Viva Mexico: Self-Launched Mexico City, Oaxaca & Yucatán Adventure
12 days · Mexico
SAT Mexico Tour and Travel charges £2,240
No-markup version: ~£684 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 12-day version of SAT Mexico's "Viva Mexico" group tour, covering Mexico City, Teotihuacán, Oaxaca and the Yucatán. You'll travel by local bus, ADO coaches and low-cost domestic flights, staying in hostels and budget guesthouses, and booking the same archaeological sites, cenotes and food experiences independently through GetYourGuide, Civitatis or directly at the gate. All costs are approximate backpacker/budget rates per person in GBP.
Day-by-day
Arrive Mexico City
Mexico City
Land at Benito Juárez International Airport and make your own way into the Centro Histórico. Take the Metrobús Line 4 or an authorised airport taxi (~£8-12) to your hostel. Settle in, then wander the Zócalo in the evening and grab tacos al pastor for dinner.
🚌Airport taxi/Metrobús ~£10
🛏Hostel dorm in Centro Histórico (~£14)
- →Zócalo evening stroll
- →Street tacos dinner
Mexico City Historic Centre & Anthropology Museum
Mexico City
Book a small-group Centro Histórico walking tour on GetYourGuide (~£18), covering the Metropolitan Cathedral, Templo Mayor ruins, Palacio de Bellas Artes and Alameda Central. In the afternoon take the Metro to Chapultepec and visit the National Museum of Anthropology (~£4 entry) to see the Aztec Sun Stone and Olmec heads.
🚌Metro ~£0.50
🛏Hostel dorm in Centro Histórico (~£14)
- →Centro Histórico walking tour
- →Templo Mayor
- →National Museum of Anthropology
- →Palacio de Bellas Artes
Guadalupe Shrine & Teotihuacán Pyramids
Teotihuacán
Join a shared day tour to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Teotihuacán archaeological site via GetYourGuide/Civitatis (~£30 including entry). Walk the Avenue of the Dead and climb the Pyramid of the Sun and Moon. Back in the city by evening.
🚌Shared tour van included in tour cost
🛏Hostel dorm in Centro Histórico (~£14)
- →Basilica of Guadalupe
- →Teotihuacán site
- →Avenue of the Dead
- →Pyramids of the Sun and Moon
Xochimilco, Coyoacán & Roma/Condesa
Mexico City
Take the Metro/Tren Ligero to Xochimilco (~£1) and hire a trajinera boat seat with other travellers (~£4-6 each). Then head to Roma and Condesa for a self-guided walk past Art Deco architecture, and stop by Coyoacán's Frida Kahlo Museum if tickets are available (book ahead, ~£12).
🚌Metro/Tren Ligero ~£2
🛏Hostel dorm in Centro Histórico (~£14)
- →Xochimilco trajinera ride
- →Roma & Condesa walk
- →Coyoacán & Frida Kahlo Museum (optional)
Mexico City to Oaxaca
Oaxaca
The operator flies, but the budget option is the ADO GL overnight/day coach from Mexico City TAPO terminal to Oaxaca (~£35-45, 6-7 hours) with a stop in Puebla. Alternatively fly Volaris/Viva Aerobús one-way (~£50-70). Arrive into Oaxaca de Juárez and check in near the Zócalo.
🚌ADO coach ~£40
🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Oaxaca Centro (~£16)
- →Puebla stop (coach)
- →Oaxaca Zócalo evening
Oaxaca Historic Centre
Oaxaca
Join a free/small-group walking tour of the UNESCO historic centre (~£15 guide fee) covering Santo Domingo Church and the Andador Turístico. Spend the afternoon at the Zócalo with a mezcal tasting (~£10) or a Oaxacan cooking class on Klook (~£35).
