Spend a day full of culture, history, and cuisine on a multi-stop guided tour from Mérida to Izamal, Valladolid, Cenote Chichikan, and Chichén Itzá, one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Discover traditional cooking during a live demonstration. Enjoy breakfast, a buffet lunch, and entry tickets. After meeting your guide in Mérida, head to the archeological site of Chichén Itzá. Walk through the center of this thousand-year-old place and see highlights like the Temple of the Warriors. For breakfast, enjoy a packed meal. Later, transport your senses to the root of regional cuisine, one of the greatest legacies of the Mayan culture, during a demonstration of the region’s unique gastronomy. Learn about tradition and innovation in the use of plants, vegetables, and wild fauna. Enjoy a buffet lunch of local products, then let yourself be enchanted by the story and cultural richness of two magical towns of Yucatan during the next stops. Explore Valladolid, known for its natural beauty, cobbled streets, coffee shops, restaurants, and delicious food. Stop at the main plaza for some free time to wander before moving on to Izamal. Learn why the town's houses are all painted yellow and fall in love with its colonial architecture, dating back to the 16th century. Spend time at the main landmark: the Convento de San Antonio de Padua. In between the Valladolid and Izamal stops, seize the chance to take a dip in the cool waters of Chichikan Cenote. 

Start the tour by meeting on Plaza Grande, the heart of the city of Mérida. Enjoy a small-group tour of no more than ten people with an expert local guide. Discover the traditional cuisine of the city away from the main tourism hotspots. Start by enjoying some traditional refreshing drinks with your first dish of the day, gorditas. Then, try some grilled poc chuc, a dish of grilled meats prepared in citrus marinade. Next, visit one of the main food markets in town. Taste salbutes, tamales and also try some local fruit. Finish the tour by trying some tacos al pastor and carnitas.

You start your activity by having a walk through Merida’s Downtown. Your guide will give a quick briefing on the most important buildings overlooking the Main Square, and then walk with you to one of the main markets of Merida, Lucas de Galvez. Your guide will talk in depth about the regional fruits and vegetables, as well as the recados, the achiote, the peppers in general and especially the chile habanero and xcatic. All of this while shopping for everything you need for your traditional family lunch. Once you have everything, take a public bus with your guide to the local hostess’s home for the cooking class. Yucatecan cuisine has one of the most varied arrays of delicious dishes amongst the 32 states of Mexico. Some of them are unique to the Yucatan and very hard to find outside of the peninsula, while others are eaten throughout the country. The influence of ancient Mayans, Spaniards, French and Lebanese are specially noted in the cuisine. While you cook, chop, fry, and get the dishes ready, your hostess and guide will explain some of the local traditions, the influence of other cultures in Yucatan and the differences between the Yucatecos and the people from other parts of Mexico. You will also learn some Spanish and Mayan words while tasting the delicious dishes prepared by yourself! You will enjoy a three course meal, including appetizers, main course and dessert. Beer and soft drinks like hibiscus flower tea, or chaya water are included. Please advise in advance if you are vegan or vegetarian, because there are many dishes you will enjoy! Your experience with Yucatecan cuisine comes to an end after a long chat with your host, and its time to say good bye to your new friends. Your guide will take you in a cab back to Downtown. 

If visiting Cancún or Mérida, take this tour to fully live the experience of the traditional celebration of the Day of the Dead, without the necessity of waiting until November 1st! The adventure begins with a visit to the historic Convent of San Bernardino de Siena, at Valladolid, a delightful place due to the spiritual energy that emanates from its walls. As the sun descends, is the moment of visiting Chichikan, a mystical Mayan village where the Day of the Dead comes alive next to a magical cenote. Be part of the ancient art of Mayan body painting, a unique experience traditionally used to honor the departed spirits with intricate designs. And to continue with the customs of the Mayan community, try some Xtabentún, a traditional liquor, that provides a blend between Mayan gastronomy and the Day of the Dead festivity, connecting present and past. Thereafter, once the sun has fully disappeared, understand the magical beauty and spiritual significance of cenotes, mystical sinkholes that are believed to be portals between the living and the dead. The guide will captivate the group with tales and insights into the interwoven connections of life, death, and the afterlife. Afterward, participate in the Hanal Pixán, a fascinating Mayan ceremony to honor ancestors by making offerings to the dead. During the ceremony, be immersed as songs are played, revealing the deep meaning behind this sacred ritual. To end up, seize the opportunity of tasting authentic Mexican food, with a dinner of tacos, together with a tequila tasting.

Depart Merida in the morning to visit the archaeological site of Chichen Itza. Admire the pyramid of Kukulcan and the surrounding buildings, such as the ball game court and the Observatory. Then, travel to the community of Yokdzonot, and discover it's amazing and unique cenote, which is operated by a cooperative made up of mostly local women. Take a refreshing swim in the blue waters of the cenote and opt to add on activities like zip-lining or rappelling between its vertical walls. After cooling down, participate in a cooking lesson with locals. Prepare delicious Yucatecan dishes like salbutes (deep fried tortillas) and panuchos (stuffed tortillas). Finish your visit with a delicious, traditional meal in the restaurant of the cooperative. Transfer from Yokdzonot back to Merida, arriving at around 5:00 PM.

