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Private Journeys

Self-drive Mexico: Discover the Yucatan Peninsula

13 days from £1,900pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Mexico

  • Tulum

Overview & Highlights

The Yucatán peninsula has a decent road network suiting independent drivers who want flexibility to explore the multitude of Mayan ruins and colonial towns. Car and hotels are pre-booked.

Mexico is ideal for independent exploration by self-drive car hire, particularly in the Yucatán peninsula and along the Caribbean coast. Your point-to-point itinerary planned out for you, with hotel reservations made in advance and maps provided, so you can explore the Mayan ruins and colonial towns at leisure..

Here, you’ll find vestiges of the once supreme Maya civilisation. Sites replete with temples and pyramids festooned with sacred carvings were, once abandoned, swallowed up by a rapacious jungle but are now gradually being revealed. The best known sites, Chichén Itzá, Uxmal and Tulum are easily accessible; smaller, less well-known sites are always close to minor roads and with your own car you can explore at will.

You’ll also visit graceful Spanish colonial towns with their friendly Maya inhabitants. Markets, restaurants and entertainments flourish here. 

At your beach hotel base on the soft-sand Caribbean coast at tranquil Tulum village there is time to laze on the beach and take part in water sports or visit nearby resort towns.

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  • Discover the colonial cities and ancient ruins of the Yucatan Peninsula
  • Drive and explore the region at leisure, stopping off whereever you wish en-route
  • Relax on the white sandy beaches of the Caribbean

THE UK’S NO. 1 SPECIALIST IN TRAVEL TO LATIN AMERICA

Sally Dodge

Sally Dodge

Travel Expert

Talk to our experts
Bartolome, Galápagos

What our clients say

  • JLA is one of the best Tour Operators I have been with - nothing in the booking process was too much trouble. They stick to specialising in one continent, the staff are very knowledgeable and helpful and the tour groups small. A pity more of their competitors don't take a leaf out of their books.

    LS, Didcot
  • This was a holiday I have wanted to do for many years and it did not fail to deliver. Our tour leader was professional,knowledgeable, understanding and integrated with the local guides to ensure received the best service and information.The recommendations we were given for restaurants, optional tours, tango evenings,sorting money etc were spot on. And finally, the visits to various ice cream parlours for dessert after group meals was most welcome!

    GM, Fairford
  • Monte Alban when I felt on top Of the world.  A vast archaeological site, wonderfully interpreted by a local guide and not too many other tourists.

    PM, Lincoln
  • The bright colours of the towns and cities, buildings, fruit and vegetables, flowers and trees!

    CS, Guildford
  • Boat ride through the canyon (just what we needed to blow the cobwebs away after an early start and a long journey). Palenque took my breath away - literally, I climbed to the top of the pyramid! The trip to the two indigenous villages was extremely fascinating.


  • All of the Parakeet was fantastic.

    LS, London
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Our expert's view

Sally Dodge
Sally Dodge - Travel Expert

A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

Inspired by this trip

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

Papagaio

Your edit for Latin American inspiration

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

View Extraordinary Inspiration
Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Ben Line
    Ben Line - Travel Expert

    Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.

  • Hannah Waterhouse
    Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert

    Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.

  • Kathryn Rhodes
    Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert

    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

  • Hannah Donaldson
    Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert

    Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.

  • Lina Fuller
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

  • Mary Anne Nelson
    Mary Anne Nelson - Travel Expert

    Born in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, Mary’s insider knowledge and dry sense of humour make her a highly valued member of the Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tour sales team.

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