No. 145 Walking Experience

Experiencia Caminantes offers urban guided and self-guided activities, in a playful and alternative way, get to know them: Las Derivas, consists of individual walks at your rhythm, challenges and games, following an interactive guide from your cell phone; Los Recorridos are group experiences in which local artists will guide you during the activities which will allow you to experience the city in a different way.

Did you know that the body has all information about human evolution history? Discover it through this unique experience called Recorrido Ancestral in the city of Mérida, Yucatán.

It consists of a group walk through parks at Mérida’s historic downtown, inviting to discover evolutive ancestors of human species, through mythological stories and participatory activities to enjoy the architectural and natural landscape of the city. The tour is guided by local artists who propose dynamics to awake senses to look and look oneself from different perspectives, visiting the main square surroundings, revolution promenade, Hidalgo Park, the Music Palace, Mother’s Park, and Santa Lucía Park.

In this walking tours, you will learn about our ancestors like Alesi, Elaine, and Lucy, feeling identified with them by means of activities, elections, and questions. Start moving, interact with the sites, look at the city with different eyes, while the sun sets in the White Mérida.

It includes guide-artist leading the group, activities, dynamics.

It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing with pockets, bring small bags or backpacks to have movement freedom, tennis shoes or sportive footwear. Call to make a previous reservation.

When the night falls, the adventure starts at natural reserve “Ría Celestún”, if you are lucky, you can see mangrove trees surrounding the estuary, while you slowly move in a boat manually steered with a wooden oar, always equipped with proper gear for your safety. Be always vigilant for the pleasant surprise of watching owls, fireflies, or brilliant fish. The sound of insects, and mainly from birds nesting or resting, promise a special encounter with local fauna, and in this specific case, the quest of a small moreletti crocodile.

With some patience and help from the specialized guide, you will see one of the so-called “swamp crocodile”. If conditions allow it, you may have direct contact with the reptile, transforming that moment in something special and creating a complete connection with nature. At the end of the night, you would have lived a unique and unforgettable experience in a freshwater swamp in Yucatán.

It includes barge tour, water bottles, sodas, federal certified guide, flora, and fauna watching, lamps, and repellent.

It is recommended to make a reservation by phone call or social media.

Experience a fantastic and extraordinary moment on an incredibly special day of your lifetime. The Underwater Wedding in a cenote is an extraordinary way to start a life in couple, immerse in nature, and in a sacred site for Maya people.

There will be 3 days of activities full of emotions that will end with that special moment when a couple gets married.

All the staff will help with the water immersion and provide the underwater ritual: couples will say Yes by means of a banner, and the wedding act will be signed, they will kiss underwater, there will be an underwater dance and tour, as well as a photo shooting, of course, everything will be recorded as a souvenir. At the end of this intense ritual, we will go back to a home of a family from the Maya community, near the cenote, to taste a particular regional meal.

It includes transportation, scuba equipment required, entrance to the cenote, certified instructor, meal. It is recommended to make a reservation at least one month prior.

Santa Cruz Hacienda was founded in 1640, being originally a Franciscan monastery. As time went by, it became a farm and during the glory times of the “green gold” in Yucatán, it became a henequen harvesting hacienda; recently restored, now it is a luxury hotel, preserving that ancient environment, full of history and tradition.

Santa Cruz Hacienda forms part of the haciendas’ catalogue which is protected by the History and Anthropology National Institute, being cultural heritage of Yucatán state. Currently, it has become a marvelous luxury hotel, recently restored and with a unique personality and a defined character.

Within an area of 12.3 acres, Santa Cruz Hacienda offers, among extensive and beautiful gardens, 25 rooms and suites, each one with details that make them unique. Moreover, it has excellent sites for social and corporate events.

Something also honored is the Mexican and Yucatecan traditional cuisine, represented at Valentina restaurant. Do not miss the huge artificial cenote, which as the pools, brings relaxing moments and contact with nature.

