Contrasts of Mexico + Yucatán (Day of the Dead) — Self-Launched

Land at MEX, take the Metro (5 pesos, ~£0.25) or an authorised airport taxi (~£12) to a hostel around Centro Histórico or Roma Norte. Dorm beds run £10–16. Wander Alameda Central, Mexico City's oldest park, then pay the small entry to the Templo Mayor museum (the Aztec main temple excavation is right beside the Zócalo). Eat at a fonda in Centro — tacos al pastor 4 for ~£2.50.

🚌Metro from airport ~£0.25, or authorised taxi ~£12

🛏Hostel dorm, Centro Histórico or Roma Norte (£10–16)

• →Alameda Central walk
• →Templo Mayor Museum (£4)

Free guided Zócalo walks leave daily (tip-based, book on Guruwalk) covering the National Palace exterior, Metropolitan Cathedral and Templo Mayor from outside. In the afternoon take the Metro to Chapultepec Park and the Museo Nacional de Antropología — £4.50 entry and genuinely a half-day minimum. Optional: Torre Latinoamericana observation deck (£5) at sunset.

🚌Metro 2-3 rides ~£1

🛏Hostel dorm, Centro Histórico (£10–16)

• →Zócalo & Centro walking tour (tip-based)
• →National Anthropology Museum (£4.50)
• →Torre Latinoamericana sunset (£5)

Take the Metro to Autobuses del Norte and the public bus to Teotihuacán (about £3 each way, 1hr), or pre-book a small-group tour on GetYourGuide (~£25 incl. entry). Climb the Pyramid of the Sun and Moon and walk the Avenue of the Dead early to beat heat and crowds. Stop at the Basilica de Guadalupe on the way back (free). Optional agave/obsidian workshop at a local co-op — buy direct, avoid the hard sell.

🚌Public bus to Teotihuacán ~£6 return

🛏Hostel dorm, Centro Histórico (£10–16)

• →Teotihuacán Pyramids (£4.50 entry)
• →Basilica de Guadalupe (free)
• →Agave & obsidian workshop (free/tips)

ADO bus from TAPO terminal to Oaxaca is ~6.5hrs (£30–35) — book online at ado.com.mx a week ahead. Drop bags at a guesthouse in the Centro (private room £20–28, dorms £9–13) and head straight into the Día de los Muertos build-up: ofrendas in the Zócalo, comparsas parades and street vendors. Oaxaca in late Oct/early Nov is the authentic experience and needs booking 4–6 weeks ahead.

🚌ADO bus Mexico City → Oaxaca ~£32

🛏Guesthouse Centro, Oaxaca (£9–28)

• →Día de los Muertos street festivities & ofrendas
• →Zócalo markets

Shared colectivo or local bus from the Hotel Rivera del Ángel stop up to Monte Albán (£4 return) plus £4.50 entry — huge Zapotec and Mixtec complex of temples, pyramids and carved danzantes. Back in town, visit the Mercado 20 de Noviembre for tlayudas (£3). Tonight: cemeteries around Oaxaca come alive for Noche de Muertos — the Xoxocotlán cemetery is reachable by colectivo (£2) and is the most atmospheric.

🚌Colectivo to Monte Albán ~£4 return; colectivo to Xoxocotlán ~£2

🛏Guesthouse Centro, Oaxaca (£9–28)

• →Monte Albán ruins (£4.50)
• →Mercado 20 de Noviembre food crawl
• →Xoxocotlán cemetery vigil (Noche de Muertos)

Join a full-day small-group tour from Oaxaca on GetYourGuide/Viator (~£28–35) hitting the 2,000-year-old El Tule cypress, a Zapotec weaving workshop in Teotitlán del Valle (rug co-ops sell direct, no pressure) and the geometric Mitla ruins (£4.50 entry). Alternatively do it by colectivo for ~£10 total if you're comfortable hopping buses — Mitla colectivos leave from the Zócalo side.

🚌GetYourGuide day tour ~£30, or colectivos ~£10

🛏Guesthouse Centro, Oaxaca (£9–28)

• →El Tule cypress tree
• →Teotitlán del Valle weaving co-op
• →Mitla ruins (£4.50)

Take an overnight ADO bus Oaxaca → Tuxtla Gutiérrez / San Cristóbal (~11–12hrs, £40–48, reclining seats). If you'd rather go by day, break the journey in Chiapa de Corzo and do the Sumidero Canyon lancha boat trip (£18, 2hrs through 1,000m cliffs) before continuing — most tour agencies in the canyon town sell the same trip at the pier.

