Pirates, Maya & Day of Dead Festival

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Mexico

Dates:
26 October - 6 November 2025

Duration:
12 days

Group:
12 ppl

US$5059 / pp

All about the tour

Mexico’s el Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) provides a chance for families to welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives. A macabre and fascinating mix of Mesoamerican ritual, Spanish culture and European dogma, its origins go back nearly 3,000 years, to the pre-Columbian rituals of the Aztecs and the Nahua people of Central Mexico. This remarkable journey takes us through a land steeped in these ancient traditions, where the reminders of Spanish expansion share the landscape with spectacular Maya ruins, colourful markets and the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Beginning on Mexico’s Caribbean coast we travel along the eastern fringes of the Yucatan Peninsula, visiting the Maya ruins at Tulum and Kohunlich and the tranquil waters of Bacalar Lagoon, before heading for the lush jungles of the Petén Basin.

Itinerary

Cancún → Playa del Carmen → Tulum → Bacalar → Kohunlich → Becán → Chicanná → Calakmul → Puerta Calakmul → Chicanná → Edzná → Campeche → Pomuch → Uxmal → Campeche → Kabah → Loltún Caves → Mérida → Hacienda Sotuta de Peón → Mayapan → Mérida → Izamal → Yokdz

Day 1: Cancún - Playa del Carmen

The tour starts at Cancun airport this evening where we will be met and driven to the hotel in Playa del Carmen, situated along Mexico’s Caribbean coast.

Day 2: Playa del Carmen - Tulum - Bacalar

We head to the Mayan rock fortress of Tulum, one of the last cities to be built by the Maya. After our visit, we then continue on to the small and tranquil town of Bacalar, located on the edge of a beautiful lagoon.

Day 3: Bacalar

Bacalar was founded by the Maya, sacked by pirates and fortified by the Spanish. Today we have an opportunity to enjoy the picturesque waters of its lagoon, part of the world’s largest subterranean water cave system, on a boat trip, with time to snorkel.

Day 4: Bacalar - Kohunlich - Becán - Chicanná

We drive to Chetumal to discover the Mayan treasures at its Museo de la Cultura. We then explore the famed Pyramid of the Masks at Kohunlich and the ruins of Becán, the oldest architectural defence system in Mexico, before ending in Chicanná.

Day 5: Chicanná - Calakmul - Puerta Calakmul - Chicanná

The journey then takes us to the Maya archaeological site at Calakmul, shrouded in the ancient rain forest and home to howler monkeys and birds. We then visit Puerta Calakmul’s remarkable ‘Bat Cave’, the haunt of some five million bats!

Day 6: Chicanná - Edzná - Campeche

Close to Campeche lies the ancient ruins of Edzná, which can trace their early origins back to 400 BC. We will have the chance to climb the Pyramid of the Five Storeys staircase for beautiful views before reaching Campeche.

Day 7: Campeche

A tour of the UNESCO city takes in its narrow streets and colonial architecture before we pay a visit to the Museum of Mayan Architecture. The city is also home to the Fortress of San Miguel, which today houses the city’s archaeological museum.

Day 8: Campeche - Pomuch - Uxmal - Campeche

Today we will witness the Day of the Dead celebration, believed to be of Aztec origin, in Pomuch. The locals remove and clean the bones and skulls from the decorated ossuaries that line the town’s cemetery. We then visit the UNESCO site of Uxmal.

Day 9: Campeche - Kabah - Loltún Caves - Mérida

Departing Campeche, we head to the spectacular ruins at Kabah. We will walk an ancient Mayan road to the caves of Loltún to enter a subterranean world of stalactites, tree roots and rock paintings, before completing our journey on to Meridá.

Day 10: Mérida – Hacienda Sotuta de Peón - Mayapan - Mérida

Founded by the Spanish in 1542, Meridá is still the economic and cultural capital of the region. We’ll tour the city this morning before we depart for the 19th century Hacienda Sotuta de Peón and Mayan capital of Mayapan.

Day 11: Mérida - Izamal - Yokdzonot - Chichén Itzá

As we journey to Chichén Itzá, we will stop at the Gran Museo del Mundo, where Yucatan’s social history is laid out, Izamal, one of the oldest towns in Yucatán, and Yokdzonot Cenote, where we can swim amongst the ancient trees and blue/green waters.

