We recommend purchasing travel insurance.  Please explore the following link and consider their
options for your travel protection needs!  Click here:  Travelex Insurance

Yucatan and Belize (Jan 9-17, 2012)
Scroll down for itinerary!

Click here to see slideshow of places we will visit.

**(Please see refund policy at link to the left)**

The following are due dates for payments. You may pay in full at any time, but payments must be made
by dates listed below in order for us to make hotel and airline payment deadlines.

Jan 9-17, 2012 (Yucatan and Belize):
                 $1525 per person, double occupancy

**Initial deposit of $300 per person to hold reservation
**2nd payment of $575 per person due September 1, 2011
Balance of trip ($650) due October 30, 2011.

All prices include:

RT airfare from Salt Lake City, hotels, bus transportation, breakfast each day,
entrances to ruins and other included attractions.

Click here for printable itinerary 

Click here to see slideshow of places we will visit.  

(Tentative) Itinerary for Jan 2012:

Monday, Jan 9--Our flight leaves from the Salt Lake City airport at approximately 9:00 am and will be arriving in Cancun about 2:30 pm.  We will be met by our air conditioned charter bus which will transport us to the beautiful colonial city of Valladolid.   We will check into our hotel where you will have time to unpack before exploring this delightful town .   Take a short 10-15 min. stroll into the town center to check out the beautiful park and centuries old church and enjoy the atmosphere of this wonderful city.  Have dinner at our hotel restaurant or venture into town to try out some local cuisine.

Tuesday, Jan 10--Breakfast at the hotel. We will board our bus and head to the ruins of Ek Balam,  a newly excavated Mayan city with spectacular architecture and beautiful carvings.  After spending time at Ek Balam, we will continue on to  the ruins of Chichen Itza.  Chichen is one of the most excavated sites in the Mesoamerican world.  You will be led by one of their knowledgeable guides.   Next, we will travel to Cenote Xkeken (also known as Dzitnup), where you will be able to experience one of the incredible phenomenons of the Yucatan.  These are fresh water pools or 'lakes' found all over the peninsula.  (Read about cenotes in National Geographic here.)  Another option for you will be to explore  Cenote Samula,  just a short walk from Xkeken.   You can swim in the cenotes or just enjoy the beauty of these incredible 'caves'.  Next, we will visit a nearby typical Mayan village, where we will leave clothing and gifts for the local people.  You will be able to see just how these wonderful people live and get a peek into one of their humble homes.  We will return to our hotel, where dinner is on your own.

Wed, Jan 11--Breakfast at the hotel.  You will have a little free time this morning to further explore the interesting city of Valladolid.  Be sure to get out early, as the people here start their day as soon as the rooster crows!  Look for a panaderia (bakery), tortilleria (tortilla factory), bargain with the street vendors, or visit the local leather shop where you can watch them make leather goods.  There is plenty to see, so don't miss out on this opportunity!  We will then check out of the hotel around 10:00 am, board the bus and begin our drive South, toward the city of Chetumal, near the border of Belize.  On the way we will stop at  fabulous ruins of Tulum.   Tulum is an ancient seaport situated directly on the crystal clear coast of the Caribbean.  We will meet our LDS guide at Tulum where he will give us an explanation of the buildings and point out many religious significances to this site.  After our tour, there will be time for pictures and you can head to the beach and enjoy the clear blue waters of this beautiful area.  We will have a few minutes to eat or buy a few souvenirs before we board the bus and continue on our journey to Chetumal, where we will check into our hotel. You can settle into your room, relax, eat dinner at the hotel restaurant or take a short walk to try out your choice of eating establishment.  Chetumal is situated on the water, so you may want to take a stroll or hire a taxi to the nearby bay.

Thurs, Jan 12--Breakfast at the hotel.  Today we will depart for the archaeological sites of Dzibanche, Kinichna,  and Kohunlich.  These awesome sites are recently excavated and you will be amazed at their beauty.  This area is much different than the sites we will see in the Northern Yucatan with more dense jungle and taller trees.  Many LDS archaeologists believe these ruins could have been the area of the Land Bountiful, spoken of in the Book of Mormon.  After exploring these ruins, we will return to Chetumal, where you can take time to explore the city or just relax at the hotel.  If we return before 6:00 pm you may want to make a visit to the Museum of the Mayan Culture, which is located right across the street from our hotel.  This is one of the best museums in Mexico.  It closes at 7:00 pm and entrance is approximately $5.00 per person.

Fri, Jan 13--After an early breakfast we will be off to Belize!  Don't forget your passport and whatever you will need for the day.  We will be required to pay entrance and exit fees, so bring enough cash to take care of these at the border crossing.  After crossing into Belize, we will continue South for about an hour to the city of Orange Walk.  Here, we will board boats to take us on a trip down the New River,  to the ruins of Lamanai.   This is a spectacular site, deep in the jungle of Belize, situated right on the banks of the New River.   If we are lucky, we may see a howler monkey or some toucans!  Lunch and guides will be provided on this tour.  After a wonderful day in Belize, we will cross back over the border, back into Mexico and return to our hotel.

Sat, Jan 14--Breakfast at the hotel.   We will check out of our hotel at about 9:00 am to continue on our journey to Playa del Carmen, a wonderful resort right on the Caribbean Sea. We will stop along the way at Lake Bacalar.  This is a crystal blue freshwater lagoon, where we can swim and/or visit the nearby fort and museum ($5.00 charge per person if you're interested).  (Click here to see video presentation about Bacalar.)   After our visit to Tulum, we will head North to the coastal resort town of Playa del Carmen, where we will check into our hotel for the remainder of our trip.

Sun, Jan 15-Breakfast at a restaurant near the hotel.  You will have the opportunity if you like, to attend a local LDS Sacrament Meeting this morning. This will be a free day for you to explore this interesting and beautiful resort area.  A good choice might be to enjoy a day in Cozumel.  Catch the ferry that leaves from a nearby dock almost hourly. You could rent a car or moped to drive around the island.  There are ruins, more shopping, diving or snorkeling tours, and just beautiful scenery.  You may want to check out Chankanaab Park on the Isla Cozumel.  There are many other options from which to choose.  Let us know what you are interested in and we can help you make arrangements.  If you'd rather stay on the mainland, there are many other things to do.  You may want to go to Xel Ha  or Xcaret,  two nearby ecoparks with lots of things to do.   Let us know what your interests are and we can steer you in the right direction.   Enjoy this tropical paradise!  There are many, many restaurants for your evening meal in either Cozumel or Playa del Carmen.

Mon, Jan 16--Another free day to enjoy what you would like in this beautiful area of the Riviera Maya. 

Tues, Jan 17 --Breakfast at restaurant near hotel.  Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and we must return today to SLC. We will board a bus and head back to Cancun for our flight back home.