Mayan Sun Southbound: Self-Launched Boat Rides & Ruins
16 days · Mexico, Belize & Guatemala
G Adventures charges £1,120
No-markup version: ~£645 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 16-day Central America run from Playa del Carmen to Antigua, hitting the Caribbean beaches of Tulum and Caye Caulker, the jungle ruins of Tikal, the rivers and Garifuna coast around Rio Dulce, and finishing in the cool Guatemalan highlands around Lake Atitlán and Antigua. You'll book your own ADO buses, Belize water taxis and Guatemalan shuttles, stay in hostels and budget guesthouses, join local guides at the ruins, and eat at the same community-run kitchens the group tour visits — for roughly half the price.
Day-by-day
Arrive Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Land at Cancún (CUN) and take an ADO bus from the airport or downtown terminal to Playa del Carmen (~1h15, 250-300 MXN / £12-14). Check into a hostel in the centro near Avenida 5 and Calle 12 — plenty of dorms and private rooms from £12-18 a night. Spend the afternoon on the beach, then join the crowd on 12th Street for cheap tacos and a bar crawl if you're feeling social.
🚌ADO bus Cancún airport to Playa del Carmen ~£13
🛏Hostel dorm in Playa del Carmen centro (£13)
- →ADO airport bus to Playa del Carmen
- →Beach afternoon on Playa Mamitas / El Faro
- →Evening bar-hopping on Calle 12
Tulum ruins and cenotes
Tulum, Mexico
Take a colectivo or ADO bus down the coast to Tulum (~1h). Enter the Tulum ruins early (entry ~95 MXN / £4.30) before the heat and crowds, then cool off at Playa Ruinas below the clifftop Castillo. On the way back stop at a cenote — Gran Cenote or Dos Ojos are easy to reach by colectivo (~£8-12 including entry). Optional extras from the group tour: tequila tasting or the Coco Bongo show back in Playa.
🚌ADO/colectivo return to Tulum ~£6
🛏Hostel dorm in Playa del Carmen (£13)
- →Tulum ruins self-guided visit (~£4)
- →Swim at Playa Ruinas
- →Cenote snorkel at Gran Cenote / Dos Ojos (~£10)
- →Optional: tequila tasting or beach club evening
Playa to Caye Caulker via Chetumal
Caye Caulker, Belize
This is a DIY border run. Take an early ADO bus or shuttle from Playa to Chetumal (~5-6h, ~£25), pay the Quintana Roo exit fee, cross into Belize at Santa Elena/Corozal, then take a local bus or taxi to Belize City and the San Pedro Belize Express or Ocean Ferry water taxi out to Caye Caulker (one-way ~£20-25). Boats stop around 5pm, so leave Playa by 7am. Arrive to a 'go slow' island with no cars and plenty of hammocks.
🚌ADO/shuttle to Chetumal ~£25 + water taxi ~£22 + local buses ~£5
🛏Hostel dorm or guesthouse on Caye Caulker (£16)
- →Border crossing to Belize
- →Water taxi to Caye Caulker
- →Sunset at the Split
Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley snorkel
Caye Caulker, Belize
Book a half- or full-day snorkel trip to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley with any of the island's dive shops (walk-up or Klook, from ~£45-80). You'll swim with nurse sharks, rays, turtles and dense schools of snapper at Belize's oldest marine reserve. Afternoon: rent a bike (~£4 a day) and ride to the north end of the island, or lounge at Sip n' Dip. Optional sunset sailing trip in the evening (~£50).
🚌Walking / bicycle
🛏Hostel dorm or guesthouse on Caye Caulker (£16)
- →Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley snorkel tour (~£55)
- →Bike rental around the island (~£4)
- →Optional sunset sailing cruise (~£50)
Free day on Caye Caulker
Caye Caulker, Belize
Optional blue-hole or reef dive if you're certified (dive shops on Front Street), or a fly-fishing trip out on the flats. Otherwise this is a pure chill day: lobster ceviche at a beach shack, swim at the Split, reggae at the Lazy Lizard, and a cheap rum punch sunset. Book your San Ignacio shuttle for tomorrow morning today.
