Touring in Mexico

Mexico is Central America at its most spellbinding, with an ever-changing landscape that veers from arid desert to lush rainforest, from the madness of Mexico City to the luxury resorts of the Riviera Maya. Jungle-choked ruins give clues to ancient civilisations, and no tour of Mexico is complete without visiting the magnificent pre-Columbian sites of Palenque, Chichén Itzá and Teotihuacán. Spend time exploring sleepy Spanish colonial towns, delve into the indigenous culture of Chiapas and Oaxaca, and light up your tastebuds with Mexico’s famously flavoursome cuisine.

Mexico is also rich in natural wonders, including dramatic canyons, labyrinthine cave systems and extraordinary underground rivers. You can swim in a cenote, snorkel on the world’s second largest barrier reef or cruise around the whale watching wonderland of the Sea of Cortez. Mexico is sometimes overlooked as a wildlife destination, but you can expect to see everything from shimmering quetzals to prowling ocelots to the bizarre axolotl, an endangered species of salamander that is only found here.

Touring Highlights of Mexico

• Chichén Itzá is Mexico’s most famous Mayan site, dominated by the huge stepped pyramid known as El Castillo. Marvel at the stone carvings, the Great Ball Court and the imposing Temple of the Warriors.
• Mexicans celebrate The Day of the Dead at the end of October, honouring departed relatives with colourful costumes, sugar skulls and humorous poems.
• Board the Chepe train as it carves its way through the spectacular sierra scenery of the Copper Canyon in southern Chihuahua state.
• Chill out on the sublime beaches of the Riviera Maya, home to Mexico’s top luxury resorts, and explore the quirky little town of Playa del Carmen.
• Mexico City, a sprawling metropolis of 25 million people, is suddenly in vogue thanks to a burgeoning culinary scene, and boasts cultural treasures such as the art of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo.
• Take a trip out into the Sea of Cortez, a whale watching hotspot that was once described by Jacques Cousteau as ‘the world’s aquarium’.
• The pyramids of Teotihuacán, the largest pre-Columbian city in the Americas, rival Chichén Itzá in their scale and significance.
• Snorkel amongst shoals of colourful fish, turtles and whale sharks in the balmy waters of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in size.
• Mexico’s indigenous culture is still strong in the state of Oaxaca, expressed in the bustling markets, colourful crafts and myriad pre-European languages.
• Elegant colonial architecture and a friendly vibe make Mérida a popular base for exploring the cultural highlights of the Yucatán Peninsula.