Culture and Beach in Southern Mexico

A Mexican Marine Life Adventure; Whales & Beaches – From £2,700 per Person Sharing, Excluding International Flights

Day 1
Upon arrival in Mexico City you will be met and transferred to your hotel for a nice relaxing overnight stay.
Overnight: La Casona – Located close to Chapultepec Park, this small boutique hotel features just 22 rooms, all decorated in a traditional style and featuring modern amenities. 

Day 2
Mexico City is enormous, with over 20 million inhabitants, so today you will embark on a full day tour to help you find the best bits. Highlights include the Zocalo, or Central Plaza, with the Mexican flag at it’s centre and flanked each side by colonial buildings, this is one of the largest city squares in the world. In the afternoon you will also pay a visit to the Anthropology Museum, which houses many pre-Colombian artifacts, including the Piedra del Sol (Stone of the Sun), as well as the Aztec statue of Xochipilli.
Overnight: La Casona (B)

Day 3
The first stop on your tour today is to visit the Aztec site of Teotihuacán, located approximately 25 miles to the north of Mexico City. This archaeological site, peppered with pyramids, spreads out over about 80km square and, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to some of the largest pyramids built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Returning to Mexico City, you’ll visit the shrine of Guadelupe, a Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary, which is in the Basilica of the same name located in the district of Tepeyac. This is one of the most revered and sacred shrines in all of Latin America.
Overnight: La Casona (B)

Day 4
Transfer to the Airport in time for your flight to San Jose Cabo, located at the tip of the Baja California peninsula. Upon arrival in San José Cabo, you will be met and taken to your Hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Casa Natalia – Located in the picturesque town of San José del Cabo.  Each individually decorated suite features private facilities as well as a terrace with Hammocks (B)

Day 5
This morning you will enjoy a half day whale watching excursion. Between December and March, the Sea of Cortez plays the last stop for about 5,000 Gray Whales as they migrate from the freezing cold waters of the Bering Sea. Hunted to the brink of extinction, the whales are now recovering in numbers and you might even have the privilege of watching one of these great mammals giving birth.
Overnight: Hotel Casa Natalia (B)

Day 6
The warm, crystal clear waters of the Sea of Cortez are home to a myriad of brightly coloured marine life, making it the perfect spot for some snorkelling! Today you will snorkel the waters of Playa Santa Maria, its curved north wall shelters a fantastic reef where you’ll find the tropical fish that live and eat in the area, one of the prime snorkelling sites in the San Jose del Cabo area of the Baja California Peninsula.
Overnight: Hotel Casa Natalia (B)

Day 7
Today is yours to spend at leisure and there are a number of local excursions available for you to arrange and pay for locally, or alternatively you may wish to enjoy the hotel’s own facilities.
Overnight: Hotel Casa Natalia (B)

Day 8
This morning you will leave San Jose del Cabo and be driven to the town of La Paz and taken to your hotel.  The rest of the day will be yours to spend at leisure.
Overnight: Posada de las Flores, La Paz – This is a delightful, small boutique hotel located on the seafront in La Paz. The hotel features a total of just 8 rooms, which are individually decorated and have private facilities, air conditioning and flat-screen television (B)

Day 9
Today you will be met and taken on an excursion to the uninhabited Isla Espiritu Santo (Holy Spirit Island), located a short boat trip from La Paz. The Island’s crystal-clear waters play home to some fascinating species of fish and the pristine beaches you’ll find have been recognised as some of the finest in all of Mexico.
Overnight: Posada de las Flores, La Paz (B)

Day 10
It’s time to move further north today to the small town of Loreto, once the capital of Baja California. It is now it is an ideal base for people who wish to visit some of the nearby whale watching areas, some of the best on the whole peninsula!
Overnight: Posada de las Flores, Loreto – Located on the main plaza (Zocalo). This is a lovingly restored mansion, featuring a total of 15 rooms, which are each individually decorated and feature air conditioning and Satellite TV (B)

Day 11, 12
The islands of the Loreto National Marine Reserve see around 9 species of Whale arrive during the month of January, most notably the California Gray Whale and the Blue Whale. Today will take an excursion out into Loreto Bay where you will have the opportunity to observe these fascinating marine mammals.
Overnight: Posada de las Flores, Loreto (B/L)

Day 13
Today you will have the chance to visit Isla Coronado, located close to Loreto. Explore the intriguing variety of aquatic wildlife that exists off the coast, and maybe take a walk around to discover some of the islands flora & fauna.
Overnight: Posada de las Flores, Loreto (B/L)

Day 14
You will visit Mulege, a small town located at the entrance to the Bahia de la Concepcion – a large inlet on the Gulf of California.  Mulege has a restored Jesuit Mission, “Santa Rosalia de Mulege”.  On the excursion, you will also pay a visit to Bahia de la Concepcion, which has some nice beaches.
Overnight: Posada de las Flores, Loreto (B/L)

Day 15
Today you will be met and taken to the Airport in Loreto, for your onward flight (B)