Mexico and Yucatan Peninsula holiday

Planet

During this tour, we use overland minibuses throughout, rather than flying, which helps us reduce the negative environmental impacts of our travel. We do the majority of our sightseeing on foot, which is perfect for visiting Mexico's small villages with their immaculately kept colonial architecture.

We also visit various UNESCO heritage sites including Tikal, Chichen Itza and Palenque; some of the Maya civilization's biggest and most important sites. Our Tour Leaders and local guides always brief customers carefully on how to act in the sites - our packed lunches are carefully taken out with us and recycled, and we encourage customers not to buy single use water bottles. Our local Tour Leader will advise you where to refill water bottles with clean, safe drink water, therefore reducing the necessity to buy plastic water bottles throughout your trip. As well as preserving the integrity of the ancient sites, this behaviour also continues its positive impact throughout the rest of the trip.

As a travel company we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key, and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage.

People

Certain departure dates offer the opportunity to witness the traditions of the Day of the Dead Festival. Festivals express the very soul of a community, rooted as they are in local history and folklore. They’ll engage all your senses, with their din, colours, scents, tastes – the sheer rawness and spontaneity of the whole experience. This is a fantastic way to learn about local traditions and get an authentic view of the country you are travelling to in an unpackaged way.

Wherever possible we like to meet the people themselves and get to learn a bit more of their lifestyle, but only where we can be sure that we are not imposing on them. This is particularly important in the indigenous Tzotil villages of Zinacantan and San Juan, where the Tzotil people share their customs with our groups. We do use local tour leaders and guides along the way, so we’ll be able to get a real insight into the daily life of local people in Mexico – traditional and modern. We also support a variety of other local businesses such as restaurants and cantinas, hotels and transport businesses, ensuring our visit benefits a wide range of people.

We believe that learning about and respecting local people is an integral part of the travel experience. Why not brush up on your Spanish before you travel? Being able to chat with local people, even just a few phrases, shows great respect and will really enhance your experience!

As a company we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of the UK travel industry body AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.