Mexico, Belize & Guatemala tour, Mayan encounter
Highlights
Mexico: Playa del Carmen | Yucatan Peninsula | Tulum Belize: Caye Caulker | San Ignacio Guatemala : Tikal National Park | River trip on Rio Dulce | Antigua | Lake Atitlan | Panajachel
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this vacation or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
Toll free 1-866-821-6866 Calling from outside the US? rosy@responsibletravel.com
Check dates, prices & availability
Small group adventure
What is a small group adventure?It's a great way to travel! Whether you are traveling on your own, with a partner or with friends, a small group trip is a fantastic way to see the world. You'll travel on a fixed itinerary that has been designed to help you discover the best of region. From the known highlights, the hidden gems that you won't find in the guidebooks.
Itineraries run on set departure dates, accompanied every step of the way by an English speaking local group leader. You chose the itinerary and the date that suits you best and you book on.
Why travel on a small group adventure?
Small groups allow us to explore where larger tour groups can't. Our maximum group size of 16 travelers allows us to use local transport to get from A to B, to visit rural villages, spend time with the locals and even stay at a local home overnight, and it allows us to give our travelers genuine, real life experiences of the countries we are visiting; what you'll be doing and how you'll travel depends entirely on your chosen itinerary.
Is an adventure right for me?
The word adventure means something different to everyone, and our range of trips reflects that. Whether you want to explore local markets, visit out of the way temples and meet local people or go on an early morning safari drive searching for the 'big five', we'll have a trip for you. If you are looking for a physical challenge such trekking the Kokoda Track or summiting Kilimanjaro, we can help with that too.
So what can I expect on this trip?
This is one of our Basix trips, designed specifically for budget travelers who still want the security of group travel without lots of added inclusions. These trips don't have many included activities and meals are rarely included in the price, giving you the opportunity to search out local restaurants and sample regional specialities to your heart's content. The amount of free time in these itineraries means that the Basix trips often appeal to younger travelers looking to explore independently and tailor the trip to your own interests. You often won't spend too many days in any one place and you'll pack lots of different locations into your vacation.
As you might expect, accommodation on a Basix trip will be fairly basic! We'll stay in 1-2 star accommodation, often including homestays and there may be nights where the group stays somewhere multi-share / in a dormitory-style. Most accommodation however will be twin share; with solo travelers automatically roomed with a fellow group member of the same sex, this means that there are no single supplements on Basix trips.
On camping trips you will be expected to help out around the camp; putting up and taking down your own tent, helping with meals and other camp duties. We often find the nights where we are without a few creature comforts are those that are most amazing; wild bush camping in Serengeti anyone?! We'll use local transport where ever possible which is a great way of seeing the country and meeting locals as we travel.
Can I book my flights with you?
Yes! We are a fully ATOL bonded tour operator meaning that we can book flights from the UK as part of your vacation package. Just ask us for a quote including flights when you make your inquiry.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your vacation will help support conservation and local people.
The very ethos of our style of travel is responsible; small groups on fully escorted tours, experiencing the very best of a region, a culture and a landscape, with a friendly local hand guiding the way. Our itineraries are designed to give our travelers real life experiences without compromising the part of the world we are exploring; to travel responsibly is at the heart of our commitment as a global tour operator.Our emphasis on tour is real life experiences. To this end, on this journey you’ll mainly use local buses to get around, as well as being by far the best option environmentally, this offers great opportunity for cultural interaction with your fellow bus travelers. Due to safety concerns however we do not use the brightly painted ‘chicken buses’ that are a common sight throughout Central America, instead using more modern inter-city coaches.
In addition to this we encourage all our passengers to take steps to ensure that their trip is environmentally responsible as possible. Your group leader will be on hand to assist with the appropriate disposal of rubbish en route, recycling wherever possible and we encourage all our travelers to use refillable water bottles with purification tablets rather than contributing to the rapidly escalating problem caused by the copious number of plastic bottles discarded globally on a daily basis.
