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Maya Sites of Rio Bec
offered by supplier M07706 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 9
day(s)
Group Size: 2
- 16
people
Destination(s):
Mexico
Specialty Categories:
Archeology/History
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
Minimum Per Person Price: 2345 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 2527 US Dollar (USD)
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Enjoy a visit to the beautiful colonial cities of Campeche City, Merida and Izamal. All meals included. Tour stars and ends in Cancun.
Your Itinerary
Day 1:
CANCUN ARRIVAL; TRANSFER TO TULUM
Arrive Cancun and transfer to Tulum, one of the few Mayan ceremonial centers constructed at the seashore. The castle lies on a ridge with a spectacular view of The Caribbean Sea. Afterwards visit the Sian Kian Biosphere Reserve. You may see a toucan or a wild cat. Dinner and overnight at the Freedom Paradise Resort on the Caribbean Sea.
(D)
Day 2:
CHETUMAL; OXTANKAH; KOHUNLICH; DZIBANCHE
Tour of the city of Chetumal. Admire the scenery of Chetumal's bay from the malecon, visit the Museum of Mayan History. Continue to Oxtankah, then drive east to Kohunlich ("cohune ridge"). This name was given by the English corsairs on their trips to Yucatan. Kohunlich was occupied from the Pre-classic to the Post-classic periods. Continue to the archaeological site of Dzibanche, then to the Rio Bec region for dinner and overnight at the Calakmul Jungle Lodge.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 3:
CALAKMUL; XPUHIL; BECAN; RIO BEC
Toucans, pheasants, parrots, eagles, ducks, woodpeckers, flycatchers and some other 350 species of birds will wake you up this morning for an early breakfast on time to start our journey. First we will tour the site of Hormiguero, then continue to Rio Bec. Lunch on site. On the way we will stop at the small citadels of Xpujil, Becan and Chicanna. Overnight at the Calakmul Jungle Lodge.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 4:
CALAKMUL BIOSPHERE RESERVE
After breakfast we will drive through the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, one of the most scenic game preserves, augmented in winter by the migration of birds and butterflies from the northern lands. You may see wild animals such as foxes, wild cats, deer, anteaters, and wild turkeys among the wide diversity of mammals that inhabitat the region. The pre-Hispanic metropolis known as Calakmul ("two adjacent mounds") was named by North American botanist Cyrus Lundell in 1931. Calakmul was the leader of the so-called Kingdom of Serpents Head ( from 250 through 750 AD) which brought together many sites such as Dos Pilas and Naranjo as well as Caracol, which became by the 6th century AD, the main ally of Calakmul in the confrontations with the one which seemed to be its perpetual rival: Tikal. Evidence of continuous architectonic sequence that lasted over fourteen centuries has been found besides a great amount of stelae and monuments with dates picturing history which covers practically all of the Classic Period, from the fifth through late ninth centuries AD. Overnight at the Calakmul Jungle Lodge.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 5:
CALAKMUL; CAMPECHE
Morning in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve to visit Balamku. Then transfer to Campeche and overnight at the Hotel Baluartes facing the Gulf of Mexico.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 6:
CAMPECHE
This walled colonial city on The Gulf of Mexico has played a pivotal role in history. Ah-Kin-Pech ( Maya for "Lord of the serpent tick")- from which the Spanish name of Campeche is derived- was the capital of Mayan chieftainship long before the Spaniards arrived in 1517. Because Campeche City was the only port and shipyard on the gulf, the Spanish ships, with their rich cargoes of plunder from the Maya, Aztec and other indigenous civilizations, dropped anchor here enroute to Veracruz to Havana, New Orleans and Spain. News of this wealth spread, and soon the shores were infested with pirates. Campeche was one of few walled cities in North and Central America and was built along the traditional lines of defensive Spanish settlements such as Santo Domingo ( in the Dominican Republic), Cartagena ( in Colombia), and Portobelo ( in Panama). After visiting the monuments and museums of the city, including the Stele Museum, you will have your afternoon at leisure in this lovely city. Overnight at the Hotel Baluartes.
Day 7:
EDZNA; JAINA ISLAND; MERIDA
After breakfast we will continue our journey to the Ceremonial Center of Edzna. An important Mayan center because of the crucial transitional role it played among several architectural styles. We will explore the great acropolis and climb up the stairs of the five-story pyramid which rises 102 feet. After lunch at a hacienda, we will go to Jaina Island. One thousand seven hundred years ago the Maya built a ceremonial center called hanal ( house of water ). The land was barren so the Maya transported material from the mainland to construct buildings and temples. Centuries later, after the arrival of the Spanish conquerors in 1519, the area's name was changed to Jaina by which it is still known today. Overnight in Merida.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 8:
Merida - Chicken Itza - Cancun
After breakfast our tour will continue with a visit to the colonial city of Izamal, founded by the missionaries famous for its huge convent built over a Mayan temple in 1561 and home of the Virgin of the Conception, Queen Lady of Yucatan. Afterwards we will stop for lunch at the Mayaland Resort before our guided visit to Chichen Itza. We will walk through the nine-level castle, the impressive ball court, the Toltec style court of the thousand columns and the temple of the warriors, and view the sacrificial well, the sacred cenote. We will view the observatory where ancient astronomers traced the movement of stars and created the astounding Mayan Calendar. Early evening arrival to Cancun, just in time for dinner at La Habichuela Restaurant. Overnight at Hotel Villas Tacul on the Caribbean Sea.
(B) (L) (D)
Day 9:
Departure day - Transfer to the Airport
(B)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
North America
Mexico
Archeology/History
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