6 Days in the Yucatan

Known as the white city, Merida has a distinctive blend of traditions inherited from the ancient Maya civilization and the customs brought by the Spanish conquistadors. You will find lofty Catholic Churches and colonial mansions. Walk around this thriving town and experience the blending of cultures and histories.

Learn the details of the buildings and how they were part of Mayan life at the Chichen Itza archaelogical site. From there, tour Valldoid. Visit the church of San Servasio in the Sisal neighborhood. Enjoy lunch at one of the local restaurants. Finally, end your day with a relaxing splash into one of the many cenotes you will find.

Learn to prepare traditional recipes from scratch. You will visit a local market to check out the unique ingredients used in the cuisine. You will step inside a homey kitchen to learn the methods used to make special this special meal along with a fiery habanero salsa.

Take a walking tour through the archaelogical zone of Uxmal, where you will discover the secrets of this ancient city decorated with sculptures. Visit the ancient city of Kabah. This city can be considered the most relevant settlements on the Puuc Route. The architecture will dazzle you, especially the Codz Pop temple, which means rolled mat or royal mat in Mayan. Next, taste the Cochinta Pibli and learn the ancestral technique of its preparations. Visit a clay pot workshop in the town of Muna where you will have the opportunity to learn about the ancestral techniquest that the ancient Mayans used to make their ceramics. You will be able to pain your own piece of clay.

Tour villages on your way to some remote cenotes. Head deep beneath the earth on a cenote adventure that takes you to Yucatan's mysterious underground world. Escape the heat by swimming and snorkeling in just a few of the 6,000 cenote formations of the region and learn about the legends that haund these watering holes. Get a taste of local culture with a visit to a traditional Maya medicine shop and explore a village where ancient practices have been passed down over generations.

The Maya founded Izamal as the kingdom of the Itzaes, creating a sacred city and sanctuary in the Yucatan Peninsula. The beauty of Yucatan can be seen in its multiple natural landscapes, archaeological sites and history. Admire the great Franciscan Convent of San Antonio de Padua, the most important reminder of the Spanish conquest and the initiation of the Maya into Catholicism. The convent was built over a Mayan pyramid. Other archaeological structures can be viewed during a carriage tour, including the pyramid of Kinich Kak Mo which stands out for its height and a spectacular view of the city.