5 Night Tour to Palenque, Bonampak, Yaxchilan, La Venta Olmec Museum

Day 1: The nearest airport to Palenque is in Villahermosa, which is 2.5 hours away. If your flight arrives by 1 pm you can eliminate one day from this schedule, visit La Venta Olmec Museum when you arrive and go directly to Palenque. Otherwise, you will need to spend your first night in Villahermosa. The hotel shuttle will be waiting when you arrive at the airport to take you to the very comfortable Hilton Hotel Villahermosa where you'll overnight.

Day 2: In the morning you'll be met at your hotel and go directly to La Venta Olmec Museum in Villahermosa. There are 28 Olmec carvings at this beautiful outdoor museum with interesting zoo and lake. Each piece was set carefully for optimum viewing with benches placed for those wishing to meditate or ponder the huge and amazingly well crafted Olmec heads, intricate altars, and intriguing stele and statues. Based on the earliest long count date inscriptions found at sites that combine both Olmec and Maya influences many scholars theorize that it was the Olmec who invented the long count calendar and initiated the Maya into the understanding of this system of calculating time.

Then you'll travel to Palenque. The town of Palenque is 5 miles from the archaeological site. Like its Mayan ruins, it exudes character, charm and an energy all its own. Against the backdrop of the rainforest, with all the modern conveniences (banks, pharmacies, laundry, photo development, internet cafes), Palenque gives off the feel of a fun, wild-west frontier town. You'll have some free time in the afternoon and evening relaxing in the lush jungle rainforest or exploring the sights, sounds and cuisines of Palenque. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes Hotel in Palenque.

Day 3: Today you have an entire day to visit the spectacular ruins of Palenque. A UNESCO historical monument, Palenque is considered a world treasure. Ancient structures rise out of the lush rainforest on multiple terraces set against the mountains, many of them built by the great King Pacal in the 6th & 7th centuries AD. There are many major buildings to explore and new buildings are now being uncovered and studied. Many wonderful examples of Maya art and history are carved into the buildings' facades, some of them the most famous depictions from the ancient Maya world.

Palenque is exciting because of the vast amounts of information that has been painstakingly brought to light by archeologists over the years. Here you will find the unique building styles that caused early explorers to think that the builders of Palenque were influenced by Eastern or Asian architectural concepts. You'll also visit the Palenque archaeological museum with its extensive collection of jade masks, well preserved carvings and stele and incense burners. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes Hotel in Palenque.

Day 4: Today you journey to Yaxchilan and Bonampak. First you go to Bonampak, home of famous Mayan murals. Their ancient colors remain clear and vital, making them an excellent representation of Mayan art. Bonampak was a city of the Maya Early Classic period peaking from 200 to 400 A.D. Bonampak also has some very well preserved stele that detail important historical moments. The great plaza is astounding in its sheer mass and one of the largest in the region, measuring over 100 yards.

Then you travel by boat down the mighty Usumacinta River to the mysterious ancient Maya site of Yaxchilan. This incredible boat ride through the rainforest with its huge trees and abundant wildlife makes you feel like you are in an Indiana Jones movie! The tremendous archaeological site of Yaxchilan, situated on the riverbanks, rises in levels to temples with breathtaking views of the rainforest stretching far into Guatemala. You'll hear stories of ancient Mayan Queens who exerted great power and about the modern Lacandon Indians (of whom there are only 450 people remaining) who still use Yaxchilan as a place of worship. See howler monkeys and many exotic birds as you roam this well organized ancient Maya city.

At the end of the day you return to Palenque. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes Hotel in Palenque.

Day 5: Free day to explore Palenque on your own or choose an optional side excursion. End of day transfer to Villahermosa. Overnight Hilton Hotel Villahermosa. (If you are taking an inter-Mexico flight that departs mid-day or later you can eliminate this overnight in Villahermosa if you wish.)

Day 6: Hilton Hotel shuttle to Villahermosa airport for departure.