Santa Cruz Hacienda preserves its original buildings distribution, where you can see the former Monastery, the Machines Room, and the gorgeous Chapel.

Tour around the beautiful port and Magic Town of Sisal riding a bike, to learn about its history, traditions, culture, architecture, and the history of each building.

You will start the activity downtown, where the guide will tell you the history of this place. Afterwards, you will see different murals, representative of the port, which are located in the main streets; they are so colorful and diverse, that you cannot avoid taking a picture of them. Then you will get to the picturesque and representative letters of “SISAL”, where you cannot avoid taking a picture.

After astonishing us with the historic part, the tour continues getting deep into nature, so that you can watch the magnificent landscapes, consisting of region’s flora and fauna. During the tour, enjoy fresh air and the breeze once you are near the estuary. You will go through a pathway full of trees which will make it seem as a green tunnel; from this spot on, it is recommended to be vigilant in order to watch fauna living there, as many times birds and butterflies fly near people, an astounding scene.

This tour has no lack of adventure, while you go on, you will see small connections of both sides of the estuary, which have a slight current, you may go walking or pulling the bike on one side, or if you are an adventurer, you can ride the bike, you just have to get certain speed to cross easily.

Once inside the estuary, you will find a mangrove area making contrast with the beautiful color of pink flamingos living there. You can locate them by their particular sound. At the end, and with a previous reservation, you can taste a delicious dish of fresh fish and seafood.

It includes bicycle, tourist guide, water. It is recommended to wear appropriate clothing and footwear, cap, sunglasses, repellent, and biodegradable sunscreen.

At the Suytun Tourist Complex you can enjoy:

Accommodation

Lodge here and enjoy the serenity in the middle of the Mayan jungle. You can stay in one of the 18 air-conditioned huts, with private bathroom and Wi-Fi. Besides, when booking, you will receive an entrance ticket to visit the cenotes.

Cenotes

Suytun Cenote

This cenote is considered to be young, it is circular, and it is closed by a vault, which has an opening in the surface, allowing sunlight to enter, once inside, you can see a vast number of stalagmites and stalactites. This cenote is accessible through a tunnel with stairs.

Suytun kaa Pe Cenote

This is a semi-open cenote, which is formed by an opening in the upper part. Its diameter increases considerably in the internal part towards the water surface and down to the bottom. Once inside, there is still visibility, as the cave and water surface are close enough to the sunlight. This cenote is accessible through a tunnel with stairs.

Events

You can celebrate your birthday, baptism, wedding, etc., the complex has exclusive areas for private events.

A man, descendant from ancient Mayans, Mayan priest, respected by the village and its surroundings, teaches Mayan culture to visitors and community’s children, he speaks his native language every day, which is the Yucatecan Maya, and he barely speaks Spanish. A Santa Elena’s character that shares his knowledge, wisdom, and house, kitchen, and Mayan altar, as a way of rescuing and keeping Yucatecan Mayan culture alive.

At the heart of the Puuc Route, it is essential to stop in Santa Elena to honor the knowledge shared by Don Hernán about the Maya housing building, he will tell you about his l xanil nah experiences, you can also learn and/or taste hand-made tortillas and some dish. Don Hernán developed a tool that de-fibers henequen manually, plant over which an agroindustry in Yucatán was developed, as well as a small altar to place his offerings to the Mayan Gods.

Santa Elena, one of the villages forming part of the most populated region in the Yucatán Peninsula, the South of Mérida. It is an awesome Yucatecan area where you can enjoy a quiet daily life, experience the Yucatecan calm, visit churches, haciendas, archeological sites, museums, cenotes, grottoes, learn about stories and many more.

It includes guided tour, explanation, food tasting. It is recommended to bring a camera and comfortable clothing.

