Mexico holidays

Led by knowledgeable local guides, our holidays in Mexico offer a genuinely insightful introduction to the country’s thriving Indigenous communities, who in turn benefit financially from responsible tourism. As just one instance of the many interesting ways you can explore Mexico’s heritage with our tours, try a section of the 2,400km Mayan Trail. It is a brilliant introduction to key sites including the famous Chichen Itza and Uxmal, as well as many other lesser-known – and therefore quieter – ruins.

The Maya civilisation dominated Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula between 600-900AD. During the 1990s, many sites in Mexico were unearthed and restored as part of the creation of the Mayan Trail – or Ruta Maya – which stretches through all the countries that had Maya communities, including neighbouring Belize and Guatemala. They are now among the essential cultural highlights of our Mexico holidays. Some are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Palenque; all are at various stages of restoration. These were massive cities after all, and if you find yourself walking across a big hill in Palenque National Park’s jungle, the chances are you are walking over an ancient palace or pyramid. It is hard to see them all, but they all have something unique about them, and keen historians often add the neighbouring Guatemalan Maya marvels on to a Mexican holiday.

Mexico has over 60 indigenous groups and just as many languages, meaning that it defines itself, in its constitution, as a ‘pluricultural’ nation. The most prolific groups that you are likely to meet on your travels are Nahuatl, Yucatec (Maya), Zapotec and Mixtec. In Oaxaca, for example, our tours can take their pick of some 12 community museums run by local villages with Zapotec weaving, archaeological artifacts and traditional healing methods on display, plus guided tours into their lands.

And of course, you can’t fully explore Mexican culture without trying the cuisine. In fact, you can just eat your way around Mexico on our holidays, if that’s your thing. Food trails and gastro tours are all the rage, with taco trails in Mexico City, market tours in Oaxaca, and Yucatan seafood at every turn. Puebla is also embracing tourists’ food fest fancies, justified given that it is home to the national favourite, mole poblano – a sauce to accompany meat made with chillies, and sometimes chocolate.

If you’re interested in seeing wildlife on our Mexico holidays, a good policy is to stick to the water. The reason is big, grey and bound to amaze: Mexico’s superb whale population draws boatloads of stunned onlookers. Whale watching between February and April along Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula provides the best chance of sightings. One of the longest peninsulas in the world, it proffers 3,000km of coastal homes to several whale species, as well as dolphins and myriad other marine creatures.

Grey whale watching off the Baja Peninsula is one of the most intimate and enthralling wildlife encounters you can enjoy. So comfortable are the whales with boats that they will nudge up against the hulls and push their often just days-old calves towards you as if to show them off. Our friends at the World Cetacean Alliance have no problem with this kind of behaviour so long as the whale watching is done responsibly, which is why our holidays always employ boat operators and marine guides who are capable of understanding and respecting the whales’ behaviours.

On our Mexico tours, expert marine biologist guides provide you with fascinating commentary as you spot humpback, finback, grey and even blue whales plundering the plankton off the Baja Peninsula, while keeping a safe and respectful distance. Whale sharks swim serenely beneath the surface alongside dolphins and manta rays off the Yucatan Peninsula. Birds and sea lions cram Isla Espiritu Santo biosphere reserve.

Most magically, almost every grey whale in existence gathers around four mangrove lagoons here to breed and birth. You can camp on lagoon islands, surrounded by their moving sights and sounds. The whales are almost habituated, coming up close to check out the fiberglass panga boats that take handfuls of tourists for viewings. Off the southern tip lie the humpbacks, who sing and dance their way through the breeding process. A tour de force in nature’s theatre.

But it’s not all about what’s going on offshore. To witness the epic monarch butterfly migration, head to the forests west of Mexico City from late October onwards. Our holidays purposefully seek out lesser-known and therefore quieter sanctuaries where you can enjoy this spectacular natural phenomenon.

Besides thrilling adventures, our Mexico holidays provide families with a memorable introduction to life here, with local guides accompanying you, and independent, locally owned hotels and restaurants used wherever possible. Older children will soak up the fascinating (and sometimes gruesome) stories that emanate from Mayan ruins, while all the family will love taking refreshing cenote swims on hot days. You can spend time together horseback riding, stand up paddleboarding, or learning how to roll the perfect taquito. Naturally, there’s no end of beaches to explore, too – those off Tulum are ideal for easy-going snorkelling. Be sure to throw in a (responsible) whale watching tour too, bound to be a highlight since the giant mammals are so prolific that sightings are pretty much guaranteed.