Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Mexico: Mexico City, Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatán
15 days from Mexico City to Tulum: Teotihuacan and Oaxaca, a flight to the Sumidero Canyon and San Cristóbal, then Palenque, Campeche, Uxmal, Mérida and Chichén Itzá at opening.
15 days · Mexico City to Cancún · up to 12 guests
A street in San Cristóbal de las Casas, in the Chiapas highlands Photo: Adam Jones, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Street_Scene_with_Mountain_Backdrop_-_San_Cristobal_de_las_Casas_-_Chiapas_-_Mexico.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 15 days, 14 nights
- Start and end
- Mexico City to Cancún
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Most days have 2 to 4 hours on foot at archaeological sites or in old towns, on uneven stone, cobbles and steep steps, sometimes in heat above 30°C. Mexico City and San Cristóbal sit at about 2,200 m, Oaxaca at about 1,550 m. One long road day (about 5.5 hours of driving) and one of about 4.5 hours. Every site walk can be shortened, and the cenote swims are optional.
- Meals included
- 14 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 945 (estimated price)
- Season
- November to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Anthropology Museum at opening, then Teotihuacan's Avenue of the Dead before the heat and the tour buses
- Monte Albán at 8 am on its levelled mountaintop above the Oaxaca valley
- A flight to Tuxtla and a boat through the Sumidero Canyon, under walls up to about 1,000 m high
- San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán with a local Tzotzil guide, then a free afternoon in San Cristóbal
- Palenque at opening, with howler monkeys calling from the forest around the Temple of the Inscriptions
- Campeche's walls at dusk and Uxmal's Pyramid of the Magician with few people around
- Chichén Itzá at 8 am, ahead of the Cancún day trips, then lunch and a cenote swim in Valladolid
- The Tulum ruins above the Caribbean at opening, and a farewell dinner by the sea
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 945 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Mexico City
Mexico City International Airport to your hotel in the centre
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Mexico City
- Drive about 45 min
Evening
Fly into Mexico City International Airport (MEX) in time for the early-evening briefing: plan to land by about 3 pm (the exact latest arrival is confirmed with your final itinerary). A driver meets you in the arrivals hall, tracking your flight, for the 12 km drive into the centre, which takes 30 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. The city sits at about 2,240 m, so take the afternoon slowly, drink plenty of water and leave the big walks for tomorrow. If you land early, the Zócalo, the vast main square, is a short walk from central hotels. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the two weeks ahead: the two flights, the long road day in Chiapas, what to pack for highland nights and jungle heat. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner at a restaurant near the hotel.
Included
- Pick-up at Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Mexico City is at about 2,240 m. Go easy on alcohol the first evening.
The Anthropology Museum and the old centre
Chapultepec Park to the Centro Histórico
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Mexico City
- Drive about 30 min
We are at the National Museum of Anthropology in Chapultepec Park when it opens at 9 am, while the halls are quiet. Your guide picks the rooms that set up the whole trip: the Aztec Sun Stone, the Oaxaca hall with its Zapotec and Mixtec pieces, and the Maya hall, where a reconstruction of Pakal's tomb from Palenque shows what you will stand above on day 10.
Morning
Late morning we cross to the Centro Histórico, listed by UNESCO in 1987, and walk to the Zócalo. Beside the Metropolitan Cathedral lie the excavated remains of the Templo Mayor, the main temple of Aztec Tenochtitlan, uncovered after 1978 under colonial streets.
Afternoon
Lunch is a market walk with tastings at stalls your guide knows, then the afternoon is free: the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Torre Latinoamericana viewpoint, or a rest.
Evening
Dinner tonight is your choice, in the centre or in Roma and Condesa.
Included
- National Museum of Anthropology at opening, with your guide
- The Zócalo and the Metropolitan Cathedral
- The Templo Mayor site and museum
- Market lunch walk with tastings
Optional experiences
- Palacio de Bellas Artes (entry fee)
- Torre Latinoamericana viewpoint (entry fee)
Easier option: Skip the Templo Mayor and take the afternoon at the hotel after lunch.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 4 hours on foot, mostly on flat paving. The museum and the Templo Mayor close on Mondays, so this day never falls on one.
