City, Jungle and Beach: Mexico City and the Yucatan Peninsula with Teenagers

Mexico City is not just a big city, it’s a mega-city. Today you’ll get a snapshot of some of its highlights on a family bike tour with a local guide or at your own pace with recommendations from our knowledgeable Concierge. For some culture, visit the National Palace and the Palace of Fine Arts to see works by some of Mexico’s most celebrated 20th-century muralists. For a change of pace (and to give the teens a history break) head to upmarket Avenida Presidente Masaryk for a spot of shopping or relax in the green oasis of Chapultepec Park. Come evening, you have tickets to a lucha libre match, an exhilarating style of free wrestling with high-flying acrobatic moves that has become a huge part of the city’s culture.

Today you’ll be heading 30 miles out of the city to visit one of Mexico’s most impressive UNESCO World Heritage sites: Teotihuacan. During its days of splendour back in the third to eighth centuries BC, Teotihuacan had a population of 200,000, making it one of the largest megalopolises of its time. The Causeway of the Dead, the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the archeological remains of residential complexes reveal the advanced organisation of pre-Columbian civilisations. Explore this ancient city by bike, stopping off at well-preserved frescoes that detail the religion, politics and economy of the city.

Enjoy one last breakfast at your hotel in Mexico City before being privately transferred to the airport to catch a quick two-hour flight to Merida, the capital of the Yucatan Peninsula. Collect your rental car at the airport and head to your charming hotel in the heart of the historic centre. The rest of today is yours to enjoy at leisure either in the hotel or out and about. The old town of Merida is very walkable, so we recommend taking a stroll through colourful streets and settling into one of the many lively bars serving ultra-fresh margaritas.

Load up on bug spray and snacks this morning as today you’ll be heading deep into the jungle in search of some beautiful cenotes (fresh-water sinkholes). The 7 Cenotes Private Reserve is home to a variety of transparent cenotes steeped in myths and legends. Cycle through lush emerald vegetation, stopping for a refreshing dip and a splash around in the water as you go. You’ll have most likely worked up an appetite after all that cycling and swimming, so before you head back to the city you can sit back and relax with a tasty traditional meal. You’ll also have the opportunity to admire the reserve’s 350-year-old Ceiba, the sacred tree of the indigenous Mayan people.

Today you’ll be getting your first glimpse of the Caribbean coast as you journey from Merida to Campeche, a charming seaside city a two-hour drive away. Along the way you can make a stop at Uxmal, an archeological site home to a well-preserved pyramid soaring high above the jungle canopy. Settle in for one night in a colonial-style hotel in the heart of the historic centre.

Campeche is fairly compact, so you can easily tick off the main sites before heading to your next destination this afternoon. Fort San Miguel points its cannons out to sea, recalling the stories of the buccaneers who made Campeche one of their 13 haunts in the Caribbean Sea in the 16th and 17th centuries. From the top of the walls of San Francisco de Campeche, you can watch for the black flag out to sea - even though the chances of Francis Drake attacking the shrimp fishermen who now run the docks are slim. For an extra dose of culture, we can arrange for you to take part in a morning foodie tour to discover the local flavours. Then, this afternoon, hop back into your rental car and drive four hours to Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, at the southern base of the Yucatan Peninsula just 20 miles from the Guatemalan border. Settle in for the night in a simple but comfortable lodge near the entrance to the reserve.

Today you’ll be heading out with a private guide to discover the ancient ruins of Calakmul, a major Mayan city that was the great rival of Tikal in Guatemala. Looted and overrun with jungle, the site was lost deep in the heart of the jungle for many generations. Today the city has been somewhat restored to its former glory. You can admire royal tombs, bas-reliefs (sculpted murals) and beautiful architecture reminiscent of the Mayan architecture of Peten in Guatemala. This afternoon, bundle the family back into the hire car and head off to Bacalar, less than a two-hour drive away. Settle in for two nights in a charming lodge overlooking the Bacalar Lagoon.

Nicknamed the ‘Lagoon of Seven Colours’ for its incredible shades of blue, green and turquoise, Bacalar feels like a sliver of the Maldives in Mexico. On today’s agenda: a kayak adventure on the water. Stretching 26 miles in length and featuring seven cenotes, there is plenty to keep you busy. The town itself is laid-back and trendy, filled with bars perfect for a post-kayak cocktail.

Soak in your last views across the lagoon before embarking on a three-hour journey up the coast to Bahia Soliman where you’ll settle in for two nights in a tranquil beachside hotel. The rest of today and tomorrow are yours to enjoy quality time together as a family before heading home. And what better place than the beach? You can while away hours playing family games on the sand, having fun in the ocean and snoozing in a hammock. You could also spend some time exploring the surrounding area. You have several cenotes at your fingertips, while the archeological site of Tulum and the Sian Ka'an nature reserve are with an hour’s drive. Finally, we can arrange for you to head deep in the jungle to visit Punta Laguna, where indigenous communities live among wild-life rich flora punctuated by cenotes.