On this culinary journey, we will embark on fascinating excursions to meet farmers, fishermen, and ranchers to better understand and appreciate the farm to table relationships and supply chain of uniquely Yucatecan ingredients. Visitors will travel to the Gulf Coast region to see where baby octopus is farmed, and they will visit a Yucatecan family to discover the traditional pit cooking style called pib. The culinary traditions of Yucatan are like none other! Visit Yucatan & Campeche to learn about the unique cuisine of the Maya people!
Day 1: Arrive Merida, Enjoy Welcome Reception, Overnight Merida (D)
Today, you arrive in Yucatan’s capital city, Merida, and will be met at the airport to transfer to the charming and centrally located, Hotel Casa Balam in the heart of Merida. Once settled in, you’ll enjoy a preliminary stroll through historic Merida.
Day 2: Market Tour & Cooking Class, Merida City Tour, Overnight Merida (B, L, D)
Today is our Market & Cooking Class day, where you’ll receive an introduction to Yucatecan Cuisine. You’ll learn about recados (dry rubs), achiote, chaya, pork, turkey, Maya Traditions, pib cooking. By visiting the Mercado Lucas de Galvez, we’ll learn about and purchase the key ingredients used in Yucatecan dishes & cuisine. Sour orange, dried pumpkin seeds, native squash, chiles and more will be discovered! We’ll take these ingredients & enjoy a cooking class at a very special location with a wonderful chef, to make delicious Yucatecan dishes such as: sikil pac, dip xcatic, sopa de lima, pescado tikin-xic and others. After our delicious “comida” we’ll tour the highlights of Merida. After resting at the hotel, we’ll enjoy an evening experience at Rosas y Xocolate for small bites and wine overlooking Paseo de Montejo.
Day 3: Mayapan, Cenotes and Izamal Overnight Merida (B, L)
Today begins with a visit to Mayapan, an incredible archeological site located in central Yucatan where we’ll explore and learn about the important architecture, structures of the Maya in the Late Post-Classic period. The Maya were masters of math, astronomy, architecture. We’ll visit the Temple of Kukulcan and the Observatory, similar to Chichen-Itza, but on a smaller scale and much less visited. We’ll cool down in the beautiful, deep blue green waters of the cenotes in the region, before heading to the Golden City of Izamal to explore the prehispanic and colonial worlds in the beautiful town. We will enjoy a lunch of some of the best regional foods of Yucatan at a favorite restaurant here!Returning to Merida, our evening is at leisure. There are wonderful music and dance events in the streets of Merida to enjoy!
Day 4: Muna, Puuc Hills, Arrive Uxmal, Overnight Uxmal (B, L)
We say goodbye to Merida and begin our journey to the Puuc Hills, land of the Classic Era Maya. We’ll stop in Muna to meet one of the finest potters of Yucatan, before we enter the hilly landscape of the Puuc region. We explore some of the fine architecture of the Puuc Era, by visiting sites such as Sayil, Labna and Kabah. Arriving at Uxmal, we settle into the Lodge Optional Evening “Light and Sound Show” at Uxmal. Dinner is at Leisure
Day 5: Uxmal and Cacao Museum, Overnight Uxmal (B, L)
Today we will experience breakfast prepared in Maya ‘hut’. We enjoy eggs with chaya (like spinach). After breakfast, we will be among the first to arrive for our visit to one of the most stunning of the Classic Era Maya sites in the Puuc Region: Uxmal. After we learn about the exquisite art & architecture of this site, we return to the Lodge to see a pib demo and enjoy our afternoon relaxing by the pool. We enjoy our Yucatecan “pib” comida before visiting the Cacao Museum, to learn about the relationship between the Maya and this sacred drink and currency!
Day 6: Campeche City, Overnight Campeche City (B, L, D)
Today we’ll experience breakfast prepared in a Maya style “choza” or hut. We enjoy eggs with chaya (like spinach) and other delicacies from this region. After breakfast we begin our drive south, towards the UNESCO World Heritage city of Campeche. On the way, we’ll make stops in Pomuch for the famous “pan de Pomuch” bread, and Becal for jipijapa fiber straw hats! These are the famous “Panama Hats” (that are really from Ecuador). Arriving in Campeche City, we check into our charming Hacienda or Boutique Hotel, before embarking on our explorations of this walled city. We’ll visit the Fuerte San Miguel, an archeology museum, followed by a lovely meal overlooking the Gulf of Mexico at Faro del Moro. We’ll stop at the State run Craft Store to see and purchase the charming crafts of this region. In the evening, we’ll enjoy “panuchos” at the Portales de San Francisco.
Day 7: Champoton and Edzna, Overnight Campeche City (B, L, D)
Today we travel to Champoton and Edzna. Our excursion to Champoton is to see this fishing community and to tour the Champoton River, where the bird viewing is outstanding. We enjoy the famous “cocteles” shrimp and seafood cocktails, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Returning to Campeche, we make an important stop to visit the Chennes site of the Maya: Edzna. After our guided tour of Edzna, we return to Campeche City and rest up before we enjoy a fun Farewell Dinner at a local favorite restaurant.
Day 8: Transfer to Merida for Flights Home or Extend (B)
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