Teotihuacan at opening
Mexico City to Teotihuacan and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Mexico City
- Drive about 2 h
Afternoon
We leave the hotel at about 7:45 am and drive an hour north-east to Teotihuacan, arriving for the 9 am opening, before most tour buses and the midday sun. This was one of the largest cities in the world in the middle of the first millennium AD, built centuries before the Aztecs found it in ruins and gave it its name. With a local guide we start at the Ciudadela and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, its facade studded with carved serpent heads, then walk the Avenue of the Dead past the Pyramid of the Sun to the plaza below the Pyramid of the Moon and the carved pillars of the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl. Climbing rules on the pyramids change, and your guide tells you what is open on the day. Lunch is at a restaurant near the site, and we are back in the city by mid-afternoon, with the rest of the day free.
Included
- Teotihuacan at opening with a local guide: the Ciudadela, the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, the Avenue of the Dead, the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl
- Lunch near the site
Optional experiences
- Frida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul) in Coyoacán in the afternoon: timed tickets sell out, so we book and price them when you book
Easier option: Walk only from the Pyramid of the Sun to the Pyramid of the Moon, about 1 km, and wait in the shade of the site museum garden.
More active option: Walk the full length of the Avenue of the Dead from the Ciudadela, more than 2 km, and back.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 3 hours on foot on gravel and stone with little shade. Bring a hat, sunscreen and water.
Fly to Oaxaca and the grill aisle
Mexico City to Oaxaca by air, then a walk through the centre
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
A morning flight of about an hour takes us south to Oaxaca, saving the six-and-a-half-hour road. At about 1,550 m the city is lower and warmer than the capital, and its centre of green-stone churches and painted houses was listed by UNESCO in 1987, together with Monte Albán.
Afternoon
We drop bags at the hotel and walk to the Mercado 20 de Noviembre for lunch in the pasillo de humo, the smoke-filled grill aisle, where you choose your meat at a butcher's stall and it is grilled in front of you with tortillas, salsas and onions. In the afternoon your guide walks you up the pedestrian Macedonio Alcalá to Santo Domingo de Guzmán, whose gilded interior took most of a century to finish, and back to the arcades of the Zócalo.
Evening
The evening is free: mezcal bars, a rooftop or an early night.
Included
- Flight from Mexico City to Oaxaca (OAX) with transfers at both ends
- Lunch in the grill aisle of the Mercado 20 de Noviembre
- Walk through the centre with your guide: the Macedonio Alcalá, Santo Domingo de Guzmán and the Zócalo
Free time: Evening free
Activity: One checked bag of up to 23 kg is included on both flights; weight limits are confirmed when we book flights.
Monte Albán at 8 am
Oaxaca to Monte Albán and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 45 min
Twenty minutes up a winding road brings us to Monte Albán as it opens at 8 am, when the light is low across the valley and the grass of the Main Plaza is still wet. The Zapotecs levelled this mountaintop about 400 m above the valley floor and built their capital here from around 500 BC, and it stayed in use for well over a thousand years. With a local guide we climb the South Platform for the view over the whole plaza, then walk past the ball court, the carved stones known as the Danzantes and the North Platform.
Afternoon
We are back in town for lunch together, then visit the Museum of Oaxacan Cultures in the former convent beside Santo Domingo, where the Mixtec gold and carved bone from Tomb 7, found at Monte Albán in 1932, fill a room. After that the afternoon is yours.
Included
- Monte Albán at opening with a local guide
- Lunch in Oaxaca
- Museum of Oaxacan Cultures at Santo Domingo, with the treasure of Tomb 7
Optional experiences
- Guided visit to the Ethnobotanical Garden behind Santo Domingo (fixed tour times; entry fee)
- Mole cooking class (priced at booking)
Easier option: Stay on the Main Plaza at Monte Albán rather than climbing the platforms, and skip the museum for a quiet afternoon.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 2 hours on foot at Monte Albán, with steep stone steps on the platforms and little shade. The Santo Domingo museum closes on Mondays.
