds the ruins, is one of the largest tropical forests in the Americas, home to jaguars, tapirs, toucans and howler monkeys. Also known as the seat of the ‘Snake Kingdom’, Calakmul was once one of the great superpowers of the Classic Maya world and a rival to Tikal, which it waged a long and destructive proxy war across the region for centuries. Departing Palenque today, we arrive into Calakmul by late afternoon and check into our jungle hotel. A talk this evening introduces the competing kingdoms of Calakmul and Tikal, setting the context for the day ahead, followed by dinner together. Overnight Calakmul (B, D)

Day 9 | Tuesday 13 April
Calakmul
Hidden within dense jungle and designated a UNESCO World-Heritage site for its natural and archaeological importance, Calakmul is one of the most remote major Maya sites accessible to visitors. At its peak in the 7th century CE, it housed around 50,000 people and controlled a vast network of satellite cities through diplomacy and war – its great rival Tikal lying about 100 kilometres to the south. To reach the ruins this morning, we transfer to smaller vehicles for the final stretch through the biosphere reserve, travelling slowly through a jungle bustling with toucans, spider monkeys and, if we are fortunate, the deep, resonant roar of howler monkeys overhead. The central pyramid, Structure II, rises over 45 metres and offers, from its summit, a view that stretches in all directions across untouched jungle. On our return to the hotel, an evening talk introduces Belize and the next phase of the tour. Overnight Calakmul (B, L)

Day 10 | Wednesday 14 April
To Belize
The road west from Calakmul passes through the transitional zone between the Mexican lowlands and the Belizean frontier, a landscape that was densely settled during the Late Classic period and is now being reclaimed by secondary forest. En route, we stop at Chicanná – ‘house of the serpent mouth’ – a small but beautifully preserved Chenes-style site whose buildings are decorated with extraordinary zoomorphic facades, the entire doorway framed as the open jaws of the earth monster. At the Belize border, we bid farewell to our Mexican team and change buses, continuing with a local Belizean guide and driver through the rolling countryside of Orange Walk District. Lunch is enjoyed together before we cross the New River to reach the Gran Mestizo hotel on its bank. There will be time to relax and freshen up in our hotel before dinner this evening. Overnight Orange Walk (B, L, D)

Day 11 | Thursday 15 April
Lamanai
Known as ‘submerged crocodile’ in Yucatec Maya, Lamanai is among the most evocative sites in Belize, not only for the quality of its architecture but for the manner of its approach. It was also one of the longest continuously occupied Maya sites in the region, inhabited from at least 1500 BCE through to the early colonial period, and the evidence of Spanish missionary activity alongside ancient temples makes for a complex, layered visit. Travelling by speedboat to Lamanai this morning, our route takes us along the New River Lagoon and through a gallery of riparian vegetation alive with birds, spider monkeys and crocodiles. Once at the site itself, we explore the Mask Temple, the Ball Court and the High Temple, whose summit commands panoramic views of the lagoon and the surrounding forest. There is time to enjoy our picnic lunch amongst the ruins before we return to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure. Overnight Orange Walk (B, L)

Day 12 | Friday 16 April
Belize City
Belize occupies a distinctive position in the history of the region – a former British colony that retained strong ties to the Caribbean world while sitting at the heart of the ancient Maya lowlands. Its small capital, Belize City, reflects this layered identity. En route from Orange Walk, we stop at the Community Baboon Sanctuary, a grassroots conservation initiative protecting the black howler monkey along the Belize River corridor. After learning about its resident primates, we continue to the city for a walking tour that takes in the Museum of Belize, the Cathedral of St John and the historic waterfront. Lunch will be enjoyed together at a local restaurant before checking into our hotel. Overnight Belize City (B, L)

Day 13 | Saturday 17 April
Caye Caulker
The Belize Barrier Reef – the second longest in the world and a UNESCO World-Heritage site – runs parallel to the coast for nearly 300 kilometres, sheltering a chain of low-lying coral islands known as cayes. Caye Caulker is among the most characterful of these: a car-free island of painted wooden houses, blooming bougainvillea and a pace of life that seems untouched by the wider world. This morning we board a water taxi to reach the island, then embark on a snorkelling excursion to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, whose shallow waters support more than 160 species of fish, nearly 40 species of coral and three species of sea turtle. From there, we move on to Shark Ray Alley, where nurse sharks and southern stingrays glide through the water just below the surface. Lunch is enjoyed on board between the two sites, after which there is time to wander the island’s sandy lanes before the water taxi returns us to Belize City. Overnight Belize City (B, L)

Day 14 | Sunday 18 April
Belize Zoo and Cave Tubing, to San Ignacio
The Maya relationship with caves was not merely practical but profoundly sacred. The dark interior of a limestone cave was understood as the mouth of Xibalba, the underworld, and the rivers running through it as passages between the living world and the realm of the dead. Today we continue our journey west toward the Guatemalan border, stopping first at the Belize Zoo – a celebrated sanctuary housing only native species, set in natural bush. We then continue to the Caves Branch River for a gentle cave tubing experience that takes us beneath towering limestone archways through caverns that were once sites of Maya ritual. Lunch will be enjoyed together at a nearby restaurant before we continue to San Ignacio, where, after check-in and time to freshen up, we will enjoy dinner in our hotel. Overnight San Ignacio (B, L, D)

