Highlights of the Yucatan Peninsula tour

Planet

We believe that wild animals should be viewed – with no contact or interaction – doing what they do best: living in the wild. We only visit wildlife sanctuaries if the rationale for the sanctuary operation is in the best interests of the animals involved (i.e. only visiting animal sanctuaries and/or rescue centers operating with the highest animal welfare and conservation standards possible). We actively discourage the participation of travelers in any activities that exploit wild or domestic/working animals. This Yucatan Peninsula trip includes a visit to the Celestun Biosphere Reserve, accompanied by a local ornithologist guide who has been involved in local conservation efforts and flamingo research for many years. Our guide ensures that travelers are not venturing off paths or entering areas of rehabilitation. Fees from this visit go towards preserving this reserve and its wildlife for future generations.


We provide travelers on this trip through Mexico with reusable fabric tote bags. The tote bags are printed and produced by family businesses, providing employment and income to the local community. The bags are made of natural fabrics and are screen printed by hand, ensuring a high-quality product. Several women are employed to sew the bags, enabling them to provide for their families and achieve financial independence. By providing travelers with tote bags we avoid creating more single-use plastic waste and support the local government’s goal to end the use of single-use plastics across the country.

People

Our trips often include the highlights of a country or region, but we understand that over tourism has a great impact on these popular locations and their local communities. To minimise our effect on the world’s most admired sites we design our itineraries to visit at quieter times of the day and ensure part of the entry costs are allocated to conservation and preservation of the site. This Mexican trip includes visits to the archaeological sites of Chichen Itza and Tulum. We visit Chichen Itza as soon as it opens, and Tulum after the site closes. By visiting outside of the busiest times of day, travelers are lowering their impact on these sites by not crowding them and potentially causing damage to them, and by ensuring locals working at the sites are employed for longer sustained periods of time.

Our trips maximize the opportunity for travelers to engage meaningfully with local culture and communities. Many experiences on our trips also support traditional cultural practices – whether artisanal, culinary or otherwise. In turn, this helps to sustain and preserve these traditional practices so that future generations may continue to learn, enjoy and benefit from them. After visiting Chichen Itza, travelers on this Mexican trip will enjoy a home-cooked lunch of pibil, a traditional Mayan dish that is cooked underground. Our hosts learnt the recipes and techniques from their parents and grandparents and the whole family are involved in creating the marinade and preparing the barbecue pit.