The Tule tree, weavers, mezcal and Mitla
Oaxaca through the Tlacolula Valley to Santa María del Tule, Teotitlán del Valle, Santiago Matatlán and Mitla
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 2.5 h
Today we head east along the Tlacolula Valley. First stop is Santa María del Tule, where a Montezuma cypress in the churchyard has a trunk about 14 m across, said to be one of the stoutest in the world. In Teotitlán del Valle a Zapotec weaving family shows how they dye wool with cochineal, indigo and plants before working it on a pedal loom, with no pressure to buy.
Afternoon
Santiago Matatlán is the town that calls itself the world capital of mezcal: at a family palenque we see agave hearts roasted in an earth pit and crushed by a stone wheel, taste a few styles, and sit down to lunch. The last stop is Mitla, a Zapotec religious centre whose walls are covered in geometric stone fretwork, cut and fitted without mortar, unlike anything else in ancient Mexico. We are back in Oaxaca by about 4:30 pm.
Included
- The Tule tree at Santa María del Tule
- A weaving family's workshop in Teotitlán del Valle
- Mezcal palenque visit and tasting in Santiago Matatlán, with lunch
- Mitla archaeological site
Free time: Evening free
Activity: Short walks only; about 1 hour on foot at Mitla. Non-drinkers can skip the tasting.
Fly to Chiapas, the Sumidero Canyon
Oaxaca to Tuxtla Gutiérrez by air, by boat through the Sumidero Canyon from Chiapa de Corzo, then up to San Cristóbal de las Casas
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in San Cristóbal de las Casas
- Drive about 1.5 h
A short flight east to Tuxtla Gutiérrez (TGZ) replaces the two-day road through the Isthmus that other trips drive.
Afternoon
We aim to land around midday; the flight timing is confirmed with your dates. Our vehicle meets us for the short drive to Chiapa de Corzo, a colonial river town whose 16th-century brick fountain, La Pila, stands in the main square. From the landing here a fast launch runs up the Grijalva River into the Sumidero Canyon, a national park where the walls rise up to about 1,000 m above the water. The boat trip takes about two hours, with stops for crocodiles on the banks, cormorants, herons and, with luck, spider monkeys in the trees.
Evening
Back in Chiapa de Corzo we have a late lunch by the river, then climb an hour up to San Cristóbal de las Casas at about 2,200 m, where the evening air is cool.
Included
- Flight from Oaxaca to Tuxtla Gutiérrez (TGZ) with transfers
- Sumidero Canyon boat trip from Chiapa de Corzo, with park entry
- Late lunch in Chiapa de Corzo
Free time: Evening free
Activity: The boat is open and fast: bring a hat, sunscreen and a light jacket for the spray. San Cristóbal nights are cold from December to February.
Chamula and Zinacantán
San Cristóbal to San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán, then back
- Breakfast
- Stay in San Cristóbal de las Casas
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
This morning a local Tzotzil Maya guide joins us for the two highland villages most visitors only pass through. In San Juan Chamula the white church on the square has no pews: the floor is strewn with pine needles, families kneel among hundreds of candles, and healers pray in Tzotzil. Photography inside is strictly forbidden, and your guide explains what you are seeing and how to behave. A few kilometres away, Zinacantán grows flowers in greenhouses across the valley, and the same flowers are embroidered on the blue and purple shawls people wear. We visit a weaving family at their backstrap looms and share handmade tortillas at their kitchen fire. We are back in San Cristóbal by lunchtime, and the rest of the day is free: the Santo Domingo craft market, the Na Bolom house museum, a coffee in the pedestrian streets, or the steps up to the hilltop church.
Included
- San Juan Chamula and its church, with a local Tzotzil guide (entry fee included)
- Zinacantán and a weaving family's home
Optional experiences
- Na Bolom house museum (entry fee)
- Amber Museum (entry fee)
More active option: Climb the long stairway to the Cerro de San Cristóbal church for the view over the red roofs of the town.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: Ask before photographing people in both villages, and never inside the Chamula church.
