Photo: Doug Hindman Where The Sky Was Born: Mexico Highlights:
Includes:
Trip Number: 09515A Price: Deposit: $200 Capacity: 11 Leader: Doug Hindman
The Trip  Photo: Doug Hindman We'll start in a comfortable beachfront hotel in an unspoiled Mexican fishing
village. This will be our base for surveying the local ecology and environmental
issues. Then we'll head inland, traveling back roads to explore pueblos
and picturesque colonial towns, visiting both famous ruins and little known
Mayan sites, boating through remote marshes, and swimming in isolated cenotes
(jungle springs formed in the Yucatan limestone). We'll stay
 Photo: Doug Hindman Day 1: Arrive Cancun airport before 4:00 PM. We’ll meet you at the airport and take you to our beachfront hotel in the sleepy fishing village of Puerto Morelos. There will be time to explore the town or take an informal snorkel lesson before our welcome dinner. Day 2: We head out to snorkel the world’s second longest coral reef. After lunch we’ll study local ecology at Jardin Botanical Gardens, home to an extensive collection of indigenous plants, a Mayan homestead, and ruins. Then we'll join local environmental activists for a dinner featuring unique Mayan dishes. Second night in Puerto Morelos. About two hours of swimming plus three hours of casual hiking in the botanical garden. Day 3: Today we drive into the jungle to the Mayan village of Central Vallarta. We’ll hike to two picturesque cenotes (freshwater springs) where we’ll swim and explore the jungle. Third night in Puerto Morelos. About two hours of hiking uneven jungle trails plus swimming. Day 4: We drive down the coast to explore Mayan ruins. We’ll visit Xel
Ha, where we’ll see ancient paintings and walk a Sac Be (Mayan paved
road). Then we go on to Tulum, the famous Mayan walled city on a coastal bluff.
Fourth night in Puerto Morelos. About four hours walking through Xel Ha and
Tulum. Day 6: Boarding boats, we'll take a bird watching trip through Rio Lagartos Biosphere Reserve. Then we'll head to our home for the next two nights, a henequen hacienda near Izamal built in 1800 with period furnishings and high, beamed rooms. Overnight at the hacienda. Opportunity to walk near the hacienda.  Photo: Doug Hindman
Day 7: We'll walk through massive Chichen Itza, the most famous Mayan ruin in the Yucatan. Then we go exploring in Izamal (the famous “yellow city”) including its huge downtown Mayan ruin and massive convent dating from the conquistadores. Our second night at the hacienda. About five hours walking Chichen Itza and Izamal. Day 8: We drive west to Merida, the center of Spanish-colonial Yucatan. We’ll tour the historic buildings around the city plaza as well as the impressive homes along Merida’s “Champs-Elysées.” Then we drive to Hecelchakan and our home for the next three nights, a beautifully maintained hacienda begun by the Franciscans in 1588. About two hours walking in Merida. Day 9: We’ll tour the walled Spanish city of Campeche, a World Heritage site. Then we hope to get special permission to boat to restricted Jaina Island, with a ruin reportedly the burial site for Mayan royalty. Back to our hacienda for a second night. About three hours of easy walking in Campeche and (hopefully) Jaina. Day 10: We head into the hill country of the state of Campeche to visit the massive cave of Gruta Xtacumbilxunaan. We’ll visit the Mayan ruin of Kabah toped by impressive stone “combs.” Then we go to our modern hotel near Uxmal ruins. We’ll go into Uxmal ruins for a spectacular light show before dinner at our hotel. About two hours hike over uneven trails in the cave. Day 11: We’ll spend the morning in Uxmal, the greatest example of Mayan Puuc architecture. Then we head back east stopping at Suytun cave cenote for a refreshing swim. We’ll stop in the Spanish-colonial city of Valladolid with a city tour and dinner before settling into our Valladolid hotel. About three hours strolling Uxmal plus a swim. Day 12: Our “grand finale” is a virtually unknown, untouched ruin deep in the jungle. (Help us keep the location secret.) After a picnic lunch and cenote swim we return to Puerto Morelos for our farewell dinner and overnight at our beachfront hotel. About two hours hiking in the ruin plus an afternoon swim. Day 13: Transfer to Cancun airport in time for flight departure noon or after.
 Photo: Doug Hindman are part of the adventure. The restaurants we visit feature interesting local cuisine. Sack lunches are provided on a few jungle hikes. We'll try to accommodate vegetarians but please note that the local diet features fish and other meats.
This is an active leisure trip. Most days we will be walking, but at a leisurely pace rarely exceeding four miles per day. Good physical condition and a zest for adventure will help you enjoy travel into remote areas.
 Photo: Doug Hindman Conservation Tourism is the biggest threat to the Yucatan. Fifty years ago the area was remote and undeveloped. Today, resort hotels gobble up the mangroves, pollute the coral reefs, and destroy local economies. Local Mexicans may find low-income jobs, but most Mayans remain in primitive conditions. We will study how eco-tourism can help local economies while preserving the environment. We'll talk to local environmentalists, look at both overdeveloped and preserved areas, and provide an example of responsible eco-tourism in our trip itself.
This trip requires a $200 per-person deposit. An additional payment of $300 per person is due six months prior to trip departure. International trip prices are subject to change and are based on double-occupancy or group accommodations as described above. Single rooms may not be available or may cost more than the listed price. If you have any questions regarding double occupancy, please contact the trip leader. See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy. The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner. The Sierra Club accurately and fairly budgets and prices our trips. However, unforeseen costs such as devaluation of the dollar compared to other currencies and fuel surcharges assessed by our international providers, may necessitate adjustment in trip price. We will make every effort to mitigate and absorb these fees. If a price increase is necessary, however, you will have 14 days after announcement to cancel without penalty.
E-mail: Douglas.Hindman@eku.edu General Notes About Sierra Club Trips
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Doug Hindman has led International Sierra Club trips since 1991 and has visited over 30 countries on all seven continents.
This will be his sixth year leading this trip. In his other life, he is a clinical psychologist and chemical weapons disposal activist.