Third Day:  Leaving Veracruz, you travel to San Andres Tuxtla, center of Mexico's cigar industry, and then by Lake Catemaco, ringed by old volcanoes and known for its annual witches festival. Flora and fauna thrive in this area. At Coatzacoalcos, you cross the river on the longest vehicular bridge in the country and arrive at Villahermosa in the late afternoon. Your hotel for tonight will be the  Hotel  Cencali on the Lagoon of Illusions.
Breakfast Included.

Fourth Day:   Today you'll sightsee in Villahermosa. Visit the La Venta Museum, an outdoor archaeological museum in a park-like setting. Giant heads, some weighing as much as 20 tons, were carved by the Olmecs some 3,000 years ago. These people established the earliest known civilization in Mexico, settling in the rain forests along the Gulf Coast about 1200 B.C., where they built plazas, ceremonial centers, and placed the huge heads. One  curious aspect of this vanished race is the Negroid features in the faces of the sculptures. Travel northward into the Yucatan Peninsula to the state of Campeche where people are so hospitable that Campechana has become a generic word for friendly. Spend the night at the Hotel Del Mar, across from the beach and near imposing forts that once protected the city of Campeche.
Breakfast Included.

Fifth Day:  It's just a short drive to Merida. On the way there will be a stop at a place where Panama hats are made and stored.  Surprise, it is all done underground! Then visit the grand 17th century hacienda of Yaxcopoil to see the past glory of a  wealthy Yucatan family, descendents of Spanish invaders. Sisal fibers spun a golden lifestyle here until modern synthetic rope stole the market. Arrive in Merida, a vibrant city with buildings of French, Spanish, Caribbean and Moorish design. Your host hotel is the Hotel Casa de Balam.

Sixth Day:  Your city tour will introduce you to the Plaza Maya, and the impressive Montejo Palace, one of the fine homes built by Spaniards in 1549. You'll see rich iron grillworks,  treelined plazas, and the grand Cathedral, built from ancient stones of Mayan temples. The finest hammocks in Mexico are made here. Visit a workshop where they are woven. Continue to make yourself at home in this charming city. You will become more acquainted with Yucatan while viewing exhibits at the fine state museum. The gift shop holds a treasure of folk art no longer found in the whole country. The Yucatecos are famous for their cuisine. You might want to sample some of their "Pibil or Poc chuc" (chicken or pork dishes). This evening, in a plaza around the corner from your hotel you can enjoy the nightly musical fiesta. Folk music with local costumes, mambo contests or Glenn Miller -- wear your tropical whites and join the fun.

Seventh Day:   Leave Merida and ride through towns so typical of Yucatan. Try to pronounce village names like Xochell or Yodzonot. Maya descendants still prefer to live in oval shaped houses with thatched roofs. There were spiritual and traditional reasons for its design, probably now long forgotten by modern residents. Women prefer the embroidered huipil to the conventional dress. Even if their house has a dirt floor, both house and dress are sparkling clean. Older men still wear a clean white loin cloth over their street walking shorts. Pass through Izamal, where ancient and modern history combine in remnants of historic and religious buildings. Arrive at one of Mexico's most unforgettable hotels, the Mayaland or its sister hotel, the Hacienda Chichen, within a few feet of majestic Chichen-Itza. Flute music after sundown beckons you to walk to the sound and light show.   Jungle night birds and insects sing as you follow the path back to your room to dream of ancient splendor.
Light and Sound Show Included.

Eighth Day:  Awaken to unusual bird songs. Your hotel grounds are a study in tropical plants, orchids and trees. Notice the huge ceiba tree. It is said that the souls of Maya rulers resided in this type of tree. The earliest buildings at Chichen date from 600 A.D. You will see El Castillo, which contains the famous Red Jaguar throne inset with discs of jade, the Ball Court, and the Temple of the Thousand Columns. The Observatory resembling the shape of modern planetariums, is where the Mayas recorded movements of heavenly bodies to fix times for planting and harvests. Hear legends of the cenote; look down into this natural well that received sacrifices. Board your motorcoach for the short ride to the sister hotel of the Mayaland, and just as beautiful but more intimate, the Hotel Hacienda Uxmal. You will want to hide away for a week here. Just across the street are the enchanting ruins of Uxmal. The Pyramid of the Magician soars over 100 feet high with the enormous mask of Chac Mool gracing its facade. The large Governor's Palace is considered by many to be the most breathtaking edifice in the country. Tonight, walk over to the sound and light show. It's a beautiful experience because of the abundance of sculpture and buildings that allow for a varied and rich presentation. Sleep to the songs of the night birds.
Light and Sound Show/Breakfast Included.

Ninth Day:  Console yourself with a promise to return soon to Uxmal. You might see Mexican cowboys tending cattle especially bred for tropical heat on your ride today.  Occasional tall trees standing in pastures are reminders of the diminshing rain forests.  Arrive at Palenque and feel the presence of the jungle in the oxygen-rich air.  The Nututun Viva Hotel, your home for 2 nights, sits on the banks of the Chacamax River that brings crystal clear water from the highlands.

Tenth Day:   The nearby Ruins of Palenque sit majestically against a jungle-covered hillside. Sometimes shrouded in mist illuminated by sunbeams, visitors can almost imagine ancient voices whispering in the burial place of Pacal, who once ruled this holy city. Roof combs and beautiful stucco sculptures adorn the temple of his son, Chan Bahlum, "Jaguar Snake." Parrots, toucans, howler monkeys and brilliant butterflies populate the site. Use all your senses to experience this enchanting world. You'll have the entire day to enjoy this famous archeological zone and museum. In the late afternoon you'll drive to town for dinner.  Sleep in modern comfort in an exotic, unforgettable place.
Breakfast Included.

Eleventh Day:  Lake Catemaco is your destination for today. Sightseeing will include a tour of  this beautiful lake. The lakeside La Finca Hotel is your home for the night. Monkey Island awaits you.
Breakfast Included.

Twelfth Day:   Travel through volcanic rich fields of tobacco crops and mango trees on the way to the most important port in Mexico, tropical Veracruz.  You'll do more sightseeing - there's so much to see here! Downtown on the square (plaza) all types of musicians, from marimba bands to Mariachi groups, offer their music for a few pesos.  Relax with free time to stroll the seaside promenade.  Your host hotel, the Hotel Emporio, faces the water.
Breakfast Included.

Thirteenth Day:   You'll drive  northward along the scenic coastline through coconut groves, with brahma and zebu cattle lazily munching in the shade below.  (Take time for Antigua, the original city of Veracurz).  Then you'll arrive at the oil  boomtown of Poza Rica, where you will enjoy a good night's resta at the lovely Poza Rica Inn, to be ready to see El Tajin in the morning.
Breakfast Included.

Fourteenth Day:  Enjoy an early morning walk through the ancient city of the Totonacs, El Tajin, where new excavations reveal more each year of the remarkable site, dedicated to the Hurricane God.  It's often photographed Pyramid of the Niches, six Ceremonial Ball Courts and many exceptional temples will astound you! (Enjoy the Flying Men of Papantla!) Then continue your drive to Tampico, to your host for the evening, the Hotel Holiday Inn, right in the heart of the Centro Historico, which you can explore on foot this evening.
Breakfast Included.

Fifteenth Day: Back to the land of the norteño cowboys, sage and wildflowers lead back to the Rio Grande Valley. Arrive in the Valley around  5:30 p.m. 
Breakfast Included.

Nov. 1

Yucatan Ruins

Temple of the Inscriptions is one of the highlights of your visit to the archeological zone at Palenque on your Grand Yucatan Tour.