Down to the jungle: Toniná and Misol-Ha
San Cristóbal to Toniná near Ocosingo, then Misol-Ha and Palenque
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Palenque
- Drive about 5.5 h
This is the trip's long road day, about 215 km and five and a half hours of driving on a mountain road with many speed bumps, dropping from pine forest at 2,200 m to tropical lowland. No flight or train links San Cristóbal and Palenque, and the other road, through Villahermosa, is longer, so we break it into three legs of two to two and a half hours.
Morning
We leave at 8 am and reach Toniná, outside Ocosingo, mid-morning: a Maya city built up a hillside in stepped terraces, with an acropolis rising about 70 m, and usually very few visitors.
Afternoon
Lunch is in Ocosingo. In the afternoon we stop at Misol-Ha, a waterfall of about 35 m dropping into a round pool, where a path runs behind the curtain of water and you can swim when conditions allow. It is twenty minutes on to Palenque, arriving about 5:30 pm.
Included
- Toniná archaeological site with your guide
- Lunch in Ocosingo
- Misol-Ha waterfall, with time to swim
Easier option: Stay at the foot of the Toniná terraces and skip the climb.
More active option: Climb the Toniná acropolis terraces to the top for the view across the Ocosingo valley.
Activity: The one day well over our 4-hour driving cap, stated here so it is not a surprise. Bring motion-sickness tablets if you need them on mountain roads. Chiapas roads can be closed by blockades; we follow current advisories and change the timing or route if needed.
Palenque at opening, on to Campeche
Palenque archaeological site, then by road through Escárcega to Campeche
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Campeche
- Drive about 4.5 h
We are at Palenque when it opens at 8 am, with mist on the forest and howler monkeys roaring from the trees. The city peaked in the 7th century under King Pakal, whose tomb was found in 1952 deep inside the Temple of the Inscriptions by the archaeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier. With a local guide we walk the Palace and its four-storey tower, the temples of the Cross Group, and down the forest trail beside the Otolum stream's small waterfalls to the site museum, named after Ruz, with carved panels and the replica lid of Pakal's sarcophagus.
Afternoon
After lunch in Palenque we drive about four and a half hours to Campeche, over our cap because no shorter road crosses into the Yucatán; one break halfway.
Evening
We arrive around 6 pm, in time to walk the lit streets inside the old walls and the sea front at dusk.
Included
- Palenque at opening with a local guide: the Temple of the Inscriptions, the Palace, the Cross Group and the forest trail
- Palenque site museum
- Lunch in Palenque
- Evening walk in Campeche's walled centre
Easier option: Stay on the main plaza at Palenque and take the vehicle round to the museum instead of the forest trail.
Activity: About 3 hours on foot at Palenque in heat and humidity, with steep steps and a slippery forest trail. The site museum closes on Mondays. Where the Tren Maya timetable fits your dates, we may take the train from Palenque to Campeche instead of the road; we confirm this when we confirm your dates.
Uxmal on the way to Mérida
Campeche to Uxmal, then Mérida
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Mérida
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
Campeche is quiet early, so take a walk on the walls before breakfast if you like: the city was walled at the end of the 17th century after repeated pirate raids, and its fortified centre was listed by UNESCO in 1999. We leave at 8 am and drive about two and a quarter hours north-east to Uxmal, arriving in the late morning. Uxmal draws far fewer visitors than Chichén Itzá. With a local guide we see the oval Pyramid of the Magician, the Nunnery Quadrangle, and the long Governor's Palace, whose upper facade is a stone mosaic of thousands of cut pieces, with rows of hook-nosed masks of the rain god Chaac on the corners.
Afternoon
We have lunch near the site, then it is an hour and a quarter on to Mérida, arriving mid-afternoon with time to settle in.