Videomapping projection over San Ildefonso Cathedral, the most ancient in México, accompanied by a narrative about Mérida’s history. It was made with different 3D and 2D animation techniques to deliver a historical remembrance of the building’s construction, built with the stones of the ancient Mayan city of Thó, as well as its meaning to inhabitants of this city. The audiovisual trip has a narrative of twelve verses written exclusively for the cathedral and the musical background is accompanied by the choir of Mérida’s city and its sacred singings.

This experience is designed for those who love adventure and thrill like you! This is an adventure full of extreme emotions; during this experience you can test your driving abilities and increase your adrenaline levels while you drive and explore the surroundings of the marvelous UMA San Manuel. You will go through narrow and beautiful roads. You will see bird species, and if you are lucky, even reptiles, mammals, felines or deers, and an endless fauna living in the region. All this, guided by certified local guides. This experience is ideal for couples, families, and friends; for your own safety on the ATVs, only adults may drive. At the end of the tour, you can rest and have fun in the exclusive swimming pool of pure and crystalline water, special for relaxing.

El Cuyo, a beach, nature, eco-tourist, and adventure destination is known by locals as Yucatán’s hidden treasure, with a warm environment provided by locals, who provide you the opportunity of learning about, enjoy, and be part of this tourist destination.

It includes protective eyewear, ATVs, Can-Am commander. It is recommended to wear appropriate clothing, sunscreen, ecological repellent and make a prior reservation.

Meet artisan Raymundo Miss, known as “the elf”, who currently offers a workshop on his house courtyard to teach the process of making traditional toys like the spin top and balero, as well as they keychain versions.

The trompo is a kind of top that spins on its tip, where its gravitational center is perpendicular to the spinning axis and is balanced due to the angular velocity which allows the gyroscopic effect. On the other hand, the balero is a juggling toy that has a stem, generally made of wood, it is attached to a rope with a ball pierced by a hole of a diameter adjusted to the stem. The main working tool of the artisan is a system he specially adjusted to carve wood, this system works by means of a pedal that makes wood twist by friction; thus, while wood is twisting, he carves it to a specific shape. Another interesting process is the way he colors the items, as for one of the colors he uses a root that provides a brilliant yellow shade: turmeric. As you can see, most of the processes he uses to make toys is rustic and traditional.

Watch this process and be creative coloring your own spin top or balero. After it is ready, you will be taught the main techniques to play with them. It is a fun activity, and you must be patient to improve each time. It includes explanation and materials to make the toys.

Prior reservation is recommended.

La Cúpula Cultural Center is a bilingual (Spanish/English) multidisciplinary art center, excellent for international exchanges, it is located by a historical monument in Mérida’s historical downtown. It has capacity to receive a vast variety of artistical productions, this art center is open to all contemporary disciplines. La Cúpula has the capability of receiving artists for a residence; it has two galleries, a communal area open to the public, a wide garden with an area for shows, a production atelier and two residences for artists.

The main objective is promotion, production, and dissemination of art in its different expressions, like plastic arts, performing arts, music, dance, literature, architecture, and cinematography. During April and May 2021, you can visit the exhibition “Abstracción del límite” from Sofía Kalife, curated by Guillermo Olguín; you can also enjoy the exhibition “Ménagerie” from the artist David Serrano, curated by Leïla Voight, related to the current pandemic. Scheduled visits to the gallery are open for the public, for free, with the option of buying any artwork to support the participant artist, enjoy this cultural area that supports and promotes new artists.

It includes companionship of the exhibition’s artist or a guide from the venue.

It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing and footwear; you must make a reservation by phone call or social media. This supplier is pet friendly, contact them for more information.

The experience is perfect for sea, nature, and animal lovers. Come and enjoy a pleasant time in the sea, accompanied by the mini pig, play with them, have fun, and fall in love with all the attractions Progreso has for you. This activity is for free, you can visit them during all week, but if you want to swim with them, it is exclusively from Thursday to Sunday from 12 h to 13 h. Do not miss it!