Itinerary
- Day 1
Mexico City
You'll arrive in Mexico City and get picked up at the airport for the drive to your hotel, which sits in a restored 1890s building right beside the Zocalo Plaza and National Cathedral. After settling in, there's a 6 pm welcome meeting with your group and local leader. From there you'll head out for dinner trying local specialties, then stop by the city's oldest churreria for dessert to finish the evening.
- Meals
- Dinner (Welcome dinner - taco night with array of local dishes)
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Welcome dinner - taco night with local dishes
- Visit to local churreria for desserts
Landmarks/POIs Zocalo Plaza National Cathedral - Day 2
Mexico City
Your local leader takes you through Mexico City starting with the National Museum of Anthropology, where you'll walk through different periods of the country's history. Next you'll head to the busy Zocalo Plaza and go inside the National Cathedral to see its Baroque architecture. Later in the day you'll check out the Diego Rivera Mural Museum and visit Gastromotiva, an Intrepid Foundation partner working against hunger across Latin America. The evening is yours to find dinner wherever you'd like around the city.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- National Museum of Anthropology - guided tour
- Zocalo Plaza visit
- National Cathedral visit
- Diego Rivera Mural Museum - entrance fee included
- Gastromotiva Mexico - Intrepid Foundation partner visit
- Leader-led Historico Centro tour
Landmarks/POIs National Museum of Anthropology Zocalo Plaza National Cathedral Diego Rivera Mural Museum - Day 3
Mexico City to Puebla
You'll travel out to Teotihuacan with an expert local guide to see the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon up close. Walking down The Avenue of the Dead, your guide explains what life was like nearly 2000 years ago. After that you stop at a local family's obsidian stonework workshop to see their volcanic glass carvings. From there you continue on to Puebla where you'll walk through town checking out Candy Street and the El Parian handicraft market, visit the Rosary Chapel and Town Hall Palace, then have dinner at an award-winning restaurant featuring local specialties including their highly recommended mole.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Award-winning restaurant with local specialties including mole)
Included Activities
- Teotihuacan archaeological site - guided tour with expert local guide
- Obsidian workshop visit - local family stonework
- Puebla orientation walk
- Calle de los Dulces (Candy Street) visit
- El Parian handicraft market visit
- Rosary Chapel visit
- Town Hall Palace visit
- Dinner at award-winning restaurant with local specialties
Landmarks/POIs Pyramid of the Sun Pyramid of the Moon Avenue of the Dead Rosary Chapel - Day 4
Puebla and Cholula
You'll start with an orientation walk through Cholula led by your guide, learning that this city has more churches than anywhere else in Mexico. You'll visit several including the Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios sitting on top of the Great Pyramid of Cholula, and walk to a church overlooking the excavated areas where your guide explains how the pyramid was built to honor Popocatépetl volcano. An organic lunch at a locally-sourced restaurant comes next, then you'll have free time to explore on your own.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Organic lunch with locally sourced produce)
Included Activities
- Cholula orientation walk with leader
- Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios visit
- Great Pyramid of Cholula visit
- Organic lunch with locally sourced produce
Landmarks/POIs Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios Great Pyramid of Cholula Popocatépetl volcano - Day 5
Puebla to Oaxaca
You'll travel to Oaxaca arriving in the late afternoon and checking into your hotel for the next three nights, a converted 19th-century mansion with an ivy-clad courtyard, original frescoes, and stone fountain just steps away from the Zocalo. Your leader takes you on an orientation walk, stopping at the Benito Juarez and 20 de Noviembre local markets where you'll have a classic Oaxacan lunch. The evening is free so your leader can point out their favorite local restaurants to try.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Classic Oaxacan lunch at local markets)
Included Activities
- Oaxaca orientation walk with leader
- Mercado Benito Juarez market visit
- Mercado 20 de Noviembre market visit
- Classic Oaxacan lunch
Landmarks/POIs Zocalo Mercado Benito Juarez Mercado 20 de Noviembre - Day 6
Oaxaca Region
You'll head into the Oaxaca region to visit the Mitla ruins, the former religious center for Zapotec communities, and see the Tule Tree, which at over 11 meters in diameter is the world's widest tree and over 1500 years old. Along the way you'll try hand-churned Mexican ice cream including traditional Beso Oaxaqueno fruit sorbet and chili-seasoned varieties. You'll tour a beeswax candle workshop to learn age-old processes and see intricate designs, watch a Zapotec weaving demonstration using traditional techniques and organic dyes, and have a mostly plant-based lunch of regional specialties. A stop at an agave mezcal factory for a tasting happens before you head back to Oaxaca in the late afternoon.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Mostly plant-based lunch of regional specialties at Zapotec home)
Included Activities
- Mitla archaeological site visit
- Tule Tree visit
- Mexican ice cream tasting
- Beeswax candle workshop
- Zapotec weaving demonstration
- Plant-based regional lunch
- Mezcal factory tasting
Landmarks/POIs Mitla Tule Tree - Day 7
Oaxaca
You have a free day to explore Oaxaca however you like. Your leader can suggest optional activities such as visiting the Monte Alban archaeological site, taking a local cooking class, or joining a street art cycling tour. Tonight there's a special dining event with a menu of traditional Oaxacan dishes prepared by the restaurant's award-winning owner, whose recipes come from her mother and grandmother. You'll enjoy a multi-course meal that takes you on a culinary journey through different parts of the state.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Farewell dinner - multi-course traditional Oaxacan dishes curated by award-winning owner, inspired by family recipes)
Included Activities
- Farewell dinner - multi-course traditional Oaxacan meal
Optional Activities
- Monte Alban archaeological site visit
- Local cooking class
- Street art cycling tour
Landmarks/POIs Monte Alban - Day 8
Oaxaca
Your trip ends after breakfast. If you'd like to stay longer in Oaxaca, your booking agent can help arrange extra nights. You might also consider booking the Mexico: The Yucatan Peninsula trip if you want to continue exploring the region.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Extended accommodation in Oaxaca (arrange via booking agent)
- Mexico: The Yucatan Peninsula tour
