ISTOCKPHOTO.COMMEXICOGUATELMALA.....Mexico CityOaxacaTulumMonte AlbánMéridaYucatán PENINSULA.Chichén ItzáBELIZE11Essentials Climate Over half the country enjoys a temperate mountain climate. The coasts are hot and humid. The northwest is arid desert. Most rain falls in summer. Rainy season May?November. Festivals Carnival 05?08 March 2011, notably in Veracruz; Independence Day, 16 September and Day of The Dead, 01 November (see area 3?Oaxaca). Guelaguetza festival in Oaxaca every July. Travelling from UK Time difference (GMT) -6hrs Travel time 12hrsHighlights of Mexico? The Aztec and Mayan Worlds 15 days, 13 nightsMexico City 3 nights, Oaxaca 3n, Mérida 2n, Chichén Itzá 1n, Riviera Maya 4n.Day 1 Fly from the UK to huge, exuberant Mexico City, arrive the same evening. There's been settlement here since well before the Aztecs but the modern city was founded by the Spaniards and their influence is felt everywhere on a monumental scale. Day 2 Excursion to the ancient ceremonial temple complex of Teotihuacán, 'place of the Gods', one of the most impressive archaeological zones in the world. The trip combines well with a visit to the shrine of the Basilica of Guadalupe. Day 3 City tour including the remarkable Museum of Anthropology. Days 4-6 Morning flight from Mexico City to Oaxaca in the southern highlands. The town has a rich indigenous and colonial background which is reflected in its arts, crafts and distinctive cuisine. It's the kind of place best enjoyed by wandering around the terraced streets stopping off at cafés and market stalls. Half day excursion to Monte Albán, ceremonial burial site of the Zapotecs, overlooking Oaxaca. Day 7 Fly to Mérida, the colonial heartland of the Yucatán, via Mexico City (p18-21). Day 8 Using Mérida as a base, visit the Mayan sites of Uxmal and Kabah. Day 9 Drive to Chichén Itzá, a large and impressive Mayan city with two haunting sacrificial cenotes. Days 10-13 Continue to Riviera Maya, by the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Use your free day to visit the cliff top site of Tulum perched over the ocean-side or snorkel in the world's largest natural aquarium at Xel Ha. Day 14 Morning at leisure. Fly to the UK, arriving day 15.Prices from £1,287pp (standard); £2,308pp (superior) based on two sharing, excluding transatlantic flights. The superior class option uses a restored hacienda in Mérida and a converted convent in Oaxaca. Daily from the UK 4THE CHIAPAS HIGHLANDS AND RAINFORESTThe colonial and arty town of San Cristóbal is surrounded by indigenous villages. Jungle-swathed Palenque is one of Mexico's most bewitching Mayan sites.6THE CARIBBEAN COAST AND ISLANDSThe Caribbean coast shelters a range of amenities, from the well-developedfamily-friendly resorts of Cancún and the Mayan Riviera to exclusive properties situated in their own little bays.5YUCATÁN PENINSULA AND CAMPECHEThe flat Yucatán peninsula is home to Mayan ruins (including Chichén Itzá, Uxmal) and graceful colonial towns (Mérida and Campeche). Celestún and Progreso combine wild beach and wildlife perfectly.020 8747 8315 / journeylatinamerica.co.uk bookings, consultant advice and additional information how about?» Visiting the artists' colonies at colonial Cuernavaca and the cobbled silver town of Taxco. » A diversion to Puebla, a city with a remarkable colonial core not far from the capital. Stay at the ultramodern Hotel Purificadora, a work of art in itself, showing how the old blends with the new in Mexico. Travel on to Tlaxcala, a rosy town allied to Spain during the war of Independence, thereafter sidetracked and unspoilt.100 Miles200 KMMEXICAN TOURIST BOARDSHUTTERSTOCK.COMCUBA

Chiapas and the gulf coast In the highland state of Chiapas the culture of the indigenous population reigns supreme. It offers one of Mexico's most evocative step-back-in-time experiences, with the villages surrounding the capital San Cristóbal, both a stronghold of surviving indian lifestyle and traditionally a focal point of uprisings and political rebellion. Here the landscapes are savage, with jungle, rivers, canyons and lakes a backdrop to some of the finest pre-Columbian ruined cities.The Tzotzil villages west of San Cristóbal and other indigenous settlements such as San Juan Chamula are best visited on a Sunday, when there are craft markets? each village has its own distinctive dress and craft speciality. There are also festivals throughout the year which are worth a visit, with pagan rituals and Christian traditions making an appearance.The yawning Sumidero Canyon is a kilometre deep, with vertical limestone cliffs plunging into the trapped green waters of the river below; the road above is punctuated with viewpoints.Moving further east the highlight is indisputably the religious centre at Mayan Palenque, once throttled by the tentacles of the surrounding jungle but now revealed in all the glory of its intricate masonry?vaults, pyramids, pillars and sculptures, all constructed on a series of terraces. From here, you can visit Bonampak, famous for the colourful and graphic murals in the Temple of the Frescoes, and ornately decorated Yaxchilan, where the temples are now home to hoardes of howler monkeys.12 Mexico Highlights? Visits to Palenque, with a romantic setting in jungle, and the excellent Sumidero Canyon which was very spectacular. Visit to Tzotzil village of San Juan Chamula as it's so unspoilt. GM, BeckenhamBW SKYUM