Included
- Uxmal with a local guide: the Pyramid of the Magician, the Nunnery Quadrangle and the Governor's Palace
- Lunch near Uxmal
Easier option: Stay in the shade of the Nunnery Quadrangle while the group climbs the terrace of the Governor's Palace.
More active option: Before breakfast, walk the restored stretch of Campeche's walls between the bastions.
Free time: Evening free in Mérida
Activity: About 2 hours on foot at Uxmal, much of it in full sun.
Mérida on foot
A morning walk in Mérida's centre
- Breakfast
- Stay in Mérida
Mérida was founded by the Spanish in 1542 on top of the Maya city of T'ho, and its stones were reused to build the colonial centre. With your guide we start at the Plaza Grande, shaded by laurel trees, with the Cathedral of San Ildefonso, finished in 1598 and one of the oldest cathedrals in mainland America. Across the square, the facade of the Casa de Montejo shows Spanish conquistadors standing on the heads of the conquered. The Palacio de Gobierno holds a cycle of large murals by the Yucatecan painter Fernando Castro Pacheco on the history of the peninsula. We finish on the Paseo de Montejo, lined with mansions built in the henequen boom around 1900, when sisal rope made the city rich.
Afternoon
The guided part ends before the midday heat, and the rest of the day is free: a long lunch of cochinita pibil, a siesta, or a swim at the hotel.
Included
- Walk through Mérida's centre with your guide: the Plaza Grande, the Cathedral of San Ildefonso, the Casa de Montejo, the Palacio de Gobierno murals and the Paseo de Montejo
Optional experiences
- Celestún flamingo boat trip (full day, priced at booking)
- Cenotes of Cuzamá (half day, priced at booking)
- Gran Museo del Mundo Maya (entry fee; closed on Tuesdays)
Easier option: Take the walk in two halves with a café stop on the Plaza Grande.
More active option: Spend the afternoon swimming in the Cuzamá cenotes, reached by horse-drawn rail cart.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 2.5 hours on foot on flat pavements, finished before the midday heat.
Chichén Itzá at 8 am, Valladolid, then Tulum
Mérida to Chichén Itzá, Valladolid and Tulum
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Tulum
- Drive about 4 h
Today is the trip's one start before 8 am, and it is worth it. We leave Mérida at about 6:15 am and are at Chichén Itzá when the gates open at 8, before most of the day-trip coaches from Cancún and before the heat builds. With a local guide we walk to El Castillo, the Temple of Kukulcán, whose stairways cast a serpent of light and shadow at the equinoxes (climbing it has not been allowed since 2006), then the Great Ball Court, the largest in Mesoamerica, the Temple of the Warriors and the Sacred Cenote.
Afternoon
Forty-five minutes east, we have lunch in Valladolid, a colonial town of painted houses, and swim in Cenote Zací, a cave pool in the middle of town.
Evening
After about an hour and a half on to Tulum we arrive around 5 pm, with the evening free.
Included
- Chichén Itzá at opening with a local guide, with both the federal and Yucatán state tickets
- Lunch in Valladolid
- Cenote Zací swim in Valladolid
Easier option: Skip the swim and walk Valladolid's Calzada de los Frailes to the Convent of San Bernardino instead.
Free time: Evening free in Tulum
Activity: About 2.5 hours on foot at Chichén Itzá on flat, unshaded paths. Bring a swimsuit and a small towel.
Tulum's ruins by the sea
Tulum archaeological site, a cenote, then a free afternoon
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Tulum
- Drive about 30 min
We walk into the Tulum ruins as they open at 8 am, through the narrow gate in the wall that encloses three sides of the city; the fourth is a limestone cliff above the Caribbean. Tulum was a late Maya port, still busy when the first Spanish ships sailed past in 1518. With your guide you see the Temple of the Frescoes, with traces of painted figures inside, the Temple of the Descending God and El Castillo standing at the cliff edge above the turquoise water, before the heat and the crowds from the coast hotels. Afterwards we drive a few minutes inland for a swim in a cenote, in water that stays cool and clear all year.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free for the beach or a rest.
Evening
In the evening we meet for a farewell dinner together.