🚌ADO overnight bus Oaxaca → San Cristóbal ~£45

🛏Hostel/guesthouse San Cristóbal (£10–18)

• →Sumidero Canyon speedboat (~£18, optional day route)

Pick up a shared colectivo from the San Cristóbal market (£2 each way) to San Juan Chamula — the church with pine-needle floors and candle rituals is extraordinary; photography is not permitted and entry is a small donation. Continue to Zinacantán for Tzotzil weaving and a family tortilla lunch. Afternoon back in town: Na Bolom museum (£4), amber and jade workshops, and the mercado for textiles.

🚌Colectivos to Chamula & Zinacantán ~£4

🛏Hostel/guesthouse San Cristóbal (£10–18)

• →San Juan Chamula church
• →Zinacantán weaving village
• →Na Bolom museum (£4)
• →Amber workshops & market

ADO bus San Cristóbal to Palenque (via Villahermosa, ~6hrs, £22–28) — the mountain road is spectacular. Optional stop for piña miel in Chontalpa if you're going in stages. Check into a jungle-side guesthouse in Palenque town or El Panchán (£12–22) and eat at a local comedor.

🚌ADO bus San Cristóbal → Palenque ~£25

🛏Guesthouse Palenque / El Panchán (£12–22)

• →Mountain road scenery
• →Piña miel stop in Chontalpa

Collectivo from town to the ruins (£2) at opening (8am) to get in before tour groups — entry £4.50 plus a small national-park fee. Hire a licensed guide at the gate for £15–20 to split between a few travellers, or pre-book a small-group tour on GetYourGuide (~£28 incl. entry). The Temple of the Inscriptions and Pakal's tomb are the highlights; walk to the jungle waterfalls after.

🚌Colectivo to ruins ~£2 return

🛏Guesthouse Palenque / El Panchán (£12–22)

• →Palenque ruins (£4.50 + park fee)
• →Tomb of Pakal
• →Jungle waterfalls walk

Book a shared shuttle/minivan Palenque → Flores (£30–40, 6–7hrs incl. border formalities at El Ceibo) through any Palenque agency — cheap, straightforward and the standard backpacker route. Arrive at the island town on Lake Petén Itzá, check into a hostel (£9–15) and swim off the dock at sunset. Q150 exit fee from Mexico is usually included; keep small change for the border.

🚌Shared minivan Palenque → Flores ~£35

🛏Hostel on Flores island (£9–15)

• →Lake Petén Itzá sunset swim
• →Flores island walk

Yaxhá is quieter than Tikal and best reached by a half-day shared tour from Flores (£25–30 incl. entry and 2hr drive each way) — book the evening before at any Flores agency. Climb Temple 216 for canopy views over the Yaxhá-Nakum-Naranjo biosphere. Late afternoon boat trip around Lake Petén Itzá (£8) to see the sunset from the water.

🚌Shared tour transfer to Yaxhá (included)

🛏Hostel on Flores island (£9–15)

• →Yaxhá ruins guided visit (~£27)
• →Lake Petén Itzá boat trip (£8)

Take the 3am sunrise shuttle from Flores (£35–45 incl. entry and guide) — the standard way to see Tikal with mist rolling off the temples and far fewer people. Alternatively the 6am public colectivo (£8 return) plus £12 entry gets you there for opening. Look for toucans, spider monkeys and howler monkeys; climb Temple IV for the classic canopy shot. Back in Flores by late afternoon.

🚌Sunrise shuttle to Tikal ~£40 incl. entry & guide

🛏Hostel on Flores island (£9–15)

• →Tikal ruins at sunrise
• →Temple IV canopy view
• →Rainforest wildlife spotting

Collectivo/shuttle Flores → San Ignacio with a border stop at Benque Viejo (£20–28, ~3hrs). Drop bags and take the hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River to Xunantunich (£2 ferry + £4 entry) — El Castillo's frieze is stunning and you can climb it. Evening: San Ignacio market for Belizean rice & beans and stew chicken (£4).