Day 15 | Monday 19 April
Caracol
Set deep in the jungle of the Vaca Plateau, Caracol was, at its peak, the largest Maya city in Belize and one of the most powerful in the entire lowland region. Its ruler, Sky Xul, defeated the great city of Tikal in 562 CE – a victory recorded on one of Caracol’s remarkable altar monuments – initiating a period of regional dominance that reshaped the political map of the Classic Maya world. The site’s principal pyramid, Caana, rises 43 metres above the jungle floor and remains, despite centuries of collapse, the tallest man-made structure in Belize. We spend the morning touring the site’s ancient courtyards, ball courts and residential complexes, taking a packed lunch among the ruins before continuing our exploration of the surrounding jungle. Finally, we stop at the Rio Frio Cave for a swim in the Rio On Pools, a series of smooth granite slides and natural swimming holes fed by cool mountain water. Dinner this evening is enjoyed back at our hotel. Overnight San Ignacio (B, L, D)

Day 16 | Tuesday 20 April
To Guatemala
The border between Belize and Guatemala traverses a landscape that, in ancient times, was the core of the Classic Maya civilisation, with no political boundary interrupting the continuous network of cities, roads and trade routes. Entering Guatemala at Melchor de Mencos, we change buses and take on a new local guide, before heading toward the Petén lowlands and the island town of Flores, situated on a small rise in Lago Petén Itzá and linked to the mainland by a single causeway. The lake holds special significance in Maya history: the Itzá kingdom, with its capital on this very island, was the last independent Maya polity to resist the Spanish conquest, finally subdued only in 1697 – over 150 years after the Aztec and Inca empires had fallen. In the late afternoon, we enjoy a boat ride on the lake, watching the sun’s last light reflect off the water amid jungle and distant hills, before returning to our hotel for dinner and relaxation. Overnight Flores (B, D)

Day 17 | Wednesday 21 April
Tikal
Rising majestically above jungle canopy in the Petén lowlands, Tikal stands as one of the most influential centres of the Classic Maya civilisation. At its zenith between 400 and 900 CE, it governed an extensive network of tributary cities and trade routes, harbouring perhaps 100,000 inhabitants. Its impressive temple-pyramids exemplify this ambition: Temple I, known as the ‘Temple of the Great Jaguar’, rises 47 metres above the Grand Plaza, while Temple IV, the ‘Temple of the Two-Headed Serpent’, is the tallest pre-Columbian structure in the Americas. We dedicate our morning to the site, followed by lunch at the on-site restaurant and a visit to the Sylvanus Morley Ceramic Museum. The remainder of the afternoon allows for further exploration or time to seek out the abundant wildlife – toucans, spider monkeys and coatis are often observed among the ruins. Tikal’s lush jungle also offers excellent birdwatching opportunities, so remember to bring binoculars if you are inclined. Chris also leads birdwatching tours so you are in good company! Overnight Flores (B, L)

Day 18 | Thursday 22 April
Chichicastenango and Lake Atitlán
Guatemala’s highlands are home to some of the largest remaining indigenous Maya communities in the Americas, where K’iche’, Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel peoples maintain their languages, textile traditions and ceremonial practices. Flying from Flores to Guatemala City today, we travel into the highlands to Chichicastenango, whose twice-weekly market – Thursdays and Sundays – is one of the largest indigenous markets in Central America and fills the town’s streets and plaza. Directly adjacent to the market, we find the church of Santo Tomás, built over a Maya temple platform. It remains an active site of syncretic devotion where Maya spiritual guides conduct ceremonies alongside Catholic worship. After time to explore the market, we continue south to our destination for the night, Lake Atitlán. This volcanic caldera of extraordinary scale is ringed by three great cones – Atitlán, Tolimán and San Pedro – whose reflections shift across the water with the changing light of the afternoon. Dinner this evening is at our lakeside hotel. Overnight Lake Atitlán (B, D)

Day 19 | Friday 23 April
Lake Atitlán to Antigua
The villages that dot the shores of Lake Atitlán are each associated with a distinct Maya community and a recognisable textile tradition, their weavings distinguished by colour, pattern and technique in ways that have encoded identity and cosmology for generations. Our morning begins with a boat ride across the lake to San Juan la Laguna, where a women’s weaving collective maintains natural dyeing methods and pre-Hispanic loom techniques, and a painters’ cooperative has made the village a centre of contemporary indigenous art. Continuing by road through Panajachel, we descend from the highlands towards our final destination – Antigua Guatemala. Set beneath the volcanoes of Agua, Fuego and Acatenango, Antigua is a UNESCO World-Heritage site of rare coherence – a city whose 18th-century fabric survives largely intact, its grandeur tempered by the earthquake ruins that punctuate every neighbourhood. On arrival, the rest of the afternoon is free to relax or explore. Overnight Antigua (B)

Day 20 | Saturday 24 April
Antigua and Volcán Pacaya
Antigua served as the capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala from 1543 until a catastrophic earthquake in 1773 prompted the transfer of government to the present capital. The ruins left by that disaster – great colonial churches and convents whose facades remain standing amid roofless naves – give the city much of its distinctive character. With the morning devoted to the city itself, we take in the panoramic viewpoint at Cerro de la Cruz, the cathedral ruins and the Jade Museum. Our afternoon then brings us to Volcán Pacaya, one of Guatemala’s most active volcanoes. The challenging part of the climb is made on horseback, with each passenger led individually by a muleteer to the main mirador – from which, on a clear day, the view extends across the volcanic chain of the Pacific highlands. There is the option of continuing on foot to reach the actual vents, where the volcano’s activity can be witnessed at close range. A farewell dinner at the hotel this evening brings the tour to a close. Overnight Antigua (B, D)

Day 21 | Sunday 25 April
Depart Antigua
The tour concludes after breakfast. A transfer is provided to La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City. (B)