Included
- Tulum archaeological site at opening with your guide, including the national park fee
- Cenote swim near Tulum, with snorkel gear
- Farewell dinner
Optional experiences
- Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve boat trip (full day, priced at booking)
Easier option: Skip the cenote and go straight to the beach or the hotel.
More active option: Cycle the flat path from Tulum town to the ruins and the beach instead of riding in the vehicle.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: About 1.5 hours on foot at the ruins, in full sun. Use reef-safe sunscreen, or none, before swimming in a cenote.
Tulum to Cancún and home
Tulum to Cancún International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
The last morning is free for a swim in the sea or one more walk through town, and checkout is late morning. Our vehicle then takes you north along the coast highway past Playa del Carmen to Cancún International Airport (CUN), about 120 km and an hour and three quarters, the airport with by far the most flights home to Canada and the US. Your guide rides with you, sees you to check-in and makes sure your flight is on time before saying goodbye. Book a flight leaving Cancún after about 2 pm so the morning is not rushed. If you prefer the newer Tulum airport (TQO), about half an hour from town, tell us and we drop you there instead. If you want to stay on at the beach, we can book extra nights in Tulum or Playa del Carmen and move your airport transfer to the day you leave.
Included
- Drop-off at Cancún International Airport (CUN) or Tulum airport (TQO)
Optional experiences
- Extra nights in Tulum or Playa del Carmen (priced at booking)
Free time: Morning free
Activity: Book a flight leaving Cancún after about 2 pm.
- Mexico City3 nights
- Oaxaca3 nights
- San Cristóbal de las Casas2 nights
- Palenque1 night
- Campeche1 night
- Mérida2 nights
- Tulum2 nights
- Cancúnend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: November to April is the dry season and the best time for this route. From June to October afternoon storms are heavy in Chiapas and the Atlantic hurricane season reaches the Yucatán coast; April and May are the hottest months in the Yucatán. Howler monkeys are heard at Palenque in any season.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the whole sweep of Mexico in one trip, from the capital to the Caribbean
- Ancient sites seen at opening, with time to understand them
- Food, markets and craft villages as much as ruins
- A mix of guided days and free afternoons in walkable old towns
- Solo travellers who want a fair, upfront single price
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: the sites mean uneven stone, steep steps and long walks in heat
- Travellers who dislike early starts or one long mountain road day
- A beach holiday: the coast comes only in the last two days
- Anyone short of time: the 8-day Mexico City and Oaxaca trip or the Yucatán trip covers one half of this route
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
14 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Mexico City3 nights
- Oaxaca3 nights
- San Cristóbal de las Casas2 nights
- Palenque1 night
- Campeche1 night
- Mérida2 nights
- Tulum2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 14 nights in central hotels of at least 3-star-plus standard: 3 in Mexico City, 3 in Oaxaca, 2 in San Cristóbal de las Casas, 1 in Palenque, 1 in Campeche, 2 in Mérida, 2 in Tulum
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement; couples always have their own room
Transport
- Pick-up at Mexico City International Airport (MEX) and drop-off at Cancún (CUN) or Tulum (TQO) airport
- Flights from Mexico City to Oaxaca and from Oaxaca to Tuxtla Gutiérrez, in economy with one checked bag
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver for every road day, with a window seat for each guest
- The Sumidero Canyon boat trip
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, with licensed local guides at Teotihuacan, Monte Albán, Palenque, Uxmal and Chichén Itzá and a Tzotzil guide in Chamula and Zinacantán
Activities
- Mexico City: the National Museum of Anthropology, the Zócalo, the Templo Mayor and a market lunch walk
- Teotihuacan
- Oaxaca: a guided walk through the centre and the Museum of Oaxacan Cultures at Santo Domingo
- Monte Albán
- Tlacolula Valley: the Tule tree, a weaving workshop in Teotitlán del Valle, a mezcal palenque in Santiago Matatlán and Mitla
- Chiapa de Corzo and the Sumidero Canyon National Park
- San Juan Chamula church and Zinacantán with a weaving family
- Toniná and the Misol-Ha waterfall
- Palenque and its site museum
- Campeche's walled centre
- Uxmal
- Mérida: a guided walk through the centre