🚌No transport needed
🛏Hostel dorm or guesthouse on Caye Caulker (£16)
- →Optional scuba dive or fishing charter
- →Lazy Lizard / the Split swim
- →Beach time and seafood lunch
Caye Caulker to San Ignacio
San Ignacio, Belize
Water taxi back to Belize City (~£22), then an express bus or shuttle west to San Ignacio (~2h, ~£8-12). San Ignacio is a small, friendly market town on the Macal River. Book directly with a women's pottery cooperative in San Antonio village for a half-day pottery demonstration and home-cooked lunch (walk-in or via a local tour desk, ~£18) — the same community the group tour supports. Evening at the Saturday-night food stalls if you're timing it right.
🚌Water taxi ~£22 + express bus/shuttle ~£10
🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in San Ignacio (£14)
- →Water taxi + bus to San Ignacio
- →Women's pottery cooperative visit and local lunch (~£18)
- →Cahal Pech ruins walk-up (optional, ~£4)
Caves, ruins and jungle around San Ignacio
San Ignacio, Belize
Pick one big-ticket activity — ATM (Actun Tunichil Muknal) cave tours must be booked ahead through a licensed operator (~£90-110), and Xunantunich is the easy DIY option: catch the local bus or a £3 taxi to the hand-cranked ferry, then walk up to El Castillo (~£4 entry) for views over the jungle to Guatemala. Alternatives: Barton Creek canoeing, cave tubing at Caves Branch, or horseback riding. All bookable through any San Ignacio tour office.
🚌Local bus/taxi to Xunantunich ~£5
🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in San Ignacio (£14)
- →Xunantunich ruins DIY visit (~£7)
- →Optional Actun Tunichil Muknal cave tour (~£100)
- →Optional cave tubing (~£60) or horseback riding (~£60)
Border to Flores and Tikal
Flores / Tikal, Guatemala
Take a local bus or colectivo to Benque Viejo del Carmen (~£2), cross the border on foot at Melchor de Mencos, then a Guatemalan shuttle or colectivo to Flores (~2h, ~£8). Drop bags at a lakeside guesthouse on Isla de Flores. Then join a shared sunset-or-day tour to Tikal (shuttle + licensed guide, ~£35-45 total including ~150 GTQ / £15 entry) — climb Temple IV and listen for howler monkeys in the jungle canopy.
🚌Local buses/shuttle to border and Flores ~£10
🛏Lakeside guesthouse on Isla de Flores (£14)
- →Land border crossing into Guatemala
- →Tikal ruins with shared licensed guide (~£40)
- →Evening stroll on Isla de Flores
Flores to Rio Dulce
Rio Dulce, Guatemala
Chicken bus or shuttle from Flores/Santa Elena east to Rio Dulce (~3-4h, ~£10). Check into a budget hotel in the town of Fronteras or a riverside cabaña. Take an afternoon boat up the river gorge to see the Castillo de San Felipe fortress (~£3-5 entry, boat ~£6 return) and swim in the warm river. Cheap, excellent seafood at the waterfront comedores.
🚌Shuttle/chicken bus ~£10 + river boat ~£7
🛏Budget hotel or riverside cabaña in Rio Dulce (£15)
- →Bus/shuttle east to Rio Dulce
- →Boat trip up the Rio Dulce gorge
- →Castillo de San Felipe visit
Livingston by boat
Livingston / Rio Dulce, Guatemala
Take a collectivo lancha from Rio Dulce down to Livingston on the Caribbean coast (~1h, ~£10) — no roads connect it to the rest of Guatemala. Wander the Garifuna town, eat tapado (coconut seafood soup) and head to Siete Altares waterfalls for a swim. Seek out El Manglar — the women-led community restaurant initiative the group tour visits — for lunch and the story behind it. Boat back to Rio Dulce in the late afternoon.
🚌Return boat to Livingston and back ~£18
🛏Budget hotel or riverside cabaña in Rio Dulce (£15)
- →Collective boat to Livingston (~£10)
- →El Manglar women-led community lunch
- →Siete Altares waterfall swim
- →Garifuna music and tapado dinner
Rio Dulce to Antigua via Lake Izabal road
Antigua Guatemala
A long but scenic travel day: shuttle from Rio Dulce to Antigua (~6-7h, ~£22-28 via Guatemala City). Check into a hostel in Antigua's grid — dorms from £10, private rooms from £22. Do a self-guided orientation walk of the cobblestone streets, Parque Central, the Arco de Santa Catalina and La Merced church, then book a salsa lesson at a local school (~£8) and practice your new moves at a bar on Calle del Arco.
