NATURE EXPEDITION – PENINSULA & CHIAPAS

A 15-day, 14-night tour to explore the nature of the Yucatan Peninsula and Chiapas departing from the Riviera Maya or another point on the peninsula. A tour designed for photographers, budding naturalists and adventurers, combining nights in the jungle, visits to Mayan communities and exploration of the region’s most beautiful ecosystems. After this tour, you will be an expert on the fauna and flora of this wonderful place.

TRAVELER NOTICE

CIRCUIT DETAILS

Highlights of the circuit

Nature tour of Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula
Visit to several Maya sites in the jungle
Exploration of numerous waterfalls, lakes, and rivers by boat, rafting, and canoeing
Jungle trekking
Night in the jungle with observation hides for wildlife viewing
Visit to the Calakmul reserve
Canoe tour of Bacalar
Tasting of Chiapas and Yucatan gastronomy
Nights in Maya villages
A complete nature experience combining jungle, lagoons, rivers, and mangroves…

Difficulty

Advanced, suitable for all adventurers

Next available dates

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PROGRAM

Day 1

We depart from the Riviera Maya towards a community where a full breakfast awaits us before our journey. Then, we embark on our hike through the jungle, passing by 3 watering holes where we may encounter birds, frogs, turtles, and many other species. We’ll have a picnic along the way before reaching our campsite where we’ll set up hammocks protected by mosquito nets for a magical night in nature. Dinner cooked over an open fire with the help of our Mayan friends and a nocturnal stroll around the camp will conclude a timeless day.

Day 2

The next day, awakened by the birdsong and the morning freshness, we’ll have breakfast before dismantling our camp. We’ll then begin the return hike to reach the village where a good meal awaits us with the family of one of our guide-sherpas. We’ll head north of the peninsula with a stop for swimming in a cenote along the way. And we’ll spend the night in a hotel facing the Rio Lagartos lagoon – the most beautiful bird reserve on the peninsula.

Day 3

In the early morning, as the birds awaken, we’ll take a private boat tour to observe pink flamingos, spoonbills, herons, ospreys, kingfishers, crocodiles, and many other species. Then, we’ll head west to discover the charming colonial town of Izamal before arriving in Sisal where we can explore the mangroves and spend the night.

Day 4

We’ll head towards Chiapas, with an overnight stay in Palenque. It’s a day with a fairly long stretch of road to change locations and discover the mountains, rivers and waterfalls of this beautiful southern state. Along the way, we can make a stop at a large cenote to cool off.

Day 5

We’ll visit the stunning archaeological site of Palenque as soon as it opens to learn about the history of the Maya, this magnificent site, and the beautiful jungle that surrounds it. We’ll search for monkeys and numerous birds there. Afterward, we’ll refresh ourselves in beautiful waterfalls before continuing our journey towards the south of this state where we’ll spend the night near the Guatemala border close to an incredible site that we’ll visit the next day.

Día 6

Very early in the morning, we’ll take a boat that will bring us to the archaeological site of Yaxchilan. Sleeping close to the site will allow us to be the first ones there and enjoy a site lost in the jungle, accessible only by boat, where we’ll have ample opportunity to observe numerous bird species, and very likely, monkeys. Then, we’ll visit the site of Bonampak and its frescoes, which remain the best-preserved in the entire Maya area. Finally, we’ll arrive at a small village of the Lacandon Maya where we’ll spend the night near the river.

Day 7

In the morning, if conditions permit, we’ll go rafting in the middle of the Lacandon jungle, part of the Montes Azules Reserve. Then, we’ll go swimming in beautiful waterfalls before arriving in Palenque, where we spent our first night in Chiapas.

Day 8

We’ll leave Chiapas for the state of Campeche. We’ll arrive in a village and leave our vehicle there for the next 3 nights. To reach our campsite, we’ll go by motorcycle with our Maya friends. We’ll arrive at María’s, a woman living alone, far from other villages, close to a water point, a must for many species. We’ll hang our hammocks in one of the old cabins and set up our mosquito nets for the night. María’s cooking will delight us from this first dinner onwards.

Day 9 & 10

The program is simple: everyone can enjoy the surroundings at their own pace. Birds, mammals, reptiles and other creatures can be observed from hides near the waterhole. You can decide how long you’d like to spend at the lookouts, and return to your hammock or María’s house at any time, or stay as quietly as possible by the water, camera in hand. There are also a number of paths leading from María’s house, for those wishing to go with María’s son Pablo or guide Tristan in search of monkeys, birds and other species in the area. A pond 9 km away allows walkers to photograph crocodiles and lake birds. Overnight camping in hammocks by the pond, with a wood-fired dinner. You can also accompany Pablo to see his beehives and harvest the honey.

Day 11

A final wake-up call at María’s, to the sound of the many birds. A final visit to the bird hides to take our last photos. We enjoy another meal, head back to the village and take our vehicle to the gates of the large Calakmul reserve, where we spend the night in comfortable cabins. We can visit the bat cave, from which around 2 million bats take flight every evening.

Day 12

We rise at dawn to be among the first to enter the reserve as soon as it opens. The 60 kilometers/37 miles from the entrance to the archaeological site offer us the chance to see animals crossing the road. We’ll try to spot a tapir in one of our favorite spots. We then visit the immense Mayan site of Calakmul, a superb city blending nature and history. We leave the reserve in the afternoon to head for Bacalar and its seven-colored lagoon. This is where we’ll spend the night.

Day 13

We continue this expedition, this time by canoe. We cross the Bacalar lagoon and explore the many canals and lagoons lined with mangroves and jungle, in the hope of finding beautiful species of flora and fauna. We’ll then set off to discover a place unique in the world: a cave at sunset, from which hundreds of thousands of bats take flight every evening. This is the moment chosen by the snakes that live in the cave to come out and hunt the bats. We leave the cave at dusk and spend the night in rustic huts in the nearby Mayan village.

Día 14

After breakfast prepared by our Mayan hosts, we set off for a new jungle-fringed lagoon. Here we can canoe, swim and observe several species of birds. After a meal by the lagoon, we’ll set off for a Mayan community, where we’ll spend the night in comfortable, rustic cabañas.

Day 15

In the community, a family has created a conservation project for Mayan Melipona bees, white-tailed deer and a few other species of the region, and we’ll spend the morning with them to help with the tasks of this ecological project. After lunch, we’ll visit a pond where several species of birds live, and a Mayan ruin lost in the jungle where we can explore.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

PRACTICAL INFO

Included

Transportation from Riviera Maya
Specialized guide
Nights in hotels, cabañas in double rooms, or hammocks
Choice of snacks and soft drinks on board
All meals
Entrance fees to all archaeological sites
Entrance fees to reserves, lagoons, and cenotes
Rentals of boats and canoes as mentioned above
Insurance

Not Included

Alcoholic beverages during meals
Tips
Personal souvenir purchases

A complete 15-day tour

It offers you the opportunity to discover the preserved nature of Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula. With nights spent in the jungle, visits to nature reserves, boat and canoe excursions, as well as observation sessions in hides, you’ll have all the chances to encounter a wide variety of species in one of the world’s richest biodiversity regions.

PRICES

Prix du Circuit

Tous nos prix sont en Pesos Mexicains et par personne.

2 people $110,000 Mxn / person
3 people $85,000 Mxn / person
4 people $69,500 Mxn / person
5 people $63,000 Mxn / person
6 people $57,000 Mxn / person

7 people
8 people
9 people
10 people

/ person

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