- Chichén Itzá, with both tickets
- Valladolid and a swim in Cenote Zací
- The Tulum ruins and national park fee
- A cenote swim near Tulum, with snorkel gear
Meals
- Breakfast daily (14)
- 10 lunches, on days 2 to 7, 9 to 11 and 13
- Welcome dinner in Mexico City and farewell dinner in Tulum
Not included
- International flights to Mexico City and home from Cancún
- Travel insurance
- Visa, where your passport needs one
- Lunches on days 1, 8, 12, 14 and 15, and dinners except the welcome and farewell dinners
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as the Frida Kahlo Museum, Celestún and Sian Ka'an
- Extra baggage on the domestic flights
- Any state visitor tax collected on arrival or at hotel check-out, which we tell you about when you book
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 945 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
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Prices in these answers apply from Jan 1, 2027. Black Friday offer: 15% off the small-group price for requests received by Dec 1, 2026. From CAD 4,335 per person. Dec 2 to Dec 31: from CAD 4,690. From Jan 1, 2027: from CAD 5,100.
What does the price include?
Fourteen nights in central hotels, breakfast daily, ten lunches, a welcome and a farewell dinner, both domestic flights, airport transfers at each end, our own vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout with local guides at the major sites, and every visit in the day plan, including Monte Albán, Uxmal, the Sumidero Canyon boat, Chichén Itzá, Tulum and two cenote swims.
How big is the group and who leads it?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. A See Sight Tours guide travels with you for all 15 days, and licensed local guides join at Teotihuacan, Monte Albán, Palenque, Uxmal and Chichén Itzá, with a Tzotzil guide in the Chiapas highland villages.
How long are the drives, and why fly?
Most road days are four hours or less. We fly Mexico City to Oaxaca and Oaxaca to Tuxtla, which saves two long days on the road. Day 9, San Cristóbal to Palenque, is about five and a half hours on a mountain road, broken by Toniná, lunch and a swim; day 10 to Campeche is about four and a half.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderate. Expect 2 to 4 hours on foot most days on uneven stone and steep steps, often in heat, and altitude of about 2,200 m in Mexico City and San Cristóbal. Every site walk has a shorter option, the cenote swims are optional, and you can sit out any climb.
I am travelling solo. What do I pay?
You pay the same trip price as everyone else, plus a single supplement from CAD 945 for a room of your own, shown before you book. Single rooms are the standard for solo travellers, and couples always have their own room.
When is the best time to go?
November to April, the dry season. Highland nights in San Cristóbal can be near freezing from December to February, and April and May are very hot in the Yucatán. From June to October, Chiapas has heavy afternoon rain and the Yucatán coast is in hurricane season.
How does booking work?
Request to book with your chosen start date. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, from CAD 5,100 for the small group.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 9,180 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we quote the same hotels, flights, drivers and local guides.
Do I need a visa for Mexico?
Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for a tourist stay; the immigration officer decides how many days you are given on arrival. Other passports should check the current rules before booking, and we can tell you what we know when you ask.
Is it safe to travel in Chiapas?
We follow the Canadian and US government advisories for every state on the route, drive only in daylight on main roads, and stay in central hotels. Road blockades sometimes happen in Chiapas; if one affects our road, we change the timing or route, and we would tell you before departure of any lasting change.
Can I take photos in Chamula?
Outside, yes, but ask before photographing people. Inside the church of San Juan Chamula photography is strictly forbidden, and cameras have been taken from visitors who tried. Your Tzotzil guide explains the rituals you see, which mix Maya and Catholic practice.
How does this compare with your shorter Mexico trips?
Our 8-day Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca trip and our Yucatán trip each cover one end of this route in more depth. This 15-day trip links them through Chiapas, with the Sumidero Canyon, San Cristóbal, Palenque and Campeche, which neither shorter trip reaches.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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