To start the day, try the delicious Huevos Motuleños at Doña Evelia in Motul's local market. Afterwards, travel to Sinanché Town to learn about beekeeping in Yucatan and the different types of species found in the region, as well as the importance of bees for the environment. You’ll also learn about the honey-production process, taste different varieties according to the type of pollinated plant, and participate in a workshop to create a handmade candle based on products derived from honey. Head then to San Crisanto, a coastal town where the ejido (community-based organization) produces salt and copra on common land, making it a unique tropical landscape primed for exploration. Hop aboard a boat that will take you through the mangrove swamp to an Ojo de Agua (freshwater source); during this beautiful experience, appreciate the diversity and richness of the local flora and fauna, which are essential to preserving the coasts from erosion. Stop then for lunch in a local restaurant. To finish the tour, relax at Sac-Há, a beach area facing the sea and surrounded by coconut palms and white sand. You'll have access to toilets, showers, and public palapas for your comfort during your time spent there.

Discover the Yucatecan cuisine! Skip breakfast this morning and visit the main market of Merida as a local. Discover the original flavors of Yucatecan gastronomy. Among colors, music and the kindness of their sellers, you will taste seasonal local fruits, spices, and the most popular art meals of Yucatan cuisine: panuchos, salbutes, cochinita pibil and much more. While you delight your palate, you will learn about local plants and herbs, the process of making tortillas, and the importance of habanero pepper in the local kitchen. Then, you will visit a seafood restaurant to taste a ceviche along with a very cold beer or delicious fresh drinks. You will end your tour with a dessert at a local Gelato shop with unique flavors like sour orange, bean with pork, bitter chocolate, avocado and seasonal fruits. During this tour, your guide will fill you with stories about our customs, traditions, legends and local life in general. **Please note that on Sundays the seafood restaurant is not available. We will offer you a secondary option **Strollers are not recommended

Tekit is a traditional Yucatecan town whose everyday life revolves around the beautiful church, the market, and some small businesses. Join this tour to spend the day with a local cooperative there and discover their daily activities. Enjoy a private tour with a local guide exclusive to your group, and benefit from included hotel pickup and drop-off.  After pickup at your hotel in Merida at 8 AM, drive for approximately 1 hour to Tekit. Once there, make your first stop at a local bakery where you'll prepare and try local bread in a stone oven. Then, walk to a Mayan household where Ana and Manuel will introduce you to the Mayan agroecological systems. Learn about the production of Melipona bees, taste different varieties of honey, and end your visit to Ana's house with a Yucatecan meal. After lunch, visit a guayaberas factory to find out about the manufacturing process, and explore some local stores where it's possible to buy typical clothing and quality garments directly from the producers. Finally, head to the archaeological site of Mayapan, one of the last capitals of the pre-Hispanic Mayan era. The tour concludes with drop-off back at your hotel around 6:30 PM.

This is the Yucatecan Happy Hour! Yucatecan traditional bars/pubs are locally called Cantinas, and it’s a great way to experience Merida’s local culture. In this Bar Hopping Tour, you’ll get to visit 3 traditional Cantinas frequently visited by the Yucatecan people. Cantinas in Merida are fun and traditional. Locals go there to have some drinks while eating some “botanas”, listening to Mexican music in a very friendly environment. The Botanas are regional snacks that are cooked in the cantina. You will be impressed with the amount of them they will offer when ordering a single beer. Each Cantina has its own style to prepare snacks, using ingredients of traditional Yucatecan cuisine. In this friendly and comfortable environment, get into de Cantinas like a local, share stories and get to know the daily life of a Yucatecan.

Spend the day in Tekit, a traditional Yucatecan village whose daily life revolves around its beautiful church, the market, and some small stores. Join this private tour to become part of the town's daily life by cooking an authentic Yucatecan dish in a local home with a local guide and local people. After pickup at your hotel in Mérida in the morning, travel for approximately 1 hour to Tekit. Upon arrival, head to the mill where corn dough is used to prepare tortillas. Afterward, visit the local market in search of groceries, spices, meat, and vegetables. Once you have all the ingredients you need, you'll go to a local home to start preparing the dish. Once the food is cooking on the fire, visit a Mayan household where you'll be able to interact with the melipona bees and taste their honey. Then, it will be time to savor your meal with handmade tortillas and natural beverages, a real feast. After lunch, stroll through some of Tekit's traditional guayabera (Mexican shirt) and blouse stores. The making of these garments is the main economic activity in the town. Enjoy the opportunity to purchase these garments directly from the producers, and take home a beautiful handmade souvenir of your trip to Yucatan before returning to Mérida.