Day 1: Arrival to Merida
Your family will be greeted at the airport and privately transferred to your hotel, a lovely and historic hacienda where you can relax and enjoy dinner.
Day 2: Uxmal and Family Scavenger Hunt
Today the family will wake up early in order to be one of the firsts to enter and explore the ancient Maya city of Uxmal. Your guide will lead the family on a fun discovery of the site, learning about the myth of the Pyramid of the Magician and about Maya cosmology in the Nun’s Quadrangle. Together as a group, you can climb the Great Pyramid to get a birds-eye view and remarkable photos!
At Uxmal, the family will participate in a scavenger hunt, searching for a variety of clues that will draw on all that you have learned so far in this magical region. The family will need to work together in a combination of intellectual acuity, mental fortitude, physical prowess and creativity!
After completing the hunt and finding the prize, your guide will drive you to a local restaurant for lunch to enjoy a traditional Yucatecan meal.
Day 3: Nature’s Marvels: Visit Celestún and the Pink Flamingos & Merida City Tour
Today the family will visit the Celestún Biosphere Reserve, a great place for nature lovers. Known for its large population of flamingos during the winter months, Celestún is a large salt-water lagoon awash with pink birds. Here, the family will take a boat ride to see the great variety of flora and fauna that naturally thrive there. Returning on land, enjoy local seafood at Celestun’s beautiful beach and have a chance to swim in the waters.
After lunch, the family will discover the historical center of the city Mérida, the capital of the state of Yucatán. Learn about Merida’s history and contemporary importance, and enjoy a caelsa horse-drawn carriage ride.
Ending the day back at the hacienda, the rest of the time is yours to enjoy at leisure. At this sprawling hacienda, there is something for everyone; Hacienda Temozon has a spa, swimming pool, private cenote, tennis courts, games such as chess and back gammon, and you can even ask for a tour of the hacienda plant and machinery.
Day 4: Tixkokob, Izamal, and Chichen Itza
Today the family will embark on a journey towards Chichen Izta. En route, stop at Tixkokob, a rural community located 30 minutes east of Merida famous for its high quality hammocks. Here the family with meet a local artisan at their family’s workshop to learn and observe the techniques of hammock weaving. Someone can even volunteer to participate in the demonstration! One of the most valued handcrafts made by the indigenous communities in the Yucatan Peninsula, the hammock weavers represent more than 700 families in the area.
Afterward, continue on to the Magic Town of Izamal, where every building is painted yellow and white. Once a Maya settlement, it is now known for the 16th century Franciscan monastery that sits atop of the old pyramid base. The day ends as your family arrives to their hotel for the night, right next to Chichen Itza.
Day 5: Archaeologist Delight: Explore the Ancient Maya Cities of Chichen Itzá Ek’ Balam en route to Riviera Maya
Today the family will explore two distinct Maya archaeological sites : Chichen Itzá and Ek’ Balam. With a private entrance from the hotel, your family will beat the crowds when entering Chichen Itzá, which is Mexico’s most visited archaeological site and home to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Depart the site just as crowds and mid-day heat are arriving to enjoy lunch and a refreshing swim in a cenote. Next is Ek’ Balam, with its striking feature, a palace with its façade intricately decorated in the form of a snake. Your expert guide will lead the family in traversing the two sites and will explain all about Maya cosmology, religion and everyday life.
The day ends as your family is dropped of at a stunning luxury hotel located on the idyllic Mexican Caribbean coast. This hotel is family-friendly and stands out for its Rosebud Kid’s Club, offering a special program to entertain children featuring a wide-range of activities for kids.
Day 6: Ancient Culture, Timeless Nature: Tulum and Sian Kaán
On this day exploring the ancient world and the natural world, your family will visit the biosphere reserve of Sian Kaán and the ancient Maya city of Tulum. Sian Kaán in Maya means ‘origin of the sky’. The reserve is made up of a large water system, marshes and mangroves as well as virgin tropical forest, making it home to a large variety of animals, including crocodiles, dolphins, turtles, and over 300 species of birds. Along with your expert guide, explore the reserve by water, discovering a cenote, as well as looking out for animal life swimming past or up in the trees. Time permitting, your family may also have a chance to swim in the clear waterways or float along the ‘lazy river’.
Arriving back on dry land the family will then be driven to Tulum archaeological site. The only Maya city located right by the Caribbean Sea, Tulum was a Maya fortress city that peaked between the 13th and 15th centuries. Your expert guide will lead in exploring this small site, that was an important place of trade in jade and turquoise, and despite its size, displays many styles of Maya architecture. There may also be time for you to take a swim and look up at Tulum’s iconic structure from below.
Day 7: Riviera Maya
Explore the open sea in this half-day, private sailing trip that will take you around the bay of Cancun and Isla Mujeres on a 34-foot catamaran. The family can can swim or snorkel around the second largest coral reef in the world while the adults simply enjoy the ride with a cold drink in hand.
Day 8: Departure from Cancun
You will transfer to the Cancun Airport for your homeward bound flight according to your flight schedule.