Day 12: Chichén Itzá - Valladolid - Cancún

We meet an expert archaeological guide today at Chichén Itzá, a UNESCO site and one of the most important examples of Mayan-Toltec civilisation anywhere in the Yucatán. We then spend time exploring Valladolid before reaching the airport in Cancún.

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Why Us

Travel through the Yucatan Peninsula stopping at Mayan ruins

Travel through the Yucatan Peninsula stopping at Mayan ruins

Witness the cleaning of the dead at the Day of The Dead festivities

Witness the cleaning of the dead at the Day of The Dead festivities

Visit the spectacular Mayan sites of Uxmal, Tulum, and Chichén Itzá

Visit the spectacular Mayan sites of Uxmal, Tulum, and Chichén Itzá

Snorkel in the natural beauty of Bacalar Lagoon

Snorkel in the natural beauty of Bacalar Lagoon

Marvel at the colonial elegance of Campeche and Meridá

Marvel at the colonial elegance of Campeche and Meridá

Explore the subterranean world of Loltún Caves

Explore the subterranean world of Loltún Caves

Our reviews
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Marie Watt

Australia

A football tour with so much more I have just completed a great tour with World of Discoveries in Germany and Austria. The main aim of the trip was for my husband to watch Scotland play in the Euros football championship. However, this trip was about so much more than just the football. Of course, the WOFDI team organized great hotels and tickets for Bill to join the crazy Tartan Army and watch its team in Munich, Cologne and Stuttgart. But, the highlights for me were visits to mad King Ludwig’s fairytale castle Neuschwanstein in Bavaria; the James Bond Elements museum, perched 3000m high up in the Austrian Alps; a stay at the incredible Aqua Dome resort in the Austrian Tyrol; and a superb wine tasting evening with a great group of travelers at Schloss Lieser hotel on the Moselle River. What a trip, what an experience.

Kalpana K

USA

Eurocup 2024 Germany - Finals & Semi-finals Excellent trip for our family of four (with two young boys - 12 and 14) to watch the two semifinals and finals of Eurocup 2024 in Munich, Dortmund, Cologne, and Berlin. WofDi organized the entire trip and provided white glove service from the minute we landed in and left from Germany. We were chaperoned throughout the trip by Mike, Varya, and their team, who took care of every detail. (Airport transfers, hotel stays, ICE train tickets, match tickets, unique curated city tours and events, daily WhatsApp communication) and were on-hand throughout to answer questions. We look forward to more sporting events and travel with WofDi.

Bruce McDougall

Australia

I recently toured Qatar during the World Cup with Varya and Mike’s team at World of Discoveries. The experience over three weeks was first class. Varya and her team nailed the detail for every aspect of the trip from planning and booking through to the actual travel, tours, sightseeing, transport, accommodation and ticketing to games. They were always accessible to deal with any issues that arose and went the extra mile to ensure the travelling group was happy, organised and safe. And they throw a mean party. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend World of Discoveries for trips of a lifetime.

Anna Briand

Belgium

Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix with Wofdi – Incredible Trip! The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was an unforgettable experience, with an electric crowd and an amazing race. The Foro Sol section felt like a huge party! Beyond F1, Wofdi made the trip special. We took a hot air balloon over the Teotihuacán Pyramids at sunrise, followed by tequila tasting – an absolute highlight! Our hotel was a pleasant surprise – ultra-modern, in the best area, near the Marquis and Chapultepec Castle, with a huge rooftop bar and a fantastic restaurant. This trip changed my view of Mexico City completely! Wofdi planned everything perfectly, making this the ultimate F1 adventure. Highly recommended!

Christopher Nielson

Canada

I wanted to express how happy we were with our experience. Your company helped in making a trip of our lives and would definitely be looking to reach out to you again for something like this in the future.

KShone

Great Britain

Excellent trip to Euros24 in Cologne to watch the final England group game. WofDi were extremely helpful throughout the entire trip, delivered all the required elements (airport transfers, hotel & match tickets) and were on-hand throughout to answer questions. Definitely use again.