Viva Mexico: Ancient Ruins & the Mayan Riviera

Land in Mexico City, get yourself to the hotel, and drop your bags. The first official move is meeting the rest of the crew in the evening. It's a low-key start, mostly about getting settled and figuring out who you'll be traveling with before the real action kicks off tomorrow. Note: the welcome activity on this tour is a social meet-up that's only available on the 18-to-Thirtysomethings tour series, so the group skews toward that demographic.

The day starts with a walking tour through the city's greener, more bohemian neighborhoods, La Condesa and Roma. It's a good way to get your bearings, walking past cafes and bars while sampling street food like chilaquiles and tacos along the way. The walk ends near the enormous Bosque de Chapultepec, leaving the afternoon open. Your best move is to organize a trip out to the massive pyramids at Teotihuacán, a separate journey from the city center.

It's a full-on travel day, heading south on a long-haul bus for six or seven hours to Oaxaca. Once you arrive and check in, the plan is to get straight out into the city's vibrant streets. An orientation walk passing the Santo Domingo Cultural Centre takes you to the main square and the 20 de Noviembre market, the perfect place to try a tlayuda—a massive toasted tortilla loaded with beans, meat, and cheese. The day wraps up with a visit to a local chocolate-making shop before you're cut loose for the night.

You have a full free day in Oaxaca, a city known for its food and art scene. The main draw for a day trip is Hierve el Agua, a site of petrified waterfalls you can book separately. If you stay in town, the day is best spent wandering the streets off the main square, hunting for street art, and checking out the city's famous black pottery and hand-woven Zapotec rugs in the local shops and galleries.

Use the morning for any last-minute Oaxaca exploring—maybe a cooking class to learn how to make mole, or just one more market run. In the afternoon, you'll visit a community of artisans who craft alebrijes, the brightly colored, fantastical animal figurines carved from wood. You get to meet the artists and see how they're made. That evening, it's time to pack up and board an overnight bus heading south to Chiapas.

You'll arrive in Tuxtla Gutiérrez early in the morning after the overnight bus ride. From there, head to Sumidero Canyon, about 20 kilometres from the city, for a two-hour boat ride down the Grijalva River through the deep canyon. The canyon walls tower above, making this a prime spot to look for local wildlife like crocodiles and monkeys in the vegetation along the banks. After the boat ride, make the two to two-and-a-half-hour overland journey up into the highlands to San Cristóbal de las Casas and check into Hotel San Martin.

A full free day to adjust to the altitude—San Cristóbal sits at over 2,100 meters. The city itself is full of 16th-century colonial architecture worth exploring on foot. For something more structured, you can arrange trips to nearby indigenous Mayan villages to see a different way of life, or head out to Lagunas de Montebello National Park near the Guatemalan border to see a chain of colorful lakes. The day is yours to decide.

Get ready for another full travel day, this time heading from the highlands down into the jungle heat of Palenque. The drive is broken up by a stop at the Roberto Barrios waterfalls. It's a chance to get out of the vehicle and swim in a series of stunning turquoise cascades, a solid reward for a long day on the road. You'll pull into the jungle town of Palenque in the evening, ready for the next leg of the trip.

The morning is dedicated to exploring the impressive Mayan ruins of Palenque, set deep in the jungle. A guided tour points out the history of the Temple of Inscriptions and the Grand Palace while howler monkeys provide a soundtrack from the canopy. The site is one of the most important from the Classic Maya period. The afternoon is free—you can opt for a hike on a jungle trail or just head back to the hotel to relax by the pool and listen to the sounds of the surrounding wildlife.

This is a pure transit day, and it’s a long one. You'll spend the better part of the day in a vehicle, traveling east across the base of the Yucatán Peninsula from Palenque to Bacalar. It’s a day for headphones, podcasts, and watching the scenery shift from the dense jungle of Chiapas to the flatter, scrubbier landscape of Quintana Roo. Rest up for the final beach-focused part of the trip.

You've got a full, unstructured day in Bacalar. The main attraction is the massive freshwater lagoon, famous for its shifting shades of blue. Your best move is to get out on the water; kayaking is a popular option. Otherwise, you can explore the 18th-century San Felipe Fort in town, which was built to defend against pirates, or simply find a dock, grab a beer, and spend the day swimming.

The morning starts with a boat trip on Bacalar Lagoon. The route takes you to the Canal de los Piratas for a swim, then to a few different cenotes—natural sinkholes—that feed into the lagoon, including the deep Cenote Negro. You'll also see stromatolites, ancient living rock formations. In the afternoon, you'll travel north to Valladolid, a small colonial city. An evening orientation walk introduces you to its quiet streets, 16th-century convent, and local food stalls.

It's a short drive this morning to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Chichén Itzá. A guided tour walks you through the massive archaeological site, explaining the history behind the famous Pyramid of Kukulcan, the great ball court, and the sacred cenote. Afterwards, it's on to the Mayan Riviera and the beach town of Tulum. The vibe shifts completely here—it's all about trendy beach clubs, white sand, and turquoise water. The last night is for going out with the crew.

The trip ends here. Pack your bags, trade contacts with the crew, and head out whenever you need to. There are no planned activities, so you're free to leave at any time. Maybe grab one last breakfast taco before finding your transport to the airport.