World famous for beautiful beaches and Maya culture, the Yucatan Peninsula is a perfect destination for a quick trip to the tropics. This trip is nicely paced with a variety of activities with amazing wildlife viewing opportunities. We begin with the lobster fishing village of Holbox, perched on the north end of the Yucatan Peninsula surrounded by turquoise waters.

This is our launching point for viewing whale sharks which migrate past this area each summer. From Holbox we head south to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve where we will accompany a biologist for a nighttime crocodile adventure – Discovery Channel live! With luck, the following night we will visit some sea turtle nesting sites and see young turtles emerging and begin their epic life journey. Our accommodations throughout the trip are located on the beach. Included in the mix of activities are snorkeling, birding, and visiting the Ancient Maya sites.

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Day 1: Cancun to Holbox Day 2: Holbox Day 3: Los Lirios Day 4: Los Lirios Day 5: Departure

Day 1: Cancun to Holbox
You will be greeted at the Cancun airport and transferred to the coastal village of Holbox. Our hotel is about three hours from the airport past the mass tourism developments and nestled on the beach in the quaint fishing village between an inland lagoon and the Caribbean. We will have a quick orientation while enjoying a spectacular fresh seafood dinner. Night: Hotel Villas Delfines (www.holbox.com)

Day 2 : Whale Sharks
After an optional birding walk and breakfast, we will spend the day on the water. The whale shark migration is one of nature’s amazing phenomena with one aerial photo capturing 200 whale sharks at one time. This is the densest concentration of the world’s largest shark (up to 45 feet in length) ever recorded. If conditions are right, we will be able to not only observe from the boat, but also enter the water and snorkel along side these amazing creatures. Fortunately they are plankton eaters and seem to take the occasional human in stride. We will round out the day by exploring the mangrove coast and visiting a bird rookery. We should also have the opportunity to view the Greater Flamingo in their summer nesting habitat. Night: Hotel Villas Delfines

Day 3: Transfer to Sian Ka’an
From Holbox, we will travel past Cancun to Caribbean coast south of Tulum. A little over halfway, we will stop for some snorkeling at a fresh water cenote. If you are not familiar with cenotes you are in for a pleasant surprise. Cenotes are freshwater sinkholes that have crystal clear water and beautiful underwater formations. After lunch we will stop by the famous Ancient Maya archeology site of Tulum spectacularly located on a hilltop overlooking the ocean. Our hotel is only 15 minutes away. After dinner we will meet with local biologists and enter Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve on our crocodile adventure. We will participate in a long-term population study, catching, measuring, and releasing several crocodiles. Night: Hotel Los Lirios (www.loslirios.com)

Day 4: Muyil Archeology Site – Ancient Maya Canals - Turtles
After an optional birding walk and breakfast, we will travel to the Ancient Maya site of Muyil. Keep the binoculars handy because archeology sites are generally great areas for wildlife viewing. We will learn about the Ancient Maya and then take an interpretive hike through the jungle on our way to meet our boats. We will then explore the reserve by boat and have a chance to snorkel through canals dug by the Ancient Maya. We will have some free time in the afternoon to relax at our beachfront hotel or head into Tulum Pueblo for some shopping. After an early dinner we will once again be met by a local biologist for observing sea turtles. Night: Hotel Los Lirios

Day 5: Depart for Cancun Airport
NOTE: Returning flights should not be booked until 11:00 AM or later. We will be approximately 1.5 hours from the airport.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The trip includes lodging based on double occupancy, all meals from dinner day one to breakfast day 5, transportation, transfers, user fees, entrance fees, tolls, local taxes, qualified guides and support staff. One NWF representative is included in pricing including international airfare from the US with 10 PAX or more.

WEATHER:
The weather will vary from warm and sunny to cloudy and rainy. We can expect daytime temperature highs in the mid 80s to low 90s. Precipitation is one of the key factors in creating tropical ecosystems and we can expect heavy rain any day even in the dry season.

TOUR SIZE:
This tour will be limited to a maximum of 12 participants and a minimum of 4 participants.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS:
A US passport valid beyond your anticipated date of return to the US and tourist cards are required. Currently no visas or immunization certificates are required. Those with foreign passports should contact the Embassy of Mexico for details.

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS:
The fee for the tour is $1,995 per person based on double occupancy from Cancun . Single rates are an additional $400. This includes all food, three meals per day, from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 5; all lodging for 4 nights during the tour; ground transportation; and guide services provided by the tour leaders and local conservation professionals. It does not include international airfare, departure tax, alcoholic beverages, special gratuities, phone calls, passport fees, or items of a personal nature. Rates are based upon group tariffs; if the group does not have sufficient registration a small party supplement may have to be charged. An additional pick-up/drop-off fee may be charged for arrivals and departures from regularly scheduled international flights.

HEALTH PRECAUTIONS:
For comprehensive information please contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on the Internet at www.cdc.gov or by phone at 404-332-4559. The CDC information is a comprehensive listing of any disease reported in a particular region or state. Please consult a health care professional with any questions.

STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL ADVISORIES:
Currently there are no travel advisories for traveling in Mexico. You will be updated on any significant developments that pertain to our trip. http://travel.state.gov

TOUR REGISTRATION:
To register for the tour, complete the registration form and return it with a deposit of $500 per person. Full payment of the tour fee is due ninety days before departure date. Single supplements are an additional $300.

CANCELLATION POLICY:
Refunds are made according to the following schedule: If cancellation is made eighty days or more before departure date, the deposit less $150 is refundable. If cancellation is made between seventy-nine and sixty days before departure date, the deposit is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded. If cancellation is made fifty-nine days or less before departure date, no refund is available except for amounts recoverable through our agents. We recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance which you will receive upon registration.

If the Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance (MEA) cancels the tour or the tour must be postponed during a time period starting seven days before tour departure and /or through the duration of the tour, MEA will refund all money recoverable through our agents, not yet spent and/or all refundable deposits. MEA reserves the right to cancel, postpone or suspend any tour based on the judgment of MEA, its staff and representatives, in order to insure the safety of our guests.

RESPONSIBILITY:
MEA, and/or their Agents act only as agents for the passenger in regard to travel, whether by railroad, motorcar, motorcoach, boat, or airplane and assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity which may be occasioned either by reason of defect in any vehicle or for any reason whatsoever, or through the acts or default of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the tour. They can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, or other causes. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger as tour rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated. The right is reserved to substitute hotels of similar category for those indicated and to make any changes in the itinerary where deemed necessary or caused by changes in air schedules. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour. The right is reserved to decline, to accept, or to retain any person as a member of the tour. Baggage is at owner's risk.