🚌Walking
🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Oaxaca Centro (~£16)
- →Historic centre walking tour
- →Santo Domingo Church
- →Mezcal tasting or cooking class
Monte Albán & Artisan Villages
Oaxaca
Take a colectivo/guided shuttle to Monte Albán (~£3 transport, ~£4 entry) and tour the pyramids, ball courts and tombs. On the way back stop at San Antonio Arrazola for alebrije wood-carving workshops and San Bartolo Coyotepec for black-clay pottery demonstrations — both easy to visit independently or via a shared tour (~£20).
🚌Shared shuttle ~£8
🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Oaxaca Centro (~£16)
- →Monte Albán
- →San Antonio Arrazola alebrijes
- →San Bartolo Coyotepec pottery
Mitla, Teotitlán del Valle & Hierve el Agua
Oaxaca
Join a shared tour or rent a scooter with others to hit Mitla's geometric mosaics, the Teotitlán del Valle weaving village, a mezcal distillery and the Hierve el Agua petrified waterfalls (bring swim gear). A shared van tour is the easiest budget option (~£25) or piece it together by colectivo for ~£12 plus entry fees.
🚌Shared tour van ~£25
🛏Guesthouse/hostel in Oaxaca Centro (~£16)
- →Mitla ruins
- →Teotitlán weaving demo
- →Hierve el Agua pools
- →Mezcal distillery
Oaxaca to Mérida
Mérida
Fly Oaxaca to Mérida with Volaris/Viva Aerobús (one-way ~£60-90 depending on booking timing — book in advance). Land and take an Uber or colectivo to your Mérida hostel, then join a free Centro Histórico walking tour covering the Cathedral of San Ildefonso and Zócalo. Dinner of cochinita pibil or sopa de lima (~£7).
🚌Domestic flight ~£75 + local transfer £5
🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Mérida Centro (~£12)
- →Centro Histórico walk
- →Cathedral of San Ildefonso
- →Yucatecan dinner
Uxmal & Cenote
Mérida
Catch the early ADO/SPR bus or colectivo to Uxmal (~£4 each way), tour the Pyramid of the Magician, Governor's Palace and Nunnery Quadrangle (~£5 entry). Cool off at a nearby cenote afterward. Prefer a guided experience? GetYourGuide shared tours run ~£35.
🚌Bus to Uxmal ~£8 round trip
🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Mérida Centro (~£12)
- →Uxmal ruins
- →Pyramid of the Magician
- →Cenote swim
Santa Bárbara Cenotes (Homún)
Homún
Take a colectivo from Mérida to Homún (~£2) and arrange a local cenote circuit with a moto-taxi/local guide (~£15-20 including life vest and truk). Swim through three to four cenotes in one day. Return to Mérida by late afternoon for street food dinner.
🚌Colectivo + local moto-taxi ~£20
🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Mérida Centro (~£12)
- →Homún cenote circuit
- →Cenote swimming
- →Local Yucatecan dinner
Chichén Itzá & Transfer to Riviera Maya
Riviera Maya / Cancún
Take an early ADO bus to Chichén Itzá (~£12, ~2 hrs), arrive at opening to beat the crowds and heat, and explore the Temple of Kukulkán, Great Ball Court and Sacred Cenote (~£25 entry). Then continue by ADO bus to Playa del Carmen or Cancún airport (~£10) — ADO coaches leave frequently from the ruins entrance.
🚌ADO buses ~£22 total
🛏Hostel in Playa del Carmen or Cancún (~£18) — or onward flight
- →Chichén Itzá
- →Temple of Kukulkán
- →Sacred Cenote
- →Great Ball Court
Self-launched vs. SAT Mexico Tour and Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | SAT Mexico Tour and Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£684 | £2,240 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,556 per person (69%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more SAT Mexico Tour and Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£684
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.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Viva Mexico: Self-Launched Mexico City, Oaxaca & Yucatán Adventure cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £684 per person for 12 days in Mexico. 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 SAT Mexico Tour and Travel?+
Yes — SAT Mexico Tour and Travel charges around £2,240 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £684 — a saving of roughly £1,556 (69%) per person.
How long is the Mexico trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 day-by-day stops through Mexico.
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 culture, adventure, backpacker trip through Mexico, 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.
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