MEXICO - FOLLOWING THE STEPS OF JOHN PAUL II

ITINERARY

Day 1 

Flight to Mexico. Arrival in Mexico City. Transfer to Hotel. Dinner and accommodation. 

Day 2

AfTer breakfast visit the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the most important center of peregrinations in America, where the Virgin of Guadalupe is adorated, the Queen of America. Holy Mass and free time. Transfer to the famous pyramids of Teotihuacan, visit the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Moon, the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. Get to know the process of making the carved objects in the stone obsidian, the stone of the gods. Dinner in the area, and later in the evening return to the hotel. Accommodation. 

Day 3 

Breakfast. Visit Mexico City today. Starting with the visit of the majestic Cathedral, Holy Mass, the monumental Presidential Palace and downtown, the Plaza de Armas. Visit one of the most famous museums in the world, The Museum of History and Anthropology, to see objects of pre-hispanic times. At the end of the day take a boat ride through the ancient canals of Xochimilco listening to mariachi and tasting tequila, national drink of Mexico. Dinner and accommodation. 

Day 4

Breakfast. Pass through the volcanic mountains to the city of Cuernavaca. Visit the Cathedral and the streets of the historic center of the city founded by Hernán Cortés. Free time to have a coffee or take a walk. Evening arrival to the colonial city of Taxco, famous for its workshops and stores of silver. Walk through the beautiful streets and plazas and visit the baroque jewel, the church of Santa Prisca and Saint Sebastian. Free time to visit the silver stores, Holly Mass. Evening ride to Acapulco.  

Day 5

Breakfast. Leisure time on the beach. Optional excursions. 

Day 6

Breakfast. Morning transfer to the colonial city of Puebla. Short visit of Xochicalco.  Visiting Puebla's historic center, the Cathedral, and the church of Saint Dominic with its beautiful chapel of the Rosary, Holy Mass. Ride next to the Cholula pyramid, to Tonantzintla. Trasfer to Oaxaca, a fascinating destination where ancient civilizations, colonial architecture and alive traditions meet. Dinner and accommodation.

Day 6

Breakfast. Stroll through the historic center of Oaxaca and visit the church of Santo Domingo, Hollly Mass. Ride to Monte Alban, to explore the ruins of the antique capital of the Zapotecs. Visit the oldest three of Tule and an artisanal factory of mezcal, the most typical beverage of the region. Visit the palace of mosaics of Mitla, free time at a local market. Evening ride through the mountains for dinner and accommodation in Tehuantepec. 

Day 7 

Breakfast. Transfer to Chiapas, famous for its nature, and indigenous cultures.  Enjoy the amazing boat ride through the Sumidero Canyon. Visit San Juan Chamula, an indigenous town, to get to know some Mayan traditions. Visit Zinacantan.  At the end of the day stroll through the stoned streets of the colonial jewel of San Cristobal de las Casas. Dinner and accommodation. 

Day 8 

Breakfast. Ride through the tropical jungle to the waterfalls of Agua Azul. Leisure time for a walk or swim in the blue water of this river. Transfer to the ruins of Palenque, hidden in the tropical jungle and regarded as the most atmospheric and impressive of Mexico's Mayan ruins. Dinner and accommodation. 

Day 9 

Early Breakfast in a jungle restaurant. Ride towards the border river between Guatemala and Mexico. Ride by boat to Yaxlilan. Return to Palenque. 

Day 10

Breakfast. Transfer to the Yucatan peninsula and visit the archeological site of Uxmal, which is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture with its famous cylindrical pyramid. In the afternoon walk through the colonial streets of Merida, the cultural capital of the entire Yucatán peninsula. Dinner and accommodation. 

Day 10 

Breakfast. Visit the most important center of peregrinations in Yucatán, Izamal. Ride to the archeological site of Chichén Itzá which represent the remains of one of the largest and most powerful city states of the pre-Columbian Americas and is one of the 8 Wonders of the Modern World. Transfer to Cancun, with long, silky ribbons of beaches and the amazingly blue Caribbean Sea. Hotel all-inclusive. 

Day 11

Leisure time. All Inclusive.

Day 12 

Enjoy the last moments of the beautiful sun and beach. Evening transfer to the airport to take a flight back home.