🚌Shared shuttle Flores → San Ignacio ~£24

🛏Guesthouse San Ignacio (£15–25)

• →Xunantunich ruins (£4 + £2 ferry)
• →San Ignacio market food

Bus or shuttle San Ignacio → Belize City (£5–15, 2hrs), then the water taxi from the Marine Terminal to Caye Caulker (£13 one way, 45min, book with San Pedro Belize Express or Ocean Ferry). Check into a guesthouse (£18–30) — Caye Caulker is pricier than the mainland. Swim at the Split, watch the sunset and eat at a beachside grill.

🚌Bus to Belize City £8 + water taxi £13

🛏Guesthouse Caye Caulker (£18–30)

• →The Split swim spot
• →Sunset on the west side

Book the half-day snorkel trip to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley with any local operator on the island (£28–35 incl. gear, park fee and guide) — the same trip Explore! sells as optional. Reef sharks, rays, turtles and nurse sharks in waist-deep water. Afternoon option: full-day Goff's Caye manatee trip (£45) or a beginner scuba intro dive (£60).

🚌On foot / bicycle hire £3

🛏Guesthouse Caye Caulker (£18–30)

• →Hol Chan & Shark Ray Alley snorkel (~£32)
• →Optional Goff's Caye manatee trip (£45)
• →Optional intro scuba dive (£60)

Water taxi back to Belize City (£13), then a shuttle or ADO bus over the border to Chetumal (£12–18) and a local bus/colectivo up to Bacalar (£3). Long travel day — leave early. Bacalar's Laguna de los Siete Colores is best seen by kayak or paddleboard at sunset (£8 hire). Guesthouses on the lagoon side from £14.

🚌Water taxi £13 + bus via Chetumal ~£18

🛏Guesthouse Bacalar lagoon side (£14–22)

• →Laguna de los Siete Colores
• →Kayak/paddleboard at sunset (£8)

Bus Bacalar → Tulum (£10, 3.5hrs), then colectivo to the Tulum ruins (£1) — entry £4 and the clifftop setting over the Caribbean is worth the early start. Cool off in Cenote Dos Ojos or Gran Cenote (£12–18 incl. gear) or take a local bus straight on to Valladolid (£6, 1.5hrs). Valladolid guesthouse £12–20; swim in Cenote Zací in the middle of town (£2).

🚌Buses Bacalar → Tulum → Valladolid ~£16

🛏Guesthouse Valladolid (£12–20)

• →Tulum ruins (£4)
• →Cenote Dos Ojos or Gran Cenote (£12–18)
• →Cenote Zací in Valladolid (£2)

Cheapest route: colectivo from Valladolid to Chichén Itzá (£3, 45min) at 7am, entry £24 — arrive at opening to avoid coach crowds. Come back and stop at Cenote Yokdzonot, a community-run cenote with a zipline (£5). Or pre-book a small-group tour with hotel pickup on GetYourGuide (~£28 + entry). Afternoon back in Valladolid for the colonial centro and paletas.

🚌Colectivo Valladolid → Chichén Itzá ~£6 return

🛏Guesthouse Valladolid (£12–20)

• →Chichén Itzá (£24 entry)
• →Cenote Yokdzonot (£5)

ADO bus Valladolid → Mérida (£10, 2hrs). Drop bags at a hostel in the Centro (£12–20) and either join a Uxmal sunset tour (£30 incl. entry from Mérida) or take the public bus to Uxmal (£8 return + £20 entry) — the Puuc-style architecture and the Magician's Pyramid are gorgeous and far quieter than Chichén Itzá. Evening: Paseo de Montejo and Mérida's free street performances (Mérida en Domingo if it's Sunday).

🚌ADO bus £10 + bus to Uxmal £8

🛏Guesthouse Mérida Centro (£12–20)

• →Uxmal ruins (£20, or tour ~£30)
• →Mérida Centro & Paseo de Montejo

Morning: if you have time, take the direct bus to Celestún (£6, 1.5hrs) and a boat trip through the mangrove estuary to see flamingos (£18) — best Nov–Mar. Or a slow breakfast in the market and a final wander of Plaza Grande. Mérida airport (MID) has direct flights to Mexico City and Cancún; ADO buses run to Cancún (£22, 4hrs) for onward flights.

🚌Bus to Celestún £6 return, or transfer to MID/Cancún ~£8–22

🛏Departure day (no night booked)

• →Celestún flamingo boat tour (£18)
• →Plaza Grande & market breakfast