🚌Shuttle Rio Dulce to Antigua ~£25
🛏Hostel dorm in Antigua (£11)
- →Shuttle to Antigua (~£25)
- →Self-guided colonial walk
- →Salsa lesson (~£8) and night out
Antigua free day
Antigua Guatemala
Use the day as you like: a Finca Filidelfia or Valhalla coffee tour (~£12-20), the ChocoMuseo bean-to-bar workshop (~£19, walk-in or GetYourGuide), a massage (~£25-45), or rent a bike and ride out to San Pedro Las Huertas and the cross on Cerro de la Cruz. Elizabeth Bell's walking tour is a good way to get real local history (~£20). Book your Lake Atitlán shuttle for tomorrow.
🚌Walking / local tuk-tuk
🛏Hostel dorm in Antigua (£11)
- →ChocoMuseo workshop (~£19)
- →Coffee farm tour (~£15)
- →Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint hike
- →Optional massage or cycling
Antigua to Panajachel, Lake Atitlán
Panajachel, Lake Atitlán
Shuttle from Antigua down to Panajachel on Lake Atitlán (~3h, ~£12). The lake sits in the caldera of a collapsed volcano, ringed by three more peaks — get to the waterfront for the view. Book into a budget hotel in Pana, then kayak on the lake or catch a lancha to Playa Santa Cruz for the afternoon. Sunset from the pier is the money shot.
🚌Shuttle Antigua to Panajachel ~£12 + boats
🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Panajachel (£13)
- →Shuttle to Panajachel (~£12)
- →Kayaking on Lake Atitlán (~£7)
- →Sunset at the Panajachel waterfront
Indigenous villages by lancha to San Juan La Laguna
San Juan La Laguna / Panajachel
Hop the public lancha across the lake to San Juan La Laguna (~£4), a Tz'utujil town of weavers and muralists. Join a women's textile co-operative tour (~£8), visit a local roastery, and hike or tuk-tuk up to the Mirador Kaqasiiwaan for the lake panorama. Stay the night with a Mayan family in a homestay bookable direct through the village tourism office (or via a Pana hostel, ~£15-20 including breakfast and dinner) — a simpler, more authentic version of the Posadas Mayas homestay on the group tour.
🚌Lake lanchas ~£6
🛏Local Mayan homestay in San Juan La Laguna (£18, with dinner)
- →Public lancha across Lake Atitlán (~£4)
- →Weaving co-operative tour (~£8)
- →Mirador Kaqasiiwaan hike
- →Village homestay with dinner
Back to Antigua
Antigua Guatemala
Return by lancha to Panajachel and shuttle back up to Antigua (~3h, ~£12). Last night: pick up last souvenirs at the Mercado de Artesanías, taste-test the ChocoMuseo's chocolate again if you missed it, have a proper sit-down dinner and head out to Calle del Arco for a final big night — this is where the group tour signs off with its 'Big Night Out'.
🚌Lancha and shuttle ~£14
🛏Hostel dorm in Antigua (£11)
- →Lancha + shuttle back to Antigua (~£14)
- →Mercado de Artesanías souvenir shopping
- →Final night out on Calle del Arco
Depart Antigua
Antigua Guatemala
Take a shared shuttle or taxi to La Aurora airport in Guatemala City (~1h, ~£10) for your flight home. If you have an early flight, ask your hostel to book the shuttle the night before — the collectivos leave around 3-6am for early departures. Shuttle buses to San Salvador and Copán Ruinas also leave from Antigua if you're extending.
🚌Shared shuttle to Guatemala City airport ~£10
🛏None (departure day)
- →Shared shuttle to Guatemala City airport
- →Optional extension to Copán Ruinas or El Salvador
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£645 | £1,120 |
| Duration | 16 days | 16 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £475 per person (42%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£645
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Mayan Sun Southbound: Self-Launched Boat Rides & Ruins cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £645 per person for 16 days in Mexico, Belize & Guatemala. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,120 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £645 — a saving of roughly £475 (42%) per person.
How long is the Mexico, Belize & Guatemala trip?+
This itinerary runs 16 days, covering 16 day-by-day stops through Mexico, Belize & Guatemala.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, culture, beaches trip through Mexico, Belize & Guatemala, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.