Four Night Yucatan Tour

Day 1 — East Coast To Izamal via Ek Balam

Your four night Yucatan tour begins with you being collected from your hotel and heading inland for a couple of hours to the first stop of your tour, the Maya archaeological site of Ek Balam.

This medium sized site is known for both its vast Acropolis, whose base is 160 metres long, and its intricately carved stucco skulls. For visitors, one of the main draws of visiting Ek Balam is that it is (for now at least) one of the few remaining sites where one can climb the main pyramid and take in 360 degree views of the surrounding forest.

From Ek Balam, it is a further 90-minute drive to Izamal, originally a Mayan city on which (and indeed from which) the Spanish colonialists built the town that you see today.

Even though there are few remaining signs of its Mayan origins, one building that does remain partly intact is the Firebird pyramid, from the top of which you can enjoy yet more panoramic views, this time over the so called Yellow City with Convento San Antonio at its heart.

It is then just a short drive to your nearby, overnight accommodation.

Day 2 — Izamal to Sotuta de Peon via Merida & Celestun

Departing Izamal after breakfast, it is an approximate 90-minute drive to Merida, the largest city in the Yucatan Peninsula and the cultural heart of the region.

Your tour of this charming city begins in the Zocalo (the central square), where you will visit the San Ildefonso Cathedral, the Governor’s Palace, and the former home of Francisco de Montejo as well as the lively city market. Time allowing, there should also be a chance to cruise along the city’s iconic Paseo de Montejo which is lined with a number of impressive mansions.

Departing Merida, you will continue to the Gulf of Mexico and a change of pace and surroundings as you enjoy a boat ride within the Celestun Biosphere Reserve.

This UNESCO listed reserve is home to both one of the largest colonies of flamingos in Mexico as well as a number of both endemic and migratory bird species such as cormorants, pelicans & frigate birds.

At the end of your boat tour you will head back inland to your accommodation for the next 2 nights, Hacienda Sotuta de Peon.

Day 3 — Sotuta de Peon with Uxmal

As well as being a wonderfully atmospheric hotel, the Hacienda Sotuta de Peon is also a ‘living museum’, the last hacienda in the Yucatan that still grows and processes henequen following the methods and traditions of the region’s golden age when henequen, which is used to make rope, was known as ‘green gold’.

Tours of the hacienda last approximately 3 hours and take in both the original owner’s opulent home and the working part of the estate. When touring the hacienda, visitors will literally travel back in time, transported by ‘Truk’, wooden platforms that are pulled along rails by mules.

As part of the tour, you will witness first-hand the step-by-step process involved in transforming henequen to fibre and fibre to the finished product.

From the hacienda, it is an approximate 40 minute drive south to Uxmal (meaning thrice built in Mayan) where you will explore what for many is the most picturesque of the Yucatan Peninsula’s countless Mayan ruins.

At the heart of Uxmal is the famous Pyramid of the Magician, unique in the region for its curvaceous shape as well as the impressive Nunnery quadrangle with its irregular but harmonious architecture.

Having explored Uxmal, and before returning to Hacienda Sotuta, there will be time to visit the fascinating Choco Museum which delves into the history of cocoa and its importance in Maya culture.

Day 4 — Sotuta de Peon to Chichen Itza

After an early breakfast, you will depart your hacienda and head back east to undoubtedly the single most famous attraction in the Yucatan Peninsula, the great Mayan city of Chichen Itza.

Relatively ‘new’ by the standards of the region, Chichen Itza is not only one of the largest Maya cities, it is also by some way the most extensively excavated and restored.

The single most photographed structure within the site is undoubtedly the Temple of Kukulkan, aka El Castillo, a perfectly symmetrical pyramid.

However, the Temple of Kukulkan is just one of a number of impressive buildings and, as such, it normally takes around 3 hours to explore the site.

After exploring the ruins, there will be a chance to relax and cool off with a visit to a nearby cenote, another of the region’s popular experiences.

Continuing the hacienda theme when it comes to accommodation, your final night will be spent at the Hacienda Chichen Itza, adjacent to the ruins and used by the original team of excavators.

Day 5 — Chichen Itza to East Coast via Valladolid & Coba

Having checked out of your accommodation, it is just a short, 30-minute drive to the charming, colonial town of Valladolid.

Here, you will enjoy a relaxed walk around the town’s historic centre, built around the picturesque main square and cathedral.

Continuing south-east from Valladolid, it is an approximate 1-hour drive to the last stop on the tour, the Mayan archaeological ruins of Coba.

Located next to 2 lagoons, and surrounded by lush jungle, Coba was once home to a population of at least 50,000 and was connected to various other Mayan cities, including Ek Balam, by a system of trails known as sacbes.

Although Coba has been far less excavated than Chichen Itza, it is home to numerous large pyramids, the tallest of which is 42 metres in height, second only to the great pyramids of Calakmul further south.

After exploring the ruins, you will then continue to the coast where your four night tour of the Yucatan comes to and end. You will then be dropped off at the hotel of your choice.