Mexico Local Immersion & Homestays Trips & Packages Tours & Trips

Highlights

• Spend three days exploring the island paradise of Caye Caulker – munch on barbecued lobster, snorkel around a coral reef, nap under palm trees, go kayaking or just kick back with a couple of worry-free beach days.
• See some of the most significant remnants of the ancient Maya civilisation – plus an array of local wildlife, including coatis and howler monkeys – during a guided tour of Tikal National Park.
• Get to know contemporary Maya life during a homestay in San Juan La Laguna – a lakeside village where you can share meals and conversation with a local family and see how they harvest their local medicinal plants.
• Wander between stalls of rainbow handicrafts, fruits and flowers in the popular and colourful Chichicastenango Market.
• Cruise up the Rio Dulce to your waterfront jungle lodge, where you’ll head out on a birdwatching walk and relax while the sounds of nature fill the air.

Highlights

• Explore the stunning Maya temples of Palenque and stroll through Chichen Itza, with local experts at both sites explaining their storied history.
• Visit the community of San Pedro Tlahuac, home to Nahuatl descendants, and enjoy a lunch made with produce picked fresh from a chinampa farm.
• Wander market stalls, relax in public parks and sample the enticing Mexican eats of Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca.
• Escape the Mexican heat in the highlands of San Cristobal de las Casas and explore surrounding villages where traditional customs and roots are thriving.
• Share Yucatecan specialties with locals then finish off your journey in the beachside hub of Playa del Carmen.

Highlights

• Discover the fantastical world of alebrijes – folk art sculptures of mythical creatures – during a visit to a women-run workshop outside Oaxaca. The artists will share their process and stories of how they came to specialise in these artworks.
• Take a step way, way back during enlightening guided tours through the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Palenque and Mitla.
• Get a taste of Maya culture during a homecooked pibil lunch with a local family, sampling this traditional method of cooking which involves barbecuing food underground.
• Explore the Maya communities surrounding San Cristobal de las Casas and learn about local culture, religion and the traditional way of life retained in the highlands.
• Sail the mighty Sumidero Canyon on board a guided boat tour, cruising below the canyon’s towering walls and spotting wildlife along the way.

Highlights

• Gaze in wonder at the jungle-shrouded limestone temples of Tikal, one of the most impressive Mayan sites in the whole of Central America, as howler monkeys call from the canopy.
• Relax and recharge on the white sands of Caye Caulker, a tiny Belizean island made for beach BBQs, snorkel trips and lazy afternoons spent swinging in a hammock.
• Explore Livingston: a one-of-a-kind riverside town where the local culture is heavily influenced by the Afro-Caribbean Garifuna population.
• Walk along cobblestone streets and shop for local handicrafts in the tiny inland island town of Flores.
• Dig deeper into Mayan history – visiting lesser-known ruins and a mystical Mayan cave complex – around San Ignacio, a vibrant market town near the Belize-Guatemala border.

Highlights

• Experience the multiple sides of Central America, whether slumbering on the sands of Caye Caulker and Bocas del Toro, gazing at the pyramids of Tikal or shopping in the vibrant markets of Chichicastenango.
• Get to know contemporary Maya life during a homestay in San Juan La Laguna, a village on the shores of Lake Atitlan, where you can share meals and conversation with a local family.
• Hike, cycle or zip-line through Costa Rica’s steamy cloud forests of Monteverde – there’s so many ways to experience the lush canopies and unique Central American wildlife.
• Cruise up the Rio Dulce to your waterfront jungle lodge, then maybe grab a beer and relax while the sounds of nature fill the air.
• Put your chef hat on and help prepare a traditional Caribbean dinner in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.