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Mexico Food & Culture
9 days, Mexico City to Mexico City
Itinerary
Day 1Mexico City
Arrive at any time.
There are no planned activities until an evening welcome meeting.
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Day 2Mexico City/Puebla
Drive to Puebla, famous for its hand-painted tiles, unique handicrafts, mouth-watering cuisine and rich colonial history. Enjoy an included dinner at a local restaurant known for its featured seasonal specialities. Opt to try out a mole-making class.
Head to Puebla, famous for its hand-painted tiles, unique handicrafts, mouth-watering Mole Poblano (a mouth-watering spicy sauce made with cocoa and infinite varieties of chillies) and rich colonial history.
Opt to take a mole-making class to learn the secrets of this famous sauce.
Enjoy an included dinner at a local restaurant known for its featured seasonal specialities.
First-class Bus
Ride on in style. This sure isn't your grandmother's public bus.
This bus can be chilly due to the air-conditioning so bring a sweater for a comfortable trip. There are toilet facilities on the bus.
Orientation Walk
The route will vary for each tour, allowing our CEOs to share their personal favourites. You can expect to see the zócalo, artisans' market and visit the historic buildings within centre of this World Heritage city.
Optional Activities - Day 2 HideShow
Mole-Making Demonstration
1200MXN per personLearn to make the traditional and timeless sauce of mole, made with an assortment of chilis, chocolate and spices. Sample your mouth-watering creation when you're done and sit down for an included dinner with the group.
Meals included:
DinnerDay 3Puebla
Enjoy a free day in Puebla. Opt to visit some of the many museums and cathedrals or the great pyramid at Cholula. For markets, visit the Mercado de Sabores or the Mercado El Carmen for cemites.
Free Time
Spend the day wandering through museums learning about Mexican history or exploring the markets.
Optional Activities - Day 3 HideShow
Test
70-200MXN per personGrab a beer and a seat and get ready for a show where the audience is almost as theatrical as the wrestlers. Luchadores follow different rules than wrestlers in other parts of the world, they typically wear colourful masks inspired by Aztec history and use the ropes of the ring to propel themselves into the air. Boo the rudos as they try to cheat and conquer the precise, formal, técnicos. You’re sure to learn how to throw insults in Spanish after spending a night at a match.
Cholula Ruins Visit
85MXN per personAlso known as Tlachihualtepetl, Cholula is a massive archaeological site west of Puebla. Dating from at least 100AD, it’s the oldest continuously occupied ceremonial centre in the western hemisphere. Most impressive is the Great Pyramid of Cholula – a tall grass-covered structure which is actually at least four successive pyramids built one on top of the other. The Spanish built a church at the very top in 1594. Visit the museum to learn about the history, explore tunnels, and climb to the top for breathtaking views of nearby volcanoes.
Day 4Puebla/Oaxaca
Head to Oaxaca. Explore the markets and enjoy an included cooking class to get a hands-on understanding of Mexican cuisine.
Local Bus
Climb aboard, grab a seat, and enjoy the ride.
Remember to bring a sweater for the air-conditioned bus. There are toilet facilities on board.
Orientation Walk
All walks will be slightly different, allowing your CEO to show off their favourite spots. You can expect to see the Santo Domingo Cultural Centre, walk through the zocalo and the famous 20th of November market. Opt to sample some delicious Oaxacan foods along the way such as mole, tlayudas or chapulines.
Your Foodie Moment: Cooking Class
Test out your culinary skills and learn to make traditional Oaxacan cuisine. The teacher will teach the class to create authentic dishes that can be replicated at home, when you're finished dig in and enjoy your dish!
Day 5Oaxaca
Enjoy free time in Oaxaca. Take a mezcal factory that produces the fiery "other tequila", the region's specialty. Opt to visit the famous Zapotec site of Monte Albán or the highlights of the state of Oaxaca. Enjoy a local Oaxacan dinner.
Monte Albán, a spectacular grouping of pre-Hispanic (Zapotec) mountain top temples, is just a short bus ride away, as is the Valley of Mitla with its colourful ruins and hand-loomed carpets. Stepping from the cultural to the culinary, Oaxaca is also a great area for trying out new tastes and textures.
Your Foodie Moment: Mezcal Factory Tour
The Valley of Oaxaca is renowned as the birthplace of mezcal. Not to be confused with tequila, this distilled liquor is made in small batches from a variety of species of agave (spiky green plants that look like the tops of pineapples). Sample different types, including white unaged mezcal (often sold with an agave larva inside), along with “reposado” and “añejo” (aged) batches. Grab a slice of orange that's coated in salt and mixed with chili and ground worms. Now, it’s time to sip and enjoy.
Free Time
Spend free time exploring and tasting the sublime to the exotic, the restaurants and markets around town will challenge you to one adventure after another. After all, this is the home of Mezcal (look for the unfortunate worm at the bottom), Oaxacan chocolate, cheese, and yes, even salted grasshoppers, if you're feeling brave.
Optional Activities - Day 5 HideShow
Monte Albán Tour
950MXN per personThe Zapotec site of Monte Albán dates back to 500 BC and features platforms, pyramids, plazas, and a ball court sitting on a leveled mountaintop some 10km (5 mi) from Oaxaca. Enjoy the 360-degree views, see Olmec carvings, and be sure to visit the museum to see artifacts and stele excavated in the early 20th century.
Valley of Mitla Ruins Visit
950MXN per personThe UNESCO World Heritage site of Mitla is 38km (24 mi) from Oaxaca. Its name derives from the Nahuatl language, meaning “Place of the Dead”. Occupied from 900 BC by the Zapotecs and then the Mixtecs, the ruin features five groups of structures on either side of the Mitla River. Look for ancient cut-stone mosaics and intricate stone carvings throughout.
The region is also famous for its hand-dyed, foot-loomed woven rugs.
Meals included:
DinnerDay 6Oaxaca/Puerto Escondido
Take a bus to the Oaxacan Pacific coast and enjoy time in this beach paradise. With so much to do in Puerto Escondido you might want to lounge on the beach, try surfing, diving or take an eco tour to spot dolphins, sailfish or sea turtles. Visit the local market for a taste of how the locals shop. Opt to enjoy a seafood dinner in this quaint coastal town.
First-class Bus
Ride on in style. This sure isn't your grandmother's public bus.
Bring a sweater as the bus can be chilly. There are toilets on board.
Optional Activities - Day 6 HideShow
Scuba Diving
Explore under the waves and look for oysters, scuttling lobsters or manta rays gliding through the water.
Marine Eco Tour
35USD per personEnjoy a guided tour and learn about the animal and plant life in the area like dolphins, turtles, and maybe even whales.
Surfing
Spend some time riding the waves on one of the many beaches in Puerto Escondido, famous for its surfing opportunities. Depending on your skill level some beaches will be better than others, Carizalillo is great for beginners while Zicatela is only safe for experts. Talk to your CEO to figure out where to go for rentals or lessons.
Day 7Puerto Escondido
Enjoy a free day in this beach paradise.
Free Time
Ride the waves, dive into a dazzling underwater world, or just spread out a towel on the warm sand and enjoy the sun.
Optional Activities - Day 7 HideShow
Surfing
Spend some time riding the waves on one of the many beaches in Puerto Escondido, famous for its surfing opportunities. Depending on your skill level some beaches will be better than others, Carizalillo is great for beginners while Zicatela is only safe for experts. Talk to your CEO to figure out where to go for rentals or lessons.
Scuba Diving
Explore under the waves and look for oysters, scuttling lobsters or manta rays gliding through the water.
Day 8Puerto Escondido/Mexico City
Catch a flight back to Mexico City. Opt for final night out with the group.
Catch a flight back to the largest city in the world. This fascinating multi-layered megalopolis is home to an endless list of cultural wonders, the best anthropology museum for Mexican archaeology, the largest plaza (the zocalo), the Zona Rosa, many Aztec historic sites, and a vibrant street life at all hours.
Plane
Travel by van to the Puerto Escondido airport, about 20 mins, before the short flight to Mexico City. Travel by private vehicle to your hotel on the other end, which can take up to 1.5 hrs with traffic.
Free Time
In a city this big, you'll never run out of things to do and see. Pick up some souvenirs for friends back home, visit any must-see landmarks you missed or just hang out with the group before you have to say goodbye.
Day 9Mexico City
Depart at any time.