The Impacts of this Trip
This brilliant no-frills itinerary takes in the highlights of the ancient Mayan civilisation, giving travelers the opportunity to visit sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Focusing on low impact and even positive impact travel, this trip supports local industry and helps provide employment throughout the regions of Central America we visit. You’ll stay in small, locally owned budget accommodation, from hotels to a unique homestay in the famous market town of Chichicastenango (Chichi) and be accompanied throughout by a professional local group leader. There will be the opportunity during the trip to rent bikes and snorkelling equipment in Tulum, try kite surfing in Caye Caulker, go birdwatching in Tikal and buy local handicrafts at the enormous Chichi Market. Your group leader will help with all these arrangements and their local knowledge will be vital in helping you get the best deal!
Meals on this trip are at your own expense giving all travelers freedom to choose the places you eat. When dining together, your group will eat in traditional, locally owned restaurants, and during the day will purchase food en route from local vendors and small cafes.
Travelers wishing to visit the Mayan ruins dotted across the region will find their entrance ticket to the sites helps fund conservation and restoration projects, while the local site guides also benefit from the opportunities tourism brings to their region.
The very ethos of our style of travel is responsible; small groups on fully escorted tours, experiencing the very best of a region, a culture and a landscape, with a friendly local hand guiding the way. Our itineraries are designed to give our travelers real life experiences without compromising the part of the world we are exploring; to travel responsibly is at the heart of our commitment as a global tour operator.Our emphasis on tour is real life experiences. To this end, on this journey you’ll mainly use local buses to get around, as well as being by far the best option environmentally, this offers great opportunity for cultural interaction with your fellow bus travelers. Due to safety concerns however we do not use the brightly painted ‘chicken buses’ that are a common sight throughout Central America, instead using more modern inter-city coaches.
In addition to this we encourage all our passengers to take steps to ensure that their trip is environmentally responsible as possible. Your group leader will be on hand to assist with the appropriate disposal of rubbish en route, recycling wherever possible and we encourage all our travelers to use refillable water bottles with purification tablets rather than contributing to the rapidly escalating problem caused by the copious number of plastic bottles discarded globally on a daily basis.
The Impacts of this Trip
This brilliant no-frills itinerary takes in the highlights of the ancient Mayan civilisation, giving travelers the opportunity to visit sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Focusing on low impact and even positive impact travel, this trip supports local industry and helps provide employment throughout the regions of Central America we visit. You’ll stay in small, locally owned budget accommodation, from hotels to a unique homestay in the famous market town of Chichicastenango (Chichi) and be accompanied throughout by a professional local group leader. There will be the opportunity during the trip to rent bikes and snorkelling equipment in Tulum, try kite surfing in Caye Caulker, go birdwatching in Tikal and buy local handicrafts at the enormous Chichi Market. Your group leader will help with all these arrangements and their local knowledge will be vital in helping you get the best deal!
Meals on this trip are at your own expense giving all travelers freedom to choose the places you eat. When dining together, your group will eat in traditional, locally owned restaurants, and during the day will purchase food en route from local vendors and small cafes.
Travelers wishing to visit the Mayan ruins dotted across the region will find their entrance ticket to the sites helps fund conservation and restoration projects, while the local site guides also benefit from the opportunities tourism brings to their region.
2 Reviews of Mexico, Belize & Guatemala tour, Mayan encounter
Reviewed on 06 Nov 2018 by Ana Maria Garcia Menendez
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Visit to Tikal.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Long days of the trip were on the bus.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. The experience of living together with a Mayan family in Guatemala was amazing.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Very good.
(Translated from Spanish)
Reviewed on 01 Sep 2015 by Helen Hore
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Snorkelling in a coral reef amongst nurse sharks and other amazing sea life was an experience that we will never forget.
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
In spite of being by far the oldest couple in the group, we had a thoroughly
amazing vacation with an excellent tour leader. Try to pack light.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, particularly the homestay which provides an alternate income for families
trapped in povery.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent.
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