Michoacan Tour: Magic Towns, the Youngest Volcano and More (Small-Group / 9 Days)

Overview

Join our 8-day tour around Michoacan - one of the most beautiful and least visited states in Mexico. Tales, legends & unique experiences are waiting!

Highlights

• Get to know diverse Mexico City - the largest and one of the oldest cities in Latin America.
• Visit impressive pink-stoned UNESCO-listed historic center of  Morelia.
• Get charmed by beautiful Janitzio - the main island of Lake Pátzcuaro known for the butterfly fishermen that can also be located on the  50-peso Mexican banknote.
• Visit mysterious Tzintzuntzan - the former capital of the ancient Purepecha State
• Make a breathtaking hike to the top of the youngest volcano in the Western hemisphere.

Itinerary

Day 1: Mexico City 

Bienvenidos a la Ciudad de Mexico - the largest city in Latin America where ancient and modern coexist in harmony. Arrive at any time before meeting your group and Tour Leader in the evening: welcome meeting, an optional welcome & get-together with the group in one of local restaurants/bars.

• Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-owned hotel/B&B in Mexico City
• Activities Included: welcome meeting

Day 2: Mexico City

Spend the whole day exploring cultural & historic gems of Mexico City: Historic Centre of Mexico City (walking tour), Xochimilco (boat tour), National Anthropology Museum (guided visit).  Optional dinner & get-together with the group in the evening.

• Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-owned hotel/B&B in Mexico City
• Meals & Drinks Included: breakfast
• Activities Included: walking tour in the Historic Centre of Mexico City; guided visit to the National Anthropology Museum; boat tour in Xochimilco.

Day 3: Mexico City - Tlalpujahua - Morelia

In the morning, go to Tlalpujahua - an old mining town located among pine mountainous forests that is famous for its impressive colonial architecture and majestic pink-stone sanctuary. Upon a visit to a local mining museum, walking tour around the historic center & optional lunch we will continue to the state capital Morelia whose historic center has been declared a UNESCO Heritage Site. Check-in, walking tour around the historic center, optional dinner & get-together with the group in one of local restaurants/bars.

• Transportation: private vehicle/mini-couch
• Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-owned hotel/B&B/guest house in Morelia
• Meals & Drinks Included: breakfast
• Activities Included: guided visit to Museo de la Mina las Dos Estrellas; walking tours in Tlalpujahua & Morelia

Day 4: Morelia - Tzintzuntzan - Janitzio - Pátzcuaro

In the morning go to Tzintzuntzan - one of the greatest pre-Hispanic cities in Mexico and former capital of the ancient Purepecha State. After a walking tour around the town and visit to nearby pyramids, take a boat to Isla de Janitzio - the main island of Lake Pátzcuaro whose town is known for the butterfly fishermen that can also be located on the back of the 50 peso Mexican banknote. In the afternoon, we will go to Pátzcuaro - a picturesque colonial town founded in the 1320s as the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center: check-in, rest, evening walking tour around the historic center, optional dinner & get-together with the group in one of the local restaurants/bars.

• Transportation: private vehicle/mini-couch
• Meals & Drinks Included: breakfast
• Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-own hotel/B&B/guest house in Pátzcuaro
• Activities Included: guided visit to Tzintzuntzan Archaeological Zone; boat to Janitzio; walking tours in Janitzio, Tzintzuntzan & Pátzcuaro

Day 5: Pátzcuaro - Paricutin Volcano - Uruapan 

In the morning go to Angahuan, a starting point for a 6h hike to Paricutin - the youngest (but considered dormant nowadays) volcano in the Western Hemisphere. Accompanied by a local guide, we will reach the top of the volcano by horse, visiting abandoned ruins of San Juan Parangaricutiro Church on the way back.  During the eruption, the lava flowed around and into the church, and covered 3/4 of the town. Just beneath the church, the old houses and buildings keep buried under the rocks. After a volcano tour, we will be back to Angahuan - a traditional Purepecha community where weaving, embroidery, spinning and other textile traditions are still practiced. After an optional lunch and orientation walk around the village, we will go to Uruapan - the second largest city of Michoacán located at the western edge of the Purépecha highlands: walking tour around the historic center, optional dinner & get-together with the group in one of the local restaurants/bars.

• Transportation: private vehicle/mini-couch
• Meals & Drinks Included: breakfast
• Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-own hotel/B&B/guest house in Uruapan 
• Activities Included: guided hike to Paricutin Volcano; walking tour in Uruapan 

Day 6: Uruapan - Paracho - Camecuaro National Park - Zamora

We will start or day by visiting Barranca del Cupatitzio - a national park with broad-leafed temperate and tropical vegetation, various walking paths, and a number of artificial fountains built on the sides of the ravine to take advantage of natural water flows. Then we will go to Paracho - a small town famous for handcrafting the best guitars in the world and home to the designer of the guitar featured in a famous "Coco" movie (2017).  Then we will go to Camécuaro - a beautiful lake with turquoise-colored, crystal clear water and hundreds of old cypresses guarding its perimeter. After a picturesque hike, a boat ride on the lake and optional lunch, we will go to Zamora - the 3d largest city in the state famous for its neo-gothic Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe which is considered one of the largest cathedrals of its kind in the American continent.  Check-in, rest, evening walking tour around the historic center, optional dinner & get-together with the group in one of the local restaurants/bars.

• Transportation: private vehicle/mini-couch
• Meals & Drinks Included: breakfast
• Accommodation: conveniently located, locally-own hotel/B&B/guest house in Zamora
• Activities Included: walking tours in Paracho & Zamora; guided visits to Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park & Camecuaro National Park

Day 7: Zamora - Cuitzeo - Los Azufres 

In the morning go to Cuitzeo - a quiet colonial town that offers a charming view of where the land meets the sky and a lake resembling a giant mirror. Upon a walking tour around its historic center, we will go to Los Azufres - a rustic spa resort situated in the middle of the mountains with several hot springs and sulfur mud lake. There you can relax your body and mind with thermal water, massages, traditional temazcal, and other medical procedures.  Optional farewell dinner & get-together in the local restaurant in the evening.

• Transportation: private vehicle/mini-couch
• Meals & Drinks Included: breakfast
• Accommodation: eco-cabins in Los Azufres spa resort
• Activities Included: walking tour in Cuitzeo; access to spa facilities in Los Azufres 

Day 8: Los Azufres - Mexico City

Morning departure with an afternoon arrival to Mexico City. In winter, on the way, we will visit nearby Monarch Butterfly UNESCO Biosphere Reserve – a breathtaking over-wintering site of the eastern population of the monarch butterfly. In summer, instead, we will go to Angangueo – a small town with rich mining traditions located in high rugged forested mountains: walking tour around the historic center and optional lunch.

• Transportation: private vehicle
• Meals & Drinks: breakfast
• Activities: guided visit to Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (December-February); walking tour of Angangueo (March-November).

Logistics

• DEPARTURE: We will leave our accommodation in Mexico City on Day 3 morning.
• ARRIVAL: We will be back in Mexico City on Day 8 afternoon around 3 pm.
• ACCOMMODATIONS: An exact list of accommodations is sent together with trip notes 2 weeks before the departure date. Most of the accommodations are centrally located, tourist-class, locally-owned properties with private facilities in each room (unless otherwise specified in the itinerary). We can arrange pre- & post-tour accommodations but not earlier than 2 weeks before the departure when we send you final trip notes. However, this time is normally enough to arrange it with normal pricing & enough availability.
• ROOM TYPES:
  • Shared Twin Room: Single bed in a twin room shared with another co-traveler of the same gender. This option is specifically designed for solo travelers and applies just to group departures.
  • Double/Twin Room: Private room for 2 people. You can choose between 1 double bed or 2 single beds.
  • Triple Room: Private room for 3 people. It normally has 1 double bed for 2 people and 1 single bed for 1 person.
  • Quad Room: Private room for 4 people. It normally has 2 double beds for 2 people each.

  If none of the room types above fits you, please contact us and we will send you a personalized quote.

• TRANSPORT: The type of private vehicle for inter-city transfers depends on the size of the group and may include car, 7-seater, minivan. Inside urban areas, walking is the most common way of transportation.
• ACTIVITIES: Participation in all activities is optional - just be sure to be in time for departures. Both walking tours (>2h, normally in historic centers of bigger cities) and orientation walks (<2h, normally in smaller towns & villages) focus on local history, culture & gastronomy and are led by a Tour Leader.
• FOOD: Food & drinks included in the tour (be it breakfasts at our accommodations, Market Food Experiences, lunches, or dinners) can normally meet most of the common dietary restrictions. However, due to the active program of the tour and different menus in each place, satisfying a special diet or food preferences of a particular traveler will depend on circumstances and cannot be fully guaranteed.
• PHYSICAL CONDITION: This tour involves a decent amount of hiking & walking. Therefore, travelers should have at least moderate physical fitness condition.
• WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU: Comfortable clothes & (preferably hiking) shoes; swimming suit & slippers; a smaller backpack for daily tours; hat/cap, sunglasses & sunscreen; travel insurance; good mood & curiosity.
• PRICING: The price of the tour/person depends on the number of travelers & room option you choose.
• GROUP VS. PRIVATE TOUR: Group Tour: take a trip with other travelers. Private Tour: take a trip on your own, with friends, couple, or family. While offering more privacy and exclusivity such tours may cost more than group ones. If you wanna take a private tour with a group that is bigger than 4, please contact us and we will send you a personalized offer. For private tours, the dates of departure (and in some cases the itinerary